Interior and Upholstery Best Brand of Top for First Time

90sickfox said:

Replacing the top isn't too bad. I usually order from convertibletopguys.com

I recommend replacing the cables. One on each side. Getting a roll of black gorilla tape ( for the front header and to cover sharp edges. Use stainless steel staples. Get new tack strips.

When doing tops I usually try to reuse the factory padding. Most top kits will have a sleeve for each side and thin foam. I like the tighter plusher look of using the foam over the original padding wrapped in the new vinyl sleeves. Make sure you pull all the staples out. I use cutting pliers for that. Be really careful with weatherstrip you plan to reuse. Sometimes they are two sided taped or glued on. ( PITA ). They aren't supposed to be....but people did it anyways.

A heat gun comes in handy. You don't want to heat it up too much but it helps to warm it a little to get the top to latch after putting the new top on. Its supposed to be tight and will relax with a couple days in the sun.

The hardest part is keeping waves out of the corners of the top at the quarter panels. This has a lot to do with positioning on the tack rails and shimming them.

Haartz makes really good tops. The best in my opinion.

I've been doing tops on many different types of cars for 20yrs. The canvas cloth ones tend to start to leak at the fold points. The old Ambersol shaving cream in the navy blue can is the best cleaner I've ever used. That stuff is cheap at Walmart. It cleans and conditions vinyl well. I spray it on and agitate with soft brush. Then I rinse with water and mild soap...then use a vinyl conditioner. Works on door panels and dashes too.

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90sickfox said:

The Ez-on top has marks already on the back side of the top. They are usually pretty close to where they need to be. I've used Ez-on tops many many times.

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