Convertible top: acceptable variance?

[other_shoe]

Digging through the aftermath of the top shop's work, I came across an additional issue, the rear bow is more than three quarter inches higher on the passenger side than the drivers with a similar variance along the hypotenuse formed by the rear window and sail panel. The driver's side of the back of the top is about an inch shorter than the passenger's from the last bow to the tack strip, and as you can imagine this has repercussions on the window and windshield fitment.

I understand that this is upholstery work and thus a bit inexact. And I understand that there are issues of geometry with the top carriage and the car's body that further complicate things. But these differences seem a bit much.

I'd like to hear some thoughts from convertible owners about what is reasonable because the top shop was subcontracting for a guy who did some quite nice body work and he is really resistant to acknowledging there is a problem. Am I being unreasonable?

 

[70vert]

How do your latches line up? My passenger side is always harder to get latched than the driver's side. The routine is - power the top up, latch driver's side, blip the power once again, latch passenger's side. Not sure if this is by design, or if it's a misalignment. Sorry I can't provide more info, but that's been my experience the whole 16 years I've owned the car. Frame is original, top fabric has been replaced.

 

[johnsstang04]

My '69 convertible top is symmetric about the center axis of the vehicle. I installed the top myself, and I think it would be difficult for the top fabric to line up to the header if the geometry is that inconsistent.

It's possible your top is just poorly installed, misaligned, or has parts off of a different model car.

 

[other_shoe]

The passenger's side is certainly easier to latch than the driver's. I don't think this is by design. The passenger's cylinder is ever so slightly faster than the driver's (I'd recommend replacing them in pairs).

I cannot tell whether they both extend the same amount without detaching the tack strips; currently, the passenger side will extend one quarter inch further, which has a problematic impact on quarter window fitment.

The carriage/frame used to latch easily and line up symmetrically with the tack strips unbolted.

Given the car's history (e.g. came with a '66 mirror and a '68 gas cap), the carriage/frame parts could be from another model or year, but they match up with a spare that supposedly came from a '67. Also, I measured the individual pieces on the carriage /frame on the car and they are at least symmetrical.

Once latched it fits pretty nicely on the header -- although the latching process currently pulls the combo sunvisor & latching attachment out of proper alignment with the rest of the trim ... but this is more a function of forty-one year-old holes for the sheet metal screws. There is about a three eighths inch variance between where the top frame/carriage and windshield frame meet with the passenger side much closer, but from the outside things look pretty good.

The big problems are at the back with the quarter window fit and the lopsided height.

It's worth noting that the shop manual says to use the old top as a template but who could say that the previous top is right four decades down the line. I know the top that was replaced was incorrect because the adjustment arms at the rear had been inverted and reversed.