# May need ANOTHER convertible top



## xcmac26 (Dec 1, 2008)

the hits just keep coming.

Since i was (and still largely am) green in this hobby, i'm finding out all the things i've already done were not done properly the first go round. This time it's the convertible top. I finally got the sucker to latch after letting the car bake in the garage for about a week with a space heater in there. decided to let "the best top guy in texas" (as recommended by a very legitimate resto shop in houston) have a look at it. yup, he found no less than a dozen things that are wrong with the frame in the first 5 minutes looking at it and said in order to get things to seat properly, he'll likely have to pull the new top off and start over again. What REALLY sucks about this (as some of you may remember) is that the existing top's only about a year old, if that. 

Chuck (the best top guy in texas) said he'll do what he can to save the top, but from first appearances, it doesn't look like that'll be possible since to fix it, it'll have to come off, and more likely than not, there'll be exposed holes. seriously not happy about this situation. 

That said, i'm not terribly upset with the work done by the originally upholstery shop, they did great work on the interior, just not so much the convertible


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

X, I was hoping you wouldn't loose the top......I do a lot of stuff twice also. Sux but like some people would say "at least you HAVE a convertible to fix".....:willy: Eric


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

Also, the main $$$ on a top is the labor, not the top itself. Relax. They last a long time if cared for. I had the original top on my '67 replaced in 1985....and it's still on there, 2 plastic back windows later. It cost me a whopping $400 for the whole enchilada back then, parts and labor....Wonder what it is NOW? Still, as Rukee once said, "Cry once when you buy it or cry every time you use it"....good luck with the "second time around".


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## xcmac26 (Dec 1, 2008)

roughly 400 for another top with a glass window, about 1200 in labor. And yea, i went to the best _upholstery_ guy i could find to do the top the first time so i woudln't repeatedly kick myself, well...here i am kicking myself. just frustrating. keeping my fingers crossed that the top that's on there can be preserved. we'll see how it goes.


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

if you contracted him to install your top i would go back at him to cover some of the cost of re-installing it right, especially if it never fit right from day one and the holes were caused by an improper installation. Worth a shot, remember, their best advertising is word of mouth and they are only as good as the last job they did.


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

I agree 100%. I didn't realize you contracted a professional to do the job initially. No way should you be stuck holding the bag. He needs to make it right at no cost to you.


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## xcmac26 (Dec 1, 2008)

already gone that route. they said that the top was properly fitted to the frame, the fact that the frame was out of whack was not their responsibility. in that regard, they're right. doesn't make it right, but they did the job they were hired to do...put on a convertible top. if the top were to tear on account of their installation, i'd have a leg to stand on legally.

should they have said something to the effect of "hey, your frame's jacked up, you should fix that before we do this work." yes, yes they absolutely should have. ah well, if i find any other problems i'll go from there. going to be keeping a very close eye on my interior from here on out.


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

That's lame. That's like a body and paint shop saying that the dent they painted over (that you didn't know about) isn't their concern. The top shop has the expertise to install tops, it's their profession. You pay them the big bucks for their expertise. If they were so inexpert they didn't know or see your frame had issues, they are amatures. You get what you pay for. If they claim to be pro's, and if they knew your frame had issues and hung a top on it anyway without telling you, they are unconscionable. That would be like me upselling new ignition wires on a car with a bent iintake valve and not telling the customer. Criminal.


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

+1 GeeTee, i am a contractor and if i cover a wall with mold behind it that i am aware of, it becomes my liability from that point forward. i would think the first thing done when installing a top would be to check frame alignment and latching seal, but have never done one so i may be way off. I am sure they have, and as "professionals" they should have made you aware of the problem and an estimate to make it right before any work commenced. If one of my guys destroys a customer supplied fixture I replace it no matter what the cost period, only good business, and just a drop in the bucket compared to the future referral business i will lose with a bad reputation.


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