How To Remove Mustang Convertible Top Frame

How To Replace A Convertible Top

California Mustang And Hydro-E-Lectric Brand Open-Air Driving A Sure-fire With Everything You Demand For Pinnacle-Down Performance

Convertible top replacement and adjustment isn't for the weak of heart because it mandates patience and a solid understanding of how convertible tops fit and part. Even so, you can do it yourself if you have the right tools and patience. We decided to visit Mustang Country in Paramount, California, for a look at how professionals replace Mustang convertible tops, which combines mechanical repair and fabrication on almost every level.

INSTALLER TIP: Showtime, protect your Mustang's decklid and quarter-panels by laying down a piece of furniture pad or coating. Installing a new tiptop can go messy, and there's the run a risk of dropping tools and fasteners on your Mustang'southward stop. Don't forget to disconnect the battery, and be cautious with the power elevation machinery when you connect the battery to cheque operation.

Tools required for the chore include Phillips and common screwdrivers of all sizes, a 3/8-drive socket set, combination wrenches, a heavy-duty industrial stapler (for upholstery work), a test light, and a heavy piece of furniture pad or blanket.

Before you can replace a convertible top, you need solid mechanicals. Anything that is worn out must be replaced or you can count on frustration. There must also exist acceptable lubrication on moving parts to ensure shine operation. Convertible top mechanisms don't work properly when they suffer from bent linkages, worn bushings and pins, broken parts, and improper adjustment. Run the existing peak upward and downward while examining the entire machinery for binding and improper adjustment. If in that location's bounden, check individual links for trueness. You lot're also going to need to inspect bushings and pins for excessive wear.

Manual and Ability Tops
Manual tops are generally easier to repair and adjust because there'south no hydraulics to consider outside of the weigh mechanisms, which make information technology easier to raise and lower your elevation. Power tops are nix more than than a hydraulic organization (fluid under pressure) that includes an electric pump, a two-style switch, lines, and two hydraulic lift cylinders (actuators). The pump runs in one direction to heighten the top and reverses to lower.

Someday you are servicing the convertible height mechanism, brand condom your first priority. Never remove the weigh cylinders with the elevation down, always disconnect the battery whenever you're servicing the power pinnacle mechanism, and keep your easily clear whenever the top is in motion.

Check the superlative mechanism for proper seating at the windshield. Pins should properly align and latches should lock smoothly. Dowel pins are adjustable, equally are toggle hooks. If toggle claw engagement is difficult, check adjustment. When adjusted properly, engagement is smoothen and the summit should seat snuggly against the header, but not besides tight.

Hither's a good await at the latch machinery. With pins properly aligned and seated, the toggle hook should pull the top tight against the windshield.

Convertible top linkage tends to get aptitude through the years. Forcing a stubborn height, raising or lowering the top while the auto is in movement, and running the top motor later on it seats are examples of typical abuse. Earlier beginning tiptop replacement, all mechanicals should be in proper working order. Peak mechanism operation should be polish and without binding. When the top comes to residuum at the windshield, pins and latches should line up and lock easily. When the top is down, this mechanism should tuck neatly in the height well. There are also bushings and pins that must be inspected for habiliment. Hydro-E-Lectric can aid with replacement convertible top bushings, pins, links, and other components.

Although we're using WD-40 for lubrication, it's a adept idea to employ white lithium grease on all acme mechanism joints. WD-forty is a moisture displacement and anticorrosive solvent. It gets rid of rust and corrosion, but it doesn't provide long-term lubrication like white grease does.

Ford calls this the quarter-deck retaining cable, which enables all of the bows to operate in unison. It also retains the convertible top material. This is the cable tension adjustment signal. Too much tension and the top won't seat at your windshield header; too little and it will flop.

Each bow contains material known equally tack strips, which is what convertible tiptop cloth is stapled to. The tack strips will probably require repair every bit shown with screws and staples. You tin besides apply industrial agglutinative; when allowed to ready, information technology works better than staples or screws.

This is the power in a ability summit, a reversing hydraulic pump that pumps fluid in ii directions on either side of hydraulic actuators. It goes one way to move the pinnacle downwards and the other mode to move information technology up. Moving the switch to "up" or "down" reverses the pump.

At that place are two counterbalance cylinders, one on each side, with a transmission top to assistance lowering and raising. Never try to remove the counterbalance cylinders with the top down because of the risk for personal injury. A power summit has 1 lift cylinder (hydraulic actuators) on each side. When you lot run the pump, you are applying pressure level to either raise or lower the top.

Earlier you can install a new tiptop, bow positioning must exist spot-on to achieve proper top tension and position. Stay pads maintain bow positioning and absorb sound. As a rule, there are 4 bows from forepart to rear on most convertibles, which Ford assigns numbers to-header bow (windshield; No.ane), second bow (No. 2), 3rd bow (No. three), and rear bow (No. 4). Each side has a front side member, a horizontal side member, and a diagonal/vertical pinnacle frame member.

Bow Dimensions*
If you're stripping down a convertible top, nosotros suggest measuring summit bow dimensions to see how they compare with ours. What matters most is a meridian that will fit perfectly when it's time for installation. There are specified distances y'all need to have between top bows for good fit and function. These measurements aren't center-to-centre, but from trailing edge to leading edge. Here'southward how measurements stack upwards.

No. ane bow to No. 2 bow: 16 1/2 inches
No. ii bow to No. 3 bow: 16 3/4 inches
No. 3 bow to No. iv bow: 15 1/2 inches
No. four bow to stainless molding: twenty 1/ii inches
No. 4 bow to drain trough: 22 1/2 inches

If you examine your '65-'73 Ford Store Manual, y'all can fabricate a bow locating gauge from plywood, which volition enable you to position bows to factory specifications.

Height adjustment isn't all that difficult according to Richard Smykay. There are five ways to adjust the tiptop mechanism:Bow No. 2 up/down adjustment
Side track slant eccentric at residual link
Side track camber set screw at hinge
Header to side rail adjustment (fore and aft length adjustment)
Frame bracket to trunk bolts (side to side adjustment)
* Information courtesy Richard Smykay

Aside from the convertible top frame, stay pads are the backbone of your Mustang's convertible top. Remember of them as the muscle under the skin. They take to be made, then stapled to the bows.

Stay pads are positioned, trimmed, and installed. Each side is fastened first at the header bow. Each bow is correctly positioned per bow measurements, then the stay pad is stapled to it. The hanging cablevision will be channeled through our California Mustang acme and fastened to the side bow.

Holes are punched for attachment screws at the No. 1 bow to ballast the stay pad. Attach hither first. So, one bow at a time, attach from No. ii back. Use minimal staples because you lot will probably have to disassemble and readjust.

Canvas pads are adjacent. They attach at the stay pad (No. 4 bow) and at the acme well. When the height is up, they pull tight.

The bifolding rear window panel is prepared next. Annotation the special care Mustang Land shows for the rear window. Both sides are protected with chimera wrap.

The rear window panel is positioned and installed next. It must first be anchored to the body/top well, then stapled to the No. 4 bow. This takes a lot of patience and perseverance.

From this perspective, you tin encounter the rear window panel and top well textile being attached to the trunk. This requires a lot of adjustment.

The rear window panel is stapled to the No. 4 bow. Again, utilise minimal staples considering you're going to have to go on doing this until tension is just right.

For '65-'68 Mustangs, the distance from stainless to window is 41/2 inches.

To piece of work out wrinkles, be prepared to use a heat gun equally you go. Don't get too close to the material.

Convertible superlative material attaches at the elevation-well hold-downwards. This should happen when you install the rear-window panel.

This is the quarter-deck servant cable mentioned earlier, which is routed through our convertible top sleeve and bolted to the side bow. This secures the convertible acme. It also enables bow segments to lie down as the top comes upwards.

Top material must be carefully stapled to the side and cross bows a piffling at a time considering you're going to have to detach and readjust until the top is properly centered and tensioned.

The convertible height fabric is stapled to the bows as shown. Once more, you're going to need to make adjustments, so don't fire a bunch of staples until you're sure the top works properly and is positioned correctly. In one case proper fitment is confirmed, staple to secure the material, then roll the channels over to shut upwards the stapling.

Trim pieces seal the staple channels. Install as shown to hide the staples.

Our California Mustang convertible superlative looks sharp. Thanks to Hydro-E-Lectric and Mustang State, function has never been better.

Weatherstrip Adjustment: One matter you don't want is wind noise, even though you're going to get some in a classic Mustang convertible. Adjust the top weatherstripping along with the windows to get the best seal possible. This takes a lot of do and freeway testing. Weatherstripping moves in and out, retained with flanged basics as shown.

If you're overhauling your Mustang convertible's mechanicals in conjunction with acme replacement, Hydro-East-Lectric tin can help with all of your mechanical & convertible top needs. From the electric pump along with all electric components, bushings, pins, lift cylinders (ability top), balance cylinders (manual top), and more than. Hydro-East-Lectric has all the goods to get your Mustang's top back in activeness. What'due south more than, these folks have meridian components for classic and late-model alike.

How To Remove Mustang Convertible Top Frame,

Source: https://www.hydroe.com/articles-tech-support/how-to-replace-a-convertible-top-motor/

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