Currently Under Construction. Thanks for your help with this Mark!
| Putting a New top on the .... | |
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| Not looking forward to the prospect of paying $500-$1000 dollars in labor to
put that new top on your classic? Doubtful that you have the skills to do it yourself? Well
fret not because you probably do, Take a look at this page and see what a pair of morons with
a hand stapler can do in a heated garage. Currently Under Construction. Thanks for your help with this Mark! | |
| Make sure you take a bunch of pics about how the current top is on | |
| Check out the Rust on the front header bow | |
| Here is the rear bow, the angle must be correct when you install the top | |
| Here is the firebird without the top frame in it, looks weird don't it |
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| Once the top is off, take out the frame and clean/paint/detail it. We used POR-15 with a topcoat of Krylon semi-gloss black |
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| When you put the frame back in, Put in the new convertible top seals temporarily and make sure the all the windows are aligned to the frame |
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| Make 2 spacers like this to keep the rear bow stationary. We fabricated in about 5 minutes and kept them in place with zip ties. Its VERY important on F-bodies to keep that rear bow in one place and in the right position |
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| Here are the new pads stapled on. They are the first to go on. Don't cut them to length until your sure the rear bow is in the right position. The only way to know that is when the rear curtain & top are fitted properly |
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| Here is the WORST part of this job. The top, well cover and rear curtain are all stapled to this trimstick, which is held in by 15 bolts. You will be installing this and removing it about 10 times which is totally miserable since it takes about a 1/2 hour to do each time. |
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| Here is the top on the trimstick almost ready to bolt it |
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| The top in place, but not stretched out over the frame |
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| Here is a side pic of the top, notice the big wrinkle, make sure you try to pull those out. Don't worry about the small wrinkles as they will disappear out in the sun |
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| View from the front, Notice the side wrinkle is mostly pulled out. Remember, take your time, patience is a REAL virtue when doing this. |
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| View from the back with the new top on. |
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| Well, its not perfect, but I think its good enough. It hasn't been out on the road yet but I am thinking it will be there by mid may. I will post pics of how it looks after being in the sun for a few weeks. | |