Shine, luster, and a glove-tight...
Shine, luster, and a glove-tight fit—it’s easy to tell when a classic Pontiac convertible has a new top. Thanks to Kee Auto Top, our ’68 Firebird convertible has one too.
If you have been getting away with driving your convertible with its shabby top, because you kept it down all the time and hidden under its boot, keep in mind cruising season will be ending soon as winter weather is approaching. Since most of you will not drive your drop-tops in cold weather, now would be a good time to contemplate replacing its convertible top. This way you have plenty of time to get it right before spring cruising returns.
In “Bowing Out Gracefully” (HPP, Sept. ’12) we showed how your classic Pontiac convertible’s top-frame assembly might be nesting rust in its header bow, and it could be unbeknownst to you until you peel back the front of your convertible top’s vinyl or remove it completely in preparation of a new top.
“There are two reasons to replace your convertible top. The first is appearance and the second is wear and tear,” says Kee Auto Top in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kee is a leading manufacturer of convertible and vinyl tops for worldwide distribution, and it supplies them to the Pontiac hobby via restoration-parts retailers, such as Ames Performance.
The top on our ’68 Firebird convertible was already exhibiting visual symptoms that led to a diagnosis of replacement. Its plastic rear window had turned into an opaque, brown-colored blob, and the top had a dull appearance that cleaners and conditioners couldn’t correct. Although our Firebird’s convertible top didn’t have any rips and didn’t leak, it was time to replace it.
Kee has been in business since 1964, and has decades of experience producing OE-replacement tops for classic Pontiacs. The company suggested its ’67-’69 Firebird convertible top and front-header strip (PN 1033). Kee also sells a DOT-approved plastic rear- window assembly, tie-down cables, and pads separately, and we ordered them as well.
If you are a Pontiac convertible owner, when it’s time for you to replace your classic Poncho’s top, you will likely seek out an upholstery and trim shop, drop off your car for two or more days, and then come back to admire the new top installed. That means the process of how a convertible top gets from its shipping box onto your Pontiac’s folding frame may be something of a mystery. Not any longer.
In this story, we introduce you to the components that make up a new convertible top, and then share highlights of how professional convertible-top technician Steve Webster of Anthony’s Custom Restyling II in Tampa, Florida, installs it.
The next time your Pontiac convertible’s top needs replacement, you’ll know exactly what to look for in a quality top, and some of the key steps in its installation.
[1] Just like you can’t build...
[1] Just like you can’t build a house without a foundation, you can’t install a convertible top without a folding frame. This GM diagram illustrates its main and sub-assemblies.
[2] Kee Auto Top includes...
[2] Kee Auto Top includes the top and curtain (rear window) with header strip, wire-on, installation instructions, and warranty card. This manufacturer sources from the same mill that manufactured the 36/38-ounce vinyl convertible top for the first-generation Firebird when it was a new car.
[3] Setting the correct rear...
[3] Setting the correct rear bow height is imperative, as it allows the top and window to fit correctly. To get it, Anthony Custom Restyling II’s Convertible-Top Technician Steve Webster measures from the tip of the chrome-belt molding to the center of the rear bow. Kee publishes rear-bow heights for popular applications, including Pontiacs, on its website.
[4] The two pads that run...
[4] The two pads that run from the front to the rear header bows are installed first. By opening the flaps of the pads, they can be stapled to the tack strips on top of the bows.
[5] He inserts the foam into...
[5] He inserts the foam into the pads, glues them in, and closes the flaps.
[6] Here’s the driver-side...
[6] Here’s the driver-side pad installed. Steps 4 and 5 are repeated on the passenger side.
[7] Steve removes all pre-existing...
[7] Steve removes all pre-existing staples and tacks from the factory three-piece tack rail, except for those that hold the well liner. If your well liner is loose, now is the time to have a technician reattach it.
[8] He covers both sides of...
[8] He covers both sides of the plastic curtain [rear window] to protect it against accidental scratches, tears, or damage. Kee says this step may often be overlooked, but is crucial to a great looking rear window once installed.
[9] Using a white marking...
[9] Using a white marking pencil, Steve determines the center of the curtain, which will line up to the center hole in the tack rail. (After the convertible-top installation is complete, the pencil mark comes off with a dry rag or contact-cement cleaner.)
[10] Up next: installing the...
[10] Up next: installing the curtain. He pulls the vinyl material tight against the tack rail, and following the tack line, inserts 3⁄8-inch (crown) x 9⁄16-inch (leg) stainless-steel staples a minimum of every 1⁄2-inch around the tack rail. (Not shown: Using a utility knife, he carefully cuts out the vinyl around the tack-rail’s bolt holes.)
[11] Starting in the center...
[11] Starting in the center of the rear bow, he inserts the first staple, and continues adding them a minimum of 1⁄2-inch apart until the curtain is fully attached.
[12] The backseat needs to...
[12] The backseat needs to be removed to bolt the tack rail into the car, as shown here. He will install 17 bolts total, using factory bolts wherever possible and oversize bolts to accommodate any holes that are stripped out, which is common to convertibles of the era.
[13] The convertible-top vinyl...
[13] The convertible-top vinyl is next. Steve lays it over the folding frame.
[14] To install new tie-down...
[14] To install new tie-down cables, he pulls them through the sleeves on the underside of the convertible top, and screws them into the front and rear of the side rail. This tightens the convertible top to the folding frame.
[15] Returning to the Firebird’s...
[15] Returning to the Firebird’s cabin, he unbolts the tack rail again so that he can staple the top onto it, and then reinstalls it.
[16] Classic Pontiac convertible...
[16] Classic Pontiac convertible tops utilized a center-rail and bow-sleeve assembly on the second bow to keep the top from ballooning. Steve pushes this rail through the bow sleeve.
[17] He uses glue, and then...
[17] He uses glue, and then staples as shown here, and attaches the convertible top’s front edge to the underside of the header bow.
[18] The wire-on’s purpose...
[18] The wire-on’s purpose is to cover the staplesthat secure the top across the rear bow. Here, Steve staples the wire-on to the rear bow.
[19] After trimming the wire-on’s...
[19] After trimming the wire-on’s length, he attaches the wire-on end cap and trim screws …
[20] … followed by the front-header...
[20] … followed by the front-header strip, which attaches to the header bow and serves as a wind deflector.
[21] Finally, he installs...
[21] Finally, he installs Metro Moulded Parts’ convertible roof-rail sealing set (PN RR 1500, price $357.25).
[22] Here, Steve cycles the top to check for proper installation. However, for the first 7 to 10 days after the convertible-top installation, you should keep the top in the up position, and let it sit in direct sunlight, which should iron out any small wrinkles. Afterwards, your top will be ready to operate normally, but never store your vehicle with the top down, regardless of its age.