Dear Kyle,
Here's what I did with the front latches on the soft top of my 69 2000. If
you come up with a solution you prefer, please share your wisdom!
In order to align the front latches so they "snap" closed, I loosened the
screws on all 6 pieces: the 3 (rigid) pieces on the frame above the window
and the 3 matching latches on the soft-top bow. I worked from the center
out, setting the center latch first as firmly as I could, and then
alternating between the two side latches until I managed the best
(tightest) fit I could achieve all across. I iterated once again, by
resetting the center latch with the two side ones closed, and then I made
final adjustments to the sides. In any event, the center latch does most
of the work on mine!
To insure that the latches stay put when closed, parrticularly the side
ones, I added 3 (black) cloth (bookbag) adjustable straps across the faces
of the latches. Each strap is about 6" long. (I'm not counting the
fold-over in material caused by the plastic hardware used for adjusting the
strap length.) Each strap runs across the face of the latch when it is in
the closed position. I anchored one end of each strap with a screw (into
the bow) and used a button snap-fastener (onto the bow) at the other end.
Thus, the straps quickly release at one end to permit opening/closing the
latches.
Also, I used the standard bookbag (plastic) "hardware," which creates some
fold-over in the cloth material, to permit adjusting the length of the
straps in order to accommodate any stretching of the material. (Small
detail: I set each plastic hardware piece off-center in the strap, so that
only the material of the strap touches the latch.) The straps work nicely,
too, when the soft top is down to keep the latches from flopping around.
These are too many words for such a simple matter, sorry!
Regards,
Teddy
69 2000
Pgh PA
OROC
At 10:25 AM 10/5/99 -0700, Kyle Hagemann wrote:
>Hey there, Roadsterites...
>
>...as the weather is starting to turn icky, even in California, I guess it's
>time to get the top on the stupid thing to work... the car is a '69. The top
>has some interesting interior covering for the top mechanism above the door
>glass, which snaps closed at the upper edge (if that helps anyone know
what kind
>of top it is). The frame appears to have adjustments for the bow above
the rear
>window, maybe in two places?
>
>The problem with this thing is that it doesn't latch securely. I've
gotten some
>weatherstripping from Ross Mullen, which I have not installed yet.... The
three
>latches on the top bow appear to be adjusted at their tightest. The center
>latch's hinge pin has been replaced by an enormous cotter pin :-( The
driver's
>side latch works fairly well, the center only barely, and the passenger
side not
>at all. The driver's latch is the only one to come even close to a 'snap'
shut
>position, the other two seem to be barely teetering on the edge. The
front lip
>of the top (as viewed from the exterior) appears to be too high relative
to the
>latching area. The frame has been lubricated at its moving points, and works
>pretty smoothly.
>
>I'm a pretty handy guy, but don't have any experience with this... is
there some
>background reading, FAQ, online how-to, or anything like that?
>
>Assuming that I can't fix the center latch with pop-rivets, what do
replacement
>latches go for?
>
>Is there anything else that I need to consider?
>
>TIA
> ____ Kyle Hagemann, Born-Again Grease Monkey From Beyond
> _.;(____\____ 72 240Z, L28, 5spd, poly, etc. - The Z-Beast
> | _ | | _'@`, 69 2000, U20, three speed - El Krunchariffic
> `-(#)------(#)-< 84 Maxima, 280ZX in sedan disguise - Mr. Max
>http://www.sonic.net/~kyle 240Z tech info, Win95/8 theme, etc.
>
> "Blessed are the Car Guys."
>
|