Convertible top help?

[madmanmapper]

Anyone there? Nobody else has posted in this section for a while.

Anyway, I finally installed a new convertible top on my lebaron! I got the top from a junkyard off of a car that was in a really bad accident. It's a custom red colored cloth top. So my friend and I install it, and it looks sharp. But for some reason the 2 back windows don't want to roll up (yes, that's right, my back windows work! ) It seems like the tracks on the new top are positioned wrong. I got them to roll up eventually, but I don't know how much pressure is on the glass right now. Also, the whole top is sitting crooked, the whole thing is sort of rotated left. I managed to get it to clamp down straight, but the cloth is wrinkled in a way that makes it obvious that I've installed it crooked. The thing is, the whole top frame is only held on by 2 bolts on each side, plus 1 nut on each side to hold on the hydraulic jacks, then 1 bolt to hold the arm of the jack. So I can't really see any room for adjustment... The accident car I got the top from is long since gone from the junkyard, but it was a bad passenger side impact. I wonder if the impact bent the frame of the top? But there was no stuggle installing it on my car, it slid right into place. Anyone have any experience here?

[KManiac]

I'm a little confused here....

Did you remove the new red cloth top material from the framework of the wrecked car, then install it on your original framework?

...or...

Did you remove the red cloth top, framework and all, from the wrecked car, then install it (framework and material) in place of your old top material and framework?

[madmanmapper]

Hi! I took the frame and all. Naturally, I kept my original frame, canvas, and glass in case something like this happened. On the other hand, I think the frame and canvas on my car my have actually been the 2nd or 3rd frame to be on my car, but at least that one fit properly...aside from missing a small metal piece and the driver's half of the part that sits on the front windshield never sealed (new one does the same thing). I thought the "canvas" is stitched onto the frame and would need to be cut from the inside and sewed back onto another frame?

[KManiac]

Somehow, I knew you were going to say that. Although, I was hoping that wasn't the case.

Now, I have never owned that vintage of Chrysler LeBaron convertible, but I have owned five convertibles in my lifetime, the three current ones listed in my signature, a 1971 Pontiac LeMans Sport and a 1970 Dodge Coronet 500. So I have quite a bit of experience replacing tops (...material, that is).

The convertible top folding mechanisms I have seen have mechanical adjusting points at most of the pivot points. All of the adjustments are initially made at the factory before the interiors or the top material are installed, as the material covers the adjusters. Once the folding mechanism is installed and adjusted in the factory, removal and readjustment is not required, except for any rare occurance where the mechanism is damaged and not repairable when attached to the car.

The typical top replacement on a convertible consists of removing the old top material from the framework and replacing it with new material. Most upholstry shops that replace tops don't even know how to readjust the mechanism since they rarely fall out of adjustment. You believe the mechanism has been replaced twice before on your car. I would be inclined to doubt that, unless you have seen it done by someone or have a mechanics invoice stating that particular work was performed.

If you had posted your plan to remove and replace the entire folding top mechanism, material and all, I would have discouraged you from doing so. But now that you are here, I don't think you will like the next step. I suggest you carefully remove the top material and readjust the mechanism. I don't think you will find any printed instructions on how to do this in any manual. You just have to figure it out once all the adjustment points are revealed. Once you figure out how to adjust the mechanism and are lucky enough to do it right, there is no guarantee that used, fancy red top will fit again.

A project on my "to-do" list is to replace the convertible top (material only) on my Dodge Shadow convertible. A complete replacement top package from www.convertibletopguys.com sits on my shelf, awaiting my spare time. This package cost me less than $270. This web site lists top packages for your LeBaron, too, as well as instructions for top replacement. I suggest you check out the site.

Good luck with your project and let us know how it turns out and what you learn from it all.

[madmanmapper]

Yeah I was afraid of that. Oh well it seems I should just spend a whole day taking off the cloth and reninstalling my old frame and put the cloth on that. It seems there are a zillion tiny screws that hold the cloth to the frame... *sigh* Oh, and my dad installed a used top and frame on this car several years ago for the previous owner. But he had no problems with it and now he's just as stumped as I am.