Tips on stretching the side panels in the back. I have fold/wrinkles.

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Mike69barracuda

Mike69barracuda

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I have the side inside metal strips removed to do a stretch. It's a vinyl top which looks good when it's cleaned up. my car is almost done........New AMd Qtr panels and trunk dropoffs and new RM Diamont paint.

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Looks to me that you need to pull the front edge of the sail panels forward (toward the door) to get the wrinkles out. Just pulling it down tight will make them worse, and the wrinkles in the corners of the back panel show that you can’t adjust it that way.
 
This is what it can look like. This top was professionally installed over 20 years ago.
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Before you touch anything at all, pull it out in the bright hot sun and let it sit a while first. It may come out on its own. If not, it will be much easier to work with and you'll have much less chance of a tear.
 
That's good advice, in general. But I think from the arrangement of these wrinkles that slackening up in the heat will just make them more prominent. It's not that the sides are too tight, it's that they have slack horizontally and are in tension vertically.

Ah, here is the photo I was looking for...
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It might shrink up, but I have my doubts. It looks to me like the installer didn't staple it to the side retainers correctly.
 
is the rear window and the bottom white piece separate? from the side sail panels that velcro onto the rear window? (all of mine were) if so make sure the front of the sail panel is in the correct position fore and aft. it looks like it's a bit short to the quarter window. then you can pull diagonally against the wrinkles in the sail panel (I'd fix that left side wrinkle in the window portion first though it is folded in pretty bad), spray some contact cement to stick it straight and put tack strip back on

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66Dvert said:
is the rear window and the bottom white piece separate? from the side sail panels that velcro onto the rear window? (all of mine were) if so make sure the front of the sail panel is in the correct position fore and aft. it looks like it's a bit short to the quarter window. then you can pull diagonally against the wrinkles in the sail panel (I'd fix that left side wrinkle in the window portion first though it is folded in pretty bad), spray some contact cement to stick it straight and put tack strip back on

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Outstanding. THx for your help and efforts.
 
Mike69barracuda said:
Outstanding. THx for your help and efforts.
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not a problem, I got schooled pretty hard about that same issue 2 weeks ago while helping to install a Lincoln 4 door convertible top. He (my boss)wasn't real nice about telling me either. That way it sticks I guess, I still have to do 2 more Lincoln and then I just might be able to bring my convertible in to get it put on after a years wait (free was/is worth it and I am learning what NOT to do:):))
 
Beautiful car. Kudos on trying to install the vert top yourself. I'm sure that you'll get it figured out. Sometimes it's good to just walk away for a little bit.
 
I feel for you. Not sure what Chrysler was thinking about having the rear glass panel attached blindly to strips before attaching to car.

I guess the installers got really good at it. Mine had 2 installers, one on the left and one on the right. The right hand guy was neat and malicious, left hand guy sloppy cuts, staples all which way.
 
Dana67Dart said:
I feel for you. Not sure what Chrysler was thinking about having the rear glass panel attached blindly to strips before attaching to car.

I guess the installers got really good at it. Mine had 2 installers, one on the left and one on the right. The right hand guy was neat and malicious, left hand guy sloppy cuts, staples all which way.
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I wish my back glass unzipped from the top.
 
who made the top?

how much do you have in it at this point!

I paid a "pro" to add wrinkles to mine

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Dana67Dart said:
I feel for you. Not sure what Chrysler was thinking about having the rear glass panel attached blindly to strips before attaching to car.

I guess the installers got really good at it. Mine had 2 installers, one on the left and one on the right. The right hand guy was neat and malicious, left hand guy sloppy cuts, staples all which way.
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all you have to do is center it on the rear bow. it works every time if you do that and the top the same way. Also another trick is to put the top on with the front header raised up about 2-3 inches and put on pretty tight, so when you do latch it down for final shaping it is as tight as a drum and look great(and no "pillow" top going down the road). now the sail panels are tricky and require some work, but if you have ever seen a 4 door lincoln convertible done you can appreciate how easy our mopars are. (yeah I helped install a couple of the 4 door lincolns since I work part time learning how to do convertible top installs and they are a pain)
 
cudamark said:
I wish my was actually glass
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The company that made my top made some mistakes on the rear panel with the glass. They reused my OEM glass but mounted it in the panel too low so the top of the glass panel interface was exposed. They made good by remaking the top with the part that covers the top of the glass an inch longer, BUT!!!! It cost me hours of labor.

The good thing is I know how to communicate with a top maker in the future to have a glass panel made correctly. I think the biggest mistake I made was not sending my old top to them to use as a template. It is totally evident where the placement of the glass and the top to the glass should be.

Oh well live and learn
 
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