Covertible top reconditioning, looking for your wisdom

[G A.]

I am seeking the experience/wisdom of those of you who have had this experience. This will be the first folding top I have dealt with.

My plan;

This top sat in the corner of the garage of the original owner for many years. He liked to race the car and the folding top was dead weight. So the hinges are in great shape and I do not anticipate having to replace rivets/bushings.
There is some surface rust present, on a scale of 1-10 I would put it at a 3 to 5. The original paint is still dominant and I'm pretty confident I get the cheery on this one all the way around. Appears the original top is still present, though the eisen glass is mostly gone.

I started taking off trim, pins, latches this afternoon. No plans to media blast the frame. Hand sanding and wire wheels will be used.

Weatherstrips will be replaced and a date coded top with the original style pads etc put back on. The car has the original hardtop, so before fitting the folding top, body weatherstrips along with hard top seals will be replaced and the windows fitted to the hard top before installing/fitting the folding top.

Other considerations you would add? Alter my plan? What would you do different?

Thanks to all!!

Dan

EDIT: By the way if someone can recommend a soft top installer in Houston please

[Larry S.]

Re: Covertible top reconditioning, looking for your wisdom

Depends on what quality you want when done. Top Flight, just a nice top, or driver? If you use a wire wheel to remove rust, be prepared to do lots of sanding to remove the brush marks; even if you can't see them, they will show up when you paint. Your order of work is correct: The windows are adjusted to fit the hard top, the soft top is adjusted to fit the windows.

Will you be installing the soft top? Have you ever done one before? I'd do some research on the Freeman cut (I believe that's what it's called) top from Al Knoch.

[G A.]

Re: Covertible top reconditioning, looking for your wisdom

Depends on what quality you want when done. Top Flight, just a nice top, or driver? If you use a wire wheel to remove rust, be prepared to do lots of sanding to remove the brush marks; even if you can't see them, they will show up when you paint. Your order of work is correct: The windows are adjusted to fit the hard top, the soft top is adjusted to fit the windows.

Will you be installing the soft top? Have you ever done one before? I'd do some research on the Freeman cut (I believe that's what it's called) top from Al Knoch.

Thank you Larry. Not being tuned to the finer points of "judging", my aim is to have it look like it came from Chevrolet.

[Larry S.]

Re: Covertible top reconditioning, looking for your wisdom

Thank you Larry. Not being tuned to the finer points of "judging", my aim is to have it look like it came from Chevrolet.

Well, sheit! Just slop on some semi-gloss on the deck bow and some gloss black paint elsewhere (just to confuse future restorers), write some illegible numbers and letters under the weatherstrip, and apply some anti-seize compound to all the adjustment points so that the top constantly comes out of adjustment...Et voila! Finis!

[G A.]

Re: Covertible top reconditioning, looking for your wisdom

Well, sheit! Just slop on some semi-gloss on the deck bow and some gloss black paint elsewhere (just to confuse future restorers), write some illegible numbers and letters under the weatherstrip, and apply some anti-seize compound to all the adjustment points so that the top constantly comes out of adjustment...Et voila! Finis!

??

I don't think this is what I'm after. Maybe when I said, "my aim is to have it look like it came from Chevrolet" I confused you. If so, my apologies.

dan

[Larry S.]

Re: Covertible top reconditioning, looking for your wisdom

??

I don't think this is what I'm after. Maybe when I said, "my aim is to have it look like it came from Chevrolet" I confused you. If so, my apologies.

dan

Just kidding you! I was trying to duplicate the "factory" look.

[G A.]

Re: Covertible top reconditioning, looking for your wisdom

Oh, yes I get it. You are very correct, a little slap dash with some paint thrown in on the side. Well I guess I want it a little better than that!!
Since your on that subject, while taking the W/S off the left side, there was one washer/nut that was only installed about half way on the threads of the screw.

Dan