64 Valiant top storage
Car is new to me and has not been on the road since 1982. Fired up the rebuilt 225 for the first time a couple nights ago and went for a short drive. (Documented in /6 forum) It's a manual vinyl top and I decided to put it down for the first time because it was a warm dry evening. I unzipped the plastic window and laid it down in the well. I pulled the top back and tried to neatly fold it but I couldn't get it to lay down as far as it needed to go to engage the latch on each side. I hadn't even noticed the latches before then. [They're plastic clips on the end of vertical uprights) I was doing it after dark and I didn't want to damage anything so off I went with the top not fully down. Well, it wasn't long before the top started partially unfolding effectively blocking the view from the rear view mirror.
So.....are there any special techniques needed to get it all the way down and latched?
I'm fairly certain it's the factory top. Are there any telltale things to look for to confirm that? Except for a 2" slit on each side just above the molding on the rear quarters on each side where it folds, it's in pretty good shape.
BTW, the car drives just like I thought it would. Awesome.
Car is new to me and has not been on the road since 1982. Fired up the rebuilt 225 for the first time a couple nights ago and went for a short drive. (Documented in /6 forum) It's a manual vinyl top and I decided to put it down for the first time because it was a warm dry evening. I unzipped the plastic window and laid it down in the well. I pulled the top back and tried to neatly fold it but I couldn't get it to lay down as far as it needed to go to engage the latch on each side. I hadn't even noticed the latches before then. [They're plastic clips on the end of vertical uprights) I was doing it after dark and I didn't want to damage anything so off I went with the top not fully down. Well, it wasn't long before the top started partially unfolding effectively blocking the view from the rear view mirror.
So.....are there any special techniques needed to get it all the way down and latched?
I'm fairly certain it's the factory top. Are there any telltale things to look for to confirm that? Except for a 2" slit on each side just above the molding on the rear quarters on each side where it folds, it's in pretty good shape.
BTW, the car drives just like I thought it would. Awesome.
