[John long]

I think that almost sounds like a vote of confidence Brian

John L.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by DanTwoLakes

The top should be O.K., but the rear curtain is a question mark. I would hang both of them in the warm garage and see what happens. You can't go any further with the top until the new pads are in place and the rear curtain is installed correctly.

Brian: You are driving yourself crazy with this. Don't agonize so much over tiny little details. The original top was put in by somebody who could have cared less how it turned out.

Thanks Dan, and John. This is so far out of my world. The funny thing is I would cut the rear body and quarter and floor with rails out of a 2012 Mercedes and not break a sweat, this top has just kicked my butt, because it is something way out of my world.

But getting that top up there has demystifed it further, it is getting more and more in my world and I figure at the very least if this top gets screwed up I get another and do it again. But I have a feeling it will be just fine. On the rear curtain, something hit me, I can cut the "tails" what ever they are called off the one with the messed up window and put them on the other one, can't I? Or just get a new rear window, they don't cost that much. It just kills me because the one with the messed up window looks to be much better quality. You can see in that one photo that the window is terribly stained. I tried to see if it would clean but there is no hope.

I went out this morning before taking off for work and got the old top and pads out and I can put them up there just to make me feel better about the whole thing too. Funny thing is, I will bet this will be a lot better than it was and I drove it like that for years.

Brian

[Gringo]

I think you will do just fine. Also I don't think any of your questions were stupid, that's how you learn stuff. Sometimes it's nice to pick someone's brain. If you have a shop nearby they could sew in a new plastic for you. Good luck and have fun. Later Jim

[MARTINSR]

Well, I picked up a stapler and some stainless staples. They are 7/16" wide as opposed to the 1/2" wide ones that were in my old top. But in testing out the stapler in a number of different materials like the tack strip and some new rubber stuff that I put in the header bow it laughs at it running that staple in like it was butta. Is this all what you guys are using?

What length staples? I got 3/8" as that is what I see in the pads so it worked, but is that what I should be using?

Brian

[MARTINSR]

Duh, I just went back and saw your post on the stapler and it seems this will do the job. Are the 3/87" staples going to do the job?

Brian

[timothale]

I got out my BEA staple gun, (made in europe.) I went on line an only found suppliers that would only sell 50 K staples.min order. I took the gun and a duofast, and a bostitch into a place that does construction nail guns and he had all kinds of staples and in smaller quantity I have only installed 3 factory replacement tops and made one from scratch for My T bucket and one dune buggy. I Had Trim when I was an engineer at ford and the crew did about 50 per day. I watched a lot, speced tooling, etc. They used to set a spacer so the front bow was about a foot off the windshield header to tack it on, when they locked it down it was tight, perfect, they had the most problems getting the wrinkles out of the quarters, I used to have some polishing compound for flexible vinyl rear windows. paint polishing compound might work

[MARTINSR]

Thanks for the tips. I had another guy tell me something similar with holding the front of the top up.

I didn't put much into it thinking the way the whole window is covered in the stain that it would probably ruin it anyway trying to polish it out. But I guess it can't hurt, I'll give it a try. Thanks again.

Brian

[DanTwoLakes]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

Duh, I just went back and saw your post on the stapler and it seems this will do the job. Are the 3/8" staples going to do the job?

Brian

Use the correct length staples for the job. If what you're stapling into is deep enough to hold that length staple, you are golden. If not, you may need some 5/16" or 1/4" staples. When you attach the wire-on to the rear bow you might need 1/2" staples due to the thickness of the wire-on.

[DanTwoLakes]

Originally Posted by timothale

I got out my BEA staple gun, (made in europe.) I went on line an only found suppliers that would only sell 50 K staples.min order. I took the gun and a duofast, and a bostitch into a place that does construction nail guns and he had all kinds of staples and in smaller quantity

All of my suppliers (of upholstery supplies) sell any length staple for BEA guns in regular and stainless. I keep six or seven different lengths around at all times. Some have boxes as small as 1000 staples. They also sell Bostitch, Duo-Fast, Senco, and Fasco staples the same way. It's just like buying top and trim contact adhesive, or sew foam. You can't buy upholstery supplies at a Home Depot, you need to find an upholstery supply house.

[MARTINSR]

I'm going to use my advice I tell people about car parts "Go ask the pro shops who they buy their parts from, it ain't Auto Zone". I'll find out where they get their stuff around here. I did get the staples I bought at Home Depot but these were the only Stainless ones they had.

Brian

[MARTINSR]

Ok, how does this top look? I have it sitting in the sun on top of the wife's Family Truckster. It's looking a LOT better but still funky, is this something that will flatten out when it is stretched out on the top?



And how about this rear window difference, I am assuming I want one like on the right with the longer side curtains. What do you say?



The original top pads don't even come close to fitting back on the bows where they were. With it on the header as it was, the next bow lines up, the next one is a little off and by the time it gets back to the rear it is off by a few inches. But the measurements are all right on the money so it must be the pads that have shrunken?

This is the third bow and you can see light thru the hole where it was screwed to the bow, it is off about an inch.


This is the last bow, now It's just laying on the bows and I'm not stretching it but I would think it should reach.





Is it common to have to use this many staples? This is the rear pad where it meets the rear bow. I have to assume that it's normal being you staple the pads, then you staple the curtain, then you staple the top, it's pretty much normal?



In looking at the window that has the odd brown marks on it I am thinking it almost looks like it was tinted and the brown is failing somehow?

Brian

[MARTINSR]

TTT

Brian

[DanTwoLakes]

Yes, there are a lot of staples that go into the rear bow, from the pads to the rear curtain to the top to the wire-on.

The top will lose it's wrinkles when it is stretched, it may take a little longer in the end before 18 years of wrinkles come out, but they will come out eventually.

The rear curtain without the wings is what I'd use. There should be pads to provide the same support in the same places, and the wings are just another layer to deal with.

[Gringo]

I agree with Dan on wrinkles and rear window.

[MARTINSR]

This is the news I didn't expect but wanted to hear, thank you guys so much!

I am off and running on this top.

Brian