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The following instructions are for removing all
three layers of the top: outer layer, insulation layer and headliner.
Remove the rear seat bottom and parcel
shelf, fold rear seatback forward and clean out the trunk. Roll down front
and rear windows.
1. Remove the rear window by disconnecting
the defroster wires, if present. Pull off the insulators so they will pull
out through the gasket more easily. Use a screwdriver or similar tool to
carefully work the inner lip of the seal from the inside of the car. Pry
the glass, with the seal around it, away from the car a little at a time.
You can lean into it from the inside too, but be sure to have someone on the
receiving end outside of the car for assistance and to catch the glass when
it breaks free.
2. Remove the side rail rubbers over the
rear windows by pulling them out while simultaneously protecting the rubber
from tearing where there may be some glue spots. Mark where they will go
back and set aside.
3. Unscrew the corner caps (what the boot
snaps to) and set aside. While you're here, take a moment to note the
position of the boot hook tabs (measure their distance from the top's rear
corner seams).
4. Remove the side plate screws by first
folding the top frame to about half of being fully open. You will see the
side rail plate screws: one at the top, one at the bottom and four in
between. Remove from each side of the car. Similarly, remove the four rear
quarter window screws.
5. Carefully pry the aluminum rails, where
screws were just removed, from the mountings. They are sealed down with a
tar strip, so pry gradually and carefully. Avoid bending. Mark where they
will go back and set aside.
6. Observe whether the straps are threaded
through the insulation padding via slots or are sewn to the padding. You
should sketch and write down the locations, orientation, etc., or take
pictures, of these straps before you remove them.
7. Remove the main side top-window seals.
There are five retaining screws on each side as well as other retainers.
Carefully pry out the end clips making sure you can reuse them. Remove
clips, screws and the rubber seals.
8. There are six screws on each side that
hold the top to the front bow (bows are the frame's metal crosspieces; the
front bow sits over the windshield). Each screw is threaded into a plastic
insert that goes through the fabric and into the front bow. Remove these
inserts very carefully in order to preserve them during re-installation.
9. Pull the pocket that is built into the
front of the convertible top off of the front bow.
10. Move the top frame to the half-open
position and note the loop in the end of a cable that is held by a tab in
the frame. It is suggested that new cables be used so that you can simply
cut the existing cables (cut the cables in the loops with a cable cutter,
pull them back carefully and slowly through the top; see step 14). If you
will be reusing the side cables, you will need to pry up the tab, very
cautiously, on the frame that holds the hoop and push it back into position
after the cable loop has been removed. Note: Earlier models used springs
with the cables; make note of how the springs and cables are attached (take
pictures!) for easier installation.
11. The back of the top is locked to the
car's body with a rear attachment cable. It is difficult to remove. To
access the ends of the cable you should remove the top struts. You will
need a 13mm socket/wrench to remove the strut bolts. Lift the struts out of
the way. Grip the cable end stud with vise grips or similar tool. Loosen
the nut at each end with a 10mm wrench. Fix the vise grips so the stud and
cable do not rotate. Remove the nuts and the cable. Examine it carefully.
If you are certain about its structural integrity, then it may used with the
new top (but using a new cable is highly advised).
12. Remove all of the staples that hold the
top to the circumference of the rear window. Remove any other staples, such
as the ones holding the top to the rear bow. Now the top can be removed
from the frame.
13. Observe how the insulation padding is
fastened. There are usually pop rivets to be drilled out at the back.
There is also a retention rod at the front which is held in place with tabs
-- bend up the tabs. Remove the rod and the padding.
14. When you remove the pad retention rod
you will be able to release the side cables and pull them out.
15. Between the front bow and the bow behind
it, there is a stretchable cord that joins and tensions them, one on each
side. Similarly, there is a second pair between the two bows further back.
Examine and replace as needed.
16. Examine and make note of the headliner
attachment (reminder: take pictures!). It is stapled and glued at various
bows and is held in place in the trunk area by tabs and glue. Note, in
particular, the way the listings at the headliner seams are applied to the
bows and how the headliner is tacked to the rear window frame while
removing. You will be replacing the headliner with the same fastening. Once
the headliner is free from all attachment points, remove the headliner.
Now is the time to clean up the top's frame:
clean it, remove rust spots, lubricate the pivot points, etc.
17. Mark the center of each top frame bow
with a dot or line.
18. If the manufacturer has marked the
center points of the headliner, then that will be of assistance. Otherwise,
determine and mark the center points on the headliner (on the side that is
NOT facing the car's interior!). Align the headliner center points with the
bows' center marks, lead the listings (extended fabric tabs at the seams) to
the corresponding bows and hold in place with spring clamps.
19. Using stainless steel or galvanized
staples, staple the listing the center of the rear bow, letting the
headliner hang down about two inches. Note the stapling area or listing in
the bow.
20. You will have to line up the headliner
and work outward, stapling the headliner down to the corners of the bow.
Make sure that the headliner is both centered and tensioned. Install the
headliner's old side cables (if they're in good shape; otherwise get new
cables) through the headliner loops at the sides. There may have been
hold-down screws to attach the cable to the bows in front of and behind the
headliner cable loop; reattach these. Glue the headliner down around the
back window, pulling tight, eliminating wrinkles and then staple. If
pop-rivets were used and you have the tool to reinstall rivets where
applicable, do so.
21. Bring the front edge of the headliner to
the front bow and glue it to the front bow, starting at the center and
working outward. Use an upholstery shop adhesive that will give you a
strong bond.
22. Tack the headliner at rear and other
bows. Double-check the headliner's alignment. Staple down the back edge of
the headliner. Working from the center outward, the two center bow listings
are glued into place. Note: the rest of the headliner is not glued down
until after the padding is installed.
23. Check for creases in the headliner.
Wrinkles can be "shrunk" out with a heat gun. If this is necessary, be
careful to test the intensity of heat on a scrap piece of vinyl. You can
melt the vinyl if you overheat it.
24. If you are using a foam insulation pad,
preparation will be necessary. Chamfer the entire edge of the foam rubber
pad along all four sides. You should leave about a 3/8-inch thick edge and
bevel it in.
25. Slide the retention rod (removed in
steps 13 & 14) back through the bend at the front bow. Bend back the
retaining tabs.
26. Pull the padding cover back, grabbing it
at the rear center. It should be moderately tight. Pull the cover under
the rear bow.
27. Glue the padding to the cover. Remember
that the padding must move freely as the top is folded. Therefore, do not
glue it everywhere. Glue down the first six inches at the center front and
at each side; same for the rear. This will hold the pad to the cover.
28. Encase the padding in the blanket. Do
this by folding each side "wing" of the blanket over the pad. First, fold
over the passenger side of the pad cover and smooth it down. Roll the front
edge back and apply glue to the metal front bow and to the length of the
pad. Avoid wrinkles (wrinkles will transfer to the convertible top). It is
unnecessary to glue every square inch of the cover. Now, at the rear,
center and tension of pad and cover and staple the center two inches.
Repeat for the driver's side "wing". Glue about 4-6 inches to bond the two
wings. Now staple across the back. The front should be glued and the rear
should be stapled.
29. Slide the rear attachment cable through
the rear of the new top. Slide the cable through the cable guide and put
one nut on each cable stud, about a 1/4-inch. Spring clamp any material
that may be in the way inside of the car. Slide the boot hook tabs, if
desired, onto the cable; position them using the measurements taken in step
3 (this may need to be skipped until the cable is tightened down if the boot
hook tabs are not sewn shut).
30. Work the back of the top to the body.
The cable's plastic sheath will pull the top to the body channel. Push the
top fabric into the rear channel, working it into place and avoiding
bunching it up. A putty knife wrapped with electrical tape, or a similar
tool (it should be stiff, thin and coated to avoid tearing the top fabric)
will help you now. You have to push the top into the channel with the cable
right over it. You will have to vise grip or otherwise hold the base of the
cable stud to keep it from rotating while you tighten the nuts further. As
you tighten the nuts, the top will be held down.
31. When the rear of the top is fairly
secure, stop tightening the nuts and go to the front pocket of the top and
slide it over the front bow. Go back to the cable and tighten more to
firmly secure the top. Reattach the struts.
32. The back of the headliner is attached by
pushing the material over the pointed tabs along the inside of the trunk at
the top.
33. Lift the top halfway up. Pull down the
top over the front bow and check the alignment. Make sure the binding edge
is pulled down tight and glue the top to the front bow.
34. New side cables are sold un-looped
because two different lengths of cable were used: 94cm and 106cm; the
shorter cables utilize springs, the longer cables do not. Make a loop by
threading the cable through one of the four fittings provided. Use the
original cables as guides in creating the correct diameter loops as well as
getting the correct length of the cables. Circle the end of the cable back
through the fitting and then back again through the fitting to create the
loop. Squeeze the fitting shut tight with good vise grips or clamps. This
makes the loop permanent. Hook the cable to the small tab you saw in step
10. Feed cable, using a wire coat hanger with a hook at one end (or a piece
of electrical wire) to pull the cable through the loop in the headliner
(repeat on other side).
35. There are small tabs at the front and
rear that have to go through the pad. Center the cable and with the wire or
coat hanger, insert the side cables through the sides of the convertible
top. Locate where to puncture the pad for any tabs that have to go through
it.
36. There are six screws on each side that
hold the top to the front bow. Each screw threads into a plastic insert
that goes through the top and into the front bow. Observe in the old top
how an "x" was cut to put the insert through.
37. Now, reverse the removal process and
reinstall the rubber strips over the front side windows. There are five
retaining screws, clips and crimp ends on each side. Be very careful in
reinstalling.
38. The padding straps go through the hole
in the pad and pull the top pad into place as the top is folded. Install in
accordance with the locations in your old top. If your car has been restored
and there were no straps, then go by the slots in the rear window frame and
perhaps strap remnants on the bows. This information, hopefully, will be
apparent from your notes or pictures taken during the top removal process.
39. Now, reverse the removal process for the
rubber seals over the rear side windows. Fold the top as necessary. You
will have to replace each rubber seal on its original side as marked during
removal. Use a dab of black automobile silicone sealant at the front and
back as was done at the factory. After you smear on the sealant let it
begin to set (form a skin) for about five or ten minutes so it applies more
easily.
40. Cut out the rear window opening by
making a slit about 4 inches long from left to right in the center of the
window frame. Carefully pull the top material to erase any wrinkles as you
fasten the top to the rear window frame with your staple gun. As you pull
and staple the circumference, you can slice off material on the inner edge
of the window frame. Another method: pull the material taught and clamp it
to the frame; once clamped (you will need about 15 clamps), begin stapling.
41. Reinstall the rear window. If you are
installing a new window seal, wrap it around the rear window in the same
fashion as the one you removed. Note the lips of the seal and how they are
oriented. The lip you are primarily concerned about now is the inner one
which will grab the lip of the steel frame. Now, insert nylon string in the
gulley at the inside base of this lip, all around the window. With you in
the trunk, have a helper push window up against the opening, making sure the
glass is right-side up (defroster connections on the inside and at the
bottom). As your helper keeps the window in place and pushes against it,
use a flathead screwdriver to pry the lip where the end of the cord is into
the car; as you pry the seal, pull the cord to seat the seal properly
against the frame. You may also take the vehicle to a glass shop to have
them reinstall the rear window.
42. Reinstall the corner caps (what the boot
snaps to), making sure that the rubber seals behind them are properly
aligned.
43. Wipe the sweat from your brow, pat
yourself on the back and grab a cold beverage in celebration of a job well
done. |
