Convertible top recommendations?

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msaund69

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Hi Peeps,

My daily beater FrankenDart, a 67 GT needs a new top, otherwise shortly it will truly be a rag top! The car is a fun driver but aesthetically she's not a 20'er.....

More like a 100'er!

I kinda like it that way so up till now I have only used other "vintage" parts when needed. Its sort of a statement thing....

So looking for recommendations for something inexpensive that will keep the rain out, and no tarps!

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Nice DD - hope that you get a few replies. Sorry I can't help - mine's just a DD too and a new top is not on the horizon, I'm happy to drive topless for now.
 
trapster, if you don't mind a question - did you fit it yourself? If so, were the instructions clear and easy to follow?
 
I came with the car, but I would not attempt it myself. My neighbor fitted a new top on my 67 and it wasn't an easy task.

One thing that is very very important, fix all of the holes under the back deck after you remove the old top, and before you put on the new one.

Or you will have water leak problems.

Enjoy.
 
My top came from EZ TOP in Greenville, SC

I went with cloth but they make originals.

It looks GREAT! And would recommend them for a new top.

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I would not try to install it myself, but if you would like to try the should be some good instructions on DIY top installations on the Internet.

With the top going back into a corner and not rounded like modern tops it is hard to keep the wrinkles out.

Mine has no wrinkles, had a top put on my 67 coronet convertible and the guy didn't know how to do it and had wrinkles. Might not be a big deal to some but I hated the way the top looked on the coronet.
 
ARO tops 845-778-2158 You will get John or the owner Putt on the phone.
I buy all my tops from them and not once have gotten an I'll fitting top like I have
from ALL the others. They were a great find for my upholstery shop.
All top instructions that come with any top is the same generic sheet that is slipped into
the box with every top regardless of model when it comes to the older cars.
Not detailed to any specific car. All the top makers do this. Mark and take pictures of it coming apart for referencing later.
You will need to have a tremendous amount of patience plus if you are the kind of guy it takes you a few times to get something to workout you will have a tough go. You could end up ruining your new top. It requires careful work .
Some do well and can save themselves about a grand on labor.
Others say they cant afford the labor price and do the install themselves. When I see them later
they usually say it would have been worth me doing the install at twice my price. Their top
shows they fought with it by the wrinkles left in it.
If you do decide to have it done at a shop ask to see some of the tops they have installed.
Not every shop is good at the old cars. New cars are much easier to do and may be what
they are used to working on.
I think a better way of finding the right guy to do your top is talking to the owner of a car
with a great top install at a show.
A good pneumatic staple gun is one of the specialty tools needed to do the job.
 
About 13 years ago, I bought mine for the Fury on ebay for $100. Was left over stock from a trim shop that had closed. At the same time, Mopar Muscle ran an article on a top replacement on a B-body. I figured a C-body is just a little bigger and the process should be the same. That and for $100, if I messed it up, the learning experience would never be forgotten... So I tried it. Ended up with a small ripple on both sail panels, but otherwise was not that bad of a job. Besides, the top is down more often than up anyway. Biggest thing was making sure it was centered starboard/port.
 
I had a custom classic car upholstery guy order mine for my 67 dart(sold) and my 66 dart (plus he got a good discount on it too!). He ordered it form EZ tops. he told me that it was better to get the brass zipper than the plastic one for durability issues here in Florida. The fit and look was great.
We had removed a botched Robins top install from the previous owner(on the 67 I'm not sure if the shop or he did the install).
 
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