Manual Top Latch, Early A
Jim, first off great looking car! Second, do you let your wife drive it more than you?
My car is a 64 Valiant with the factory top still on it. When I got it a few years ago, one of the factory plastic latches was broken as the "hook" was sheared off. So I removed the other one to preserve it. (I see it is starting to crack) Currently, I cinch the top down with small pieces of rope around the frame members on each side. The top must be clamped down, otherwise the springs make it magically rise about halfway. If I wasn't retired, I'd probably have one reverse engineered and modeled in Creo by now. I started 3D printing in 1994 and always had access to in-house Stratasys machines so this is nothing new to me.
Meanwhile, I was gonna whittle a pair from aluminum bar stock or HDMW but never quite got around to it.
Here are pictures of my one remaining factory piece. They are nylon. I wouldn't deviate too far from the factory dimensions as it takes a surprising amount of force to push the top down into place. A little increase in the width would probably be ok but then the failure may transfer to the rivet attachment (or screw and nut) Let me know if you want more precise dimensions (calipers) but the pictures should be good for you as is.
P.S. Laysons cheated me out of $80 and then lied about it (I saved the emails) This was right when they were arrested at Carlisle and led away in handcuffs. I wouldn't buy a valve cap from them now.
Jim, first off great looking car! Second, do you let your wife drive it more than you?
My car is a 64 Valiant with the factory top still on it. When I got it a few years ago, one of the factory plastic latches was broken as the "hook" was sheared off. So I removed the other one to preserve it. (I see it is starting to crack) Currently, I cinch the top down with small pieces of rope around the frame members on each side. The top must be clamped down, otherwise the springs make it magically rise about halfway. If I wasn't retired, I'd probably have one reverse engineered and modeled in Creo by now. I started 3D printing in 1994 and always had access to in-house Stratasys machines so this is nothing new to me.
Meanwhile, I was gonna whittle a pair from aluminum bar stock or HDMW but never quite got around to it.
Here are pictures of my one remaining factory piece. They are nylon. I wouldn't deviate too far from the factory dimensions as it takes a surprising amount of force to push the top down into place. A little increase in the width would probably be ok but then the failure may transfer to the rivet attachment (or screw and nut) Let me know if you want more precise dimensions (calipers) but the pictures should be good for you as is.
P.S. Laysons cheated me out of $80 and then lied about it (I saved the emails) This was right when they were arrested at Carlisle and led away in handcuffs. I wouldn't buy a valve cap from them now.
