convertable top ?

[2.2turboscotty]

my wife has an '86 600 vert and the top needs to be replaced soon. i called around and got quotes of about $1000-1100 for a new top installed which is a little more than i had hoped but not unreasonable. my question is could i be able to do it myself and has anyone done one before and could give me any insight. it's just that i have a little bit of body work to do to it and i'm going to paint it myself. i would replace everything that even looked like it needed it, cables and pads and such too. if it's better left to the pros then i can do it but i can do just about anything i put my mind too.
thanks in advance guys!

[85LEBARON]

I recently did the top on my 85 Lebaron. I am a practical person and I took the challenge out of curiosity. It has worked out quite well but it took time, a lot of time and I think I would not do it again, in fact the professionals need not fear me competing with them and taking away their business. They can have it.

[2.2turboscotty]

I hear you, it doesn't look like it will be fun and one of the shops i called told me it was like 10 and 1/2 hours labor. now thats someone that does it for a living so i should be able to do it in 20. at least i have a garage and if it takes a couple of days to do then it won't get wet. any ideas where i can purchase a new good top? any others done it before and any pointers?

[MopàrBCN]

Hi, well, I daubt it will be 10-12 hours for a shop. I have 2 left hands and even though I managed to swap my top with the help of a friend in a matter of a long afternoon.

There are some tricky parts, but nothing, wich put's a real challange. What you will notice is that you will be most likely have to readjust the back part over a couple of weeks to eliminate imperfections.

Important is, that you disassemble with system and document any step you do, so that you know what your reverse procedure is.

There is documentation available in ebay at times.

I have a document with fotos, but the comments are in German, so not sure if it helps. If so PM me and I will mail to you what I've got.

[rare_ram]

Can't take that long. I had a 93 Shadow ES ragtop a few years back and a guy came to my work and did mine, probably took him 2 hours.

[denviola]

It's not real hard and not too easy. I've done it, and also had a nice one installed for around $600. Do some research first, check out www.convertibletopguys.com and a few others. You can buy the installation booklet there, or read an intro there and make a decision. If you can rent a pneumatic (air) stapler, it goes much better. Other have done it with regular staplers or tack hammers, I wouldn't. I will do it myself again tho, it's not that bad if you can keep the car inside. Don't even think about doing it outside your first time, as it will take 3x longer than you think. Best to stay out of the sun anyhow, so the top doesn't stretch out and then when it cools you'll never get the top shut.....
Denny

[2.2turboscotty]

thanks guys for all the help, after reading the install on the link i am sure i can do it without a problem. yes it may take me some extra time but i'm going to do it and i can't be happier with the price of the whole kit with pads, strips and cables, 345.00 plus shipping with the glass window. looks like i will be able to paint the car and do the top for under a grand!!!!!!!!! i have some other projects that need time first but i will take some pics as i do it and hope that it may help some others out that want to do it themselves.

[turbokid]

On my 89 lebaron I litterall did a top transplant.
We had a good top off of another lebaron in my dads salvage yard and it took me around 5 hours to pull 2 tops and install the other one
It was fairly simple and alot easier
We just had a top guy do the top on my dads superbird and he recommended you get the tops with the markings on where to line the top up otherwise its a nightmare
Good luck

[ottawa rogue]

I'll be doing the same thing here in about a month, my '86 needs a new one also.
it looks like it may not be too bad, but i'll probably be cussin' by the time i'm done :D

[Mopar318]

I do tops everyday at work! I work at a trim and upholstery shop. 1100 is a reasonable price and is what we charge on most. I can get you the manufacture of who we get all of our tops through, they are top quality.

Tops are not too difficult, but you cant rush it. There are alot of parts and pieces, and your really need to do a few before one turns out good. Not saying you cant do it your first time, but its probably not going to be perfect. I have no choice, when I do one, it has to be perfect. My boss says so. There are also alot of tricks ive learned doing tops, where I can usually get them "tight" the first time now. One trick is to lift the top about 4 inches, and staple along the reference line, Only put a few staples in, then latch to see if it is tight. Most likely its not going to be, so your going to have to move it around.

[2.2turboscotty]

thanks for the input guys, i've been on vacation last week so i haven't been on here. i haven't gotten to the top yet, ive been dealing with issues with the Scamp. i have tooooo many of these cars and not enough time or money for all of them. i will not rush it and it can sit in the garage if it takes a couple of days. i may hit you up on your vendor because i don't want a "cheap" top.

[blk86trbo]

You might be able to get a factory NOS convertible top for your 600 through Arizona parts:

http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25663

I'm probably gonna buy a factory NOS top for my Shadow through this company.

[blk86trbo]

I do tops everyday at work! I work at a trim and upholstery shop.

Hey...would you have an idea if the NOS tops hold up...whether or not the fabric/plastic has deteriorated? I figure these tops have probably been in a box for 15 years, but I'd imagine they would be a perfect fit...?

[Mopar318]

We use Electron Tops. Never have had a single problem, and they always come out nice. If you don't need a window, then you will save yourselves a couple hundred bucks, but I would get one anyways, because they will eventually separate, and replacing the window is just like doing back of the top all over again.

Based on the age of the car, go ahead and order new pads as well. The cables should still be fine. Ive never seen any that where bad.

NOS tops should be pretty good quality if your talking about the factory stuff. You really cant get any better than the OEM stuff they used on the car originally.

[Mopar318]

Hey...would you have an idea if the NOS tops hold up...whether or not the fabric/plastic has deteriorated? I figure these tops have probably been in a box for 15 years, but I'd imagine they would be a perfect fit...?

UV rays, moisture, and mold is what causes stuff to deteriorate. The UVs are out of the question, the mold might have got to it though, depending on where they have been stored. Most likely they are in good condition still.

[crazymadbastard]

One thing to add that I have heard is to have the top sit in the sun to help it soften. I imagine a steamer would be handy. I may try it on mine, I want to do a black sail cloth to replace my torn nasty ratty old pos fake grained plastic one.