Convertible Top Replacement!

Adam95GT · Jan 18, 2008

Got the car towed to my friends garage... i guess we are gonna start the swap and put a new top on our selves.... Any one know a good place to buy a replacement... or anyone have instructions... both wold be wonderful...

so far i have:
http://www.topsonline.com/index.php?DepartmentID=1&CarID=53&CarmodelID=413

I will probaly just get another vinyl.... Cloth seems like a bitch to take care of...

95strokerPSU · Jan 19, 2008

I got mine from topsonline.com but you really should consider the cloth top. It looks a lot better than the vinyl. IMO it would be worth the extra care required.

Adam95GT · Jan 19, 2008

Do you have pics of your top did you get the cloth or vinyl??? and how was the fitment

Jinx · Jan 19, 2008

From what I've seen posted and heard, if you are not that much of a wrench turner or have never done this before, this is a job best left to those who do it on a daily basis. If you've done it before, then disregard. Did you try to see if anyone locally sold them? They may have to order it, but they may give you a price break on the install.

ATL 94GT · Jan 19, 2008

Jinx102672 said:
From what I've seen posted and heard, if you are not that much of a wrench turner or have never done this before, this is a job best left to those who do it on a daily basis. If you've done it before, then disregard. Did you try to see if anyone locally sold them? They may have to order it, but they may give you a price break on the install.

Agreed.
I just had mine replaced, it took 2 experienced techs 5 hrs to install the top. Let me say I was very surprised at all that was involved in this process. It cost me $600 but worth the $ because it's guaranteed not to leak.

95strokerPSU · Jan 19, 2008

Adam95GT said:
Do you have pics of your top did you get the cloth or vinyl??? and how was the fitment

I went with vinyl because at the time I didn't know any better. The fitment was fine, but there's a couple areas where, if this a daily driver that saw rain, I would go back over and redo. But since 90% of the time it's driven with the top down and it never sees rain, I don't foresee myself tightening it. Just plan to spend the WHOLE weekend doing it, because I guarantee you won't get it perfect the first time and it's better to walk away from it and finish it the next day when you're not pissed off. It's definitely a frustrating job, but if you're strapped for cash, you can definitely get it done if you take you're time.

BTW I bought instructions from a guy on eBay, but I don't see him selling them on there anymore. The only ones up there now are an 8 page guide. The one I bought was like 23 pages so I imagine that 8 pager is somewhat vague. I'll see if I can find mine. PM me your address and if I can find them I'll mail them to you.

Good Luck

chaos254 · Jan 19, 2008

definitely go with a cloth top...it looks so much better than the vinyl and the upkeep really isn't anything more. The way I've looked at it, you have spent so much money on your car, why cheap out now?

if you need instructions to install the top send me a PM, I did mine a couple of years ago. Came out great and saved me $500+.

punksable · Jan 20, 2008

i did my own top on my wifes 95 gt, i got the complete kit from ebay, make sure you get a glass window, some people are selling vinyl. dont be cheap and buy it, get glass, trust me on that one!

anyway if you do it try to make sure it is warm, take pictures and write some things down as you take it apart, get a good stapler remover, also a good staple gun, heat gun,and double side tape.

having a friend helps, having two or three is way better. me and my brother in law did it in a weekend, alot of beers and head scratching. but we made it and it looks good.

you can email me at punksab2000@yahoo.com if you have any questioins.

Adam95GT · Jan 20, 2008

yea ill probally do this... the cheapest shop for vinyl in my area is $1300

D Hook · Jul 12, 2009

Dredging up this old post to say that replacing these tops is not as hard as I imagined but pretty time consuming.

So far, I've got the old top and glass window removed and am just cleaning up the incredible amount of staples I pulled. Getting ready to put the new stuff on tomorrow. If anyone has any words of wisdom on putting on the new glass/top, I'd sure appreciate it.

Also, has anyone tried that "Ragg Top" brand cleaner/protector on their top? Mine is white and I'd like it to last for awhile.

It's here: RaggTopp Kit for Vinyl Convertibles is designed to clean and protect your vinyl top to preserve its factory-fresh condition for years to come.

Thanks.

kendoo130 · Jul 13, 2009

Ragg Topp or any other clener DOES NOT work on white tops!!! The only way to keep a white top looking white is to remove it from your car and store it in your house!! You can ask anyone that has a white top-there is nothing on earth to get these things clean once they get a little dirty. This has been discussed before on here-I changed mine to black cloth because the white one made my car look like crap.

Adam95GT · Jul 13, 2009

My top is still ****... got a replacement with glass heated window for $125 on craigslist... all new pads and cables WOOOO.... someone left it when they got evicted and the maintenance guy took it and sold it to me lol.

D Hook · Jul 14, 2009

kendoo130 said:
Ragg Topp or any other clener DOES NOT work on white tops!!! The only way to keep a white top looking white is to remove it from your car and store it in your house!! You can ask anyone that has a white top-there is nothing on earth to get these things clean once they get a little dirty. This has been discussed before on here-I changed mine to black cloth because the white one made my car look like crap.

Does it damage it in anyway? I worry about using a product that may discolor it. I'll check with the manufacturer to see what they recommend, too.

Yes, a white top is much harder to keep clean. I usually would take a soft brush to mine when washing the car and that got the dirt off very well. I'm looking for something to protect it mainly. The old one was pretty ragged around the edges and the rear window seal had separated, causing water leaking into the back well. Once you start getting moisture in the cabin, electrical problems start popping up.

I thought about using black but after seeing some other ones, decided I liked the original white better. Personal preference I guess.

Plus the white will reflect the sun and that's supposed to help end global warming, right? Maybe I can get some sort of tax credit.

Thanks for the insight.

kendoo130 · Jul 14, 2009

D Hook said:
Does it damage it in anyway? I worry about using a product that may discolor it. I'll check with the manufacturer to see what they recommend, too.

Yes, a white top is much harder to keep clean. I usually would take a soft brush to mine when washing the car and that got the dirt off very well. I'm looking for something to protect it mainly. The old one was pretty ragged around the edges and the rear window seal had separated, causing water leaking into the back well. Once you start getting moisture in the cabin, electrical problems start popping up.

I thought about using black but after seeing some other ones, decided I liked the original white better. Personal preference I guess.

Plus the white will reflect the sun and that's supposed to help end global warming, right? Maybe I can get some sort of tax credit.

Thanks for the insight.

I have tried Ragg topp and many other cleaners for convertibles. I have also tried Kaboom,Tuff stuff, Clorox bleach. I must say none of these things discolored it-just didnt clean it. (I did notice a slight difference with Kaboom)

D Hook · Jul 31, 2009

Got it finished and it wasn't too bad but nothing I'd want to do again. Well, I take that back. Now that I've done it once and learned the procedure, I'd probably do it again.

I've got pics but on the other computer so have to post them later.

Now to find some nice charcoal colored rear seats.

Thanks for the insight guys.

blueskycar · Aug 4, 2010

Raggtopp does work if you treat the top as soon as it's installed, even on white. It does not work to clean, but the protectant works well. You should give a new top 3 serious coats (2-3 cans worth). Then repeat every six months. It provides a protective seal from the elements. And treat your top like your paint.

For others in NJ/NY, we install tops on Mustangs all the time. We do convertible top installation on 4th Gen cars for under $1k in vinyl and just over $1k in cloth, both with glass windows and have 25 years experience.

Lawdawg86 · Nov 13, 2020

I’ve got one I just purchased that seems to be off a bit. They put a new top on and said one of the hydraulic or mechanical motors in the back went out and the door won’t shut right when then top is up. Anyone ever heard of that before? I’m not a Vert guy for the right price and top is brand new. Carfax shows it was never in a accident, and by looking it over its all original. Looks like it may have been done by someone who had a little knowledge but was told the door can be shut when it’s up, just hard to do. She said she remembers them saying something about a motor in the back maybe going out

kiddiccarus · Nov 13, 2020

Yes, if the electrical parts are showing age and going out it is a common thing that one side will fully extend and the other not. What I would do is take it into the garage or out on a sunny day. Put it all of the way down, then all of the way up without latching it to the frame. Once it is in the fully extended configuration, take a tape measure and see what the actual distance is that you are lacking. Because on the front there should be 2 screw hooks that actually do the latching and they are adjustable.

Please, if you can supply a picture: Top up and latched, door window up, showing where the window is meeting the top (basically the issue your having)

Lawdawg86 · Nov 13, 2020

kiddiccarus said:
Yes, if the electrical parts are showing age and going out it is a common thing that one side will fully extend and the other not. What I would do is take it into the garage or out on a sunny day. Put it all of the way down, then all of the way up without latching it to the frame. Once it is in the fully extended configuration, take a tape measure and see what the actual distance is that you are lacking. Because on the front there should be 2 screw hooks that actually do the latching and they are adjustable.

Please, if you can supply a picture: Top up and latched, door window up, showing where the window is meeting the top (basically the issue your having)

Yeah I’ve seen it before on others just haven’t really laid my eyes on this one yet. I’ll be trailering it home about 120 miles. It’s runs and drives I just didn’t want to have to worry about the top issue. Got a killer deal on it so I’ll be posting pics for sure. I meant to measure it once I got it home, and really dig into why it’s not working right. I’m sure it’s a fairly easy fix, her ex husband was more less a shade tree mechanic and had the top done but when he was done with it he didn’t make sure everything lined up right. She says the door sorta closes, but you can’t shut the door with the window up or it’ll shatter so that was my main concern is to get that fixed quickly so I don’t have to break anything that’ll I’ll have to go find and replace. I’ve got extra parts just not for the top. One main reason for trailering it is because she’s had it under a car cover for a year and the tires are showing signs of dry rotting oddly even though it was in a garage.

Lawdawg86 · Nov 15, 2020

kiddiccarus said:
Yes, if the electrical parts are showing age and going out it is a common thing that one side will fully extend and the other not. What I would do is take it into the garage or out on a sunny day. Put it all of the way down, then all of the way up without latching it to the frame. Once it is in the fully extended configuration, take a tape measure and see what the actual distance is that you are lacking. Because on the front there should be 2 screw hooks that actually do the latching and they are adjustable.

Please, if you can supply a picture: Top up and latched, door window up, showing where the window is meeting the top (basically the issue your having)

We picked up the car, and runs nice and looks nice. The only issue is the convertible top frame on the drivers side door is down and I can’t find any illustrations on how to get it to go back up. The door will shut with it like that, but you can’t close the window all the way. I saw one for a 2001 Vert but I’m sure they are different frame styles. I wish I knew someone who had knowledge of how to get that center portion up.

Convertible Top Replacement!

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