1970 Convertible Restoration

[Mach1 Driver 603]

11 hours ago, Vicfreg said:

I just need a couple bolts, I will find them somewhere, or I may try to 3D print them....

Interesting, do you have a 3D printing service that will print in metal?

[Vicfreg 800]

Yes, there are quite a few companies that do this.  The price a few years ago was prohibitive, but not any more.   Just an example in the Charlotte area:

I am still convinced that I had them, as I have pictures of the assembled top.  They are in a ziplock bag in some box somehere.....ugh......

Online Metal 3D Printing Service | Functional end parts & rapid prototyping | 3D Hubs

 

 

[Caseyrhe 650]

It’s a given they’ll pop up as soon as you install the replacements. 

[Rcodenewf 44]

Vic. I have a spare top mechanism here belong to a friend. I'm sure i can send you those bolts to get you over the hump and complete your top. You can send yours back if / when you locate them. If that works for you?

Let me know...

Regards..John

[Vicfreg 800]

Hey John, appreciate the offer.  I know that I have the bolts somewhere, I actually found pictures of the top with the bolts attached...so I need to dig through my boxes first...So, let me look for them first.

Vic

 

[Rcodenewf 44]

Ok..keep me posted. 

Regards..John

[Weiweismart 0]

great!!!

[Vicfreg 800]

Found the missing bolts in a clearly marked zip log bag that was in with my window hardware....  anyway...

Got the top together, like a big erector set.  Finally managed to get it pretty straight, hooked up the new hydraulic pump, lines and cylinders, and it actually worked. 

Video attached.  

 

[Mike65 509]

Good job Vic, now that is progress.

[RPM 1,258]

Velly nice Vic!

[Shemp 7]

First I'ld like to commend you on your build.  Much better skill set than I have!   I would like to ask about the convertible frame header and what you used, if it was needed, to refurbish it.  I have a '69 convertible and the frame is in descent shape but the header has some pitted areas I will need to address before painting.  

Thanks

[Vicfreg 800]

Hey Shemp. Are you referring to the header that is part of the convertible top, or the metal piece that is attached to the top of the windshield on the inside of the car that the visor brackets attach to?

Thanks for the comments on the build.  I have a lot of lessons learned, don't be afraid to reach out and ask for help...will save you some time and aggravation.   

 

[Shemp 7]

1 hour ago, Vicfreg said:

Hey Shemp. Are you referring to the header that is part of the convertible top, or the metal piece that is attached to the top of the windshield on the inside of the car that the visor brackets attach to?

Thanks for the comments on the build.  I have a lot of lessons learned, don't be afraid to reach out and ask for help...will save you some time and aggravation.   

 

The header that is part of the convertible frame.  I think it's pot metal or maybe cast aluminum?  I need to drill out all of the rivets holding in the tack strip I guess so i can refinish it?  Trying to decide the best type of filler to use for the bit of pitting in it.

Oh, I will be asking all kinds of questions over the next few years.  Lots more to do to this car than originally planned.

[Vicfreg 800]

Shemp.  Believe it or not I just did this very thing to mine in the last two months.   There’s a bunch of things I learned when I did that, let me find some pictures over the next day or so and send them to you.   Finding the replacement rivets and getting The tack strip installed was a bit difficult.  

[aslanefe 348]

2 hours ago, Vicfreg said:

Shemp.  Believe it or not I just did this very thing to mine in the last two months.   There’s a bunch of things I learned when I did that, let me find some pictures over the next day or so and send them to you.   Finding the replacement rivets and getting The tack strip installed was a bit difficult.  

Vic, can you post part numbers, suppliers etc of the replacement rivets and other hard to find parts related to the vert top? I started restoring a 70 vert couple weeks ago and can use any info/references you have.

[aslanefe 348]

2 hours ago, Shemp said:

The header that is part of the convertible frame.  I think it's pot metal or maybe cast aluminum?  I need to drill out all of the rivets holding in the tack strip I guess so i can refinish it?  Trying to decide the best type of filler to use for the bit of pitting in it.

Oh, I will be asking all kinds of questions over the next few years.  Lots more to do to this car than originally planned.

Shemp, if you have a dremel and burr set, use it to dig the pits like a dentist would clean a cavity and clean all the oxidation; then fill them with body filler or JB weld. Then sand it smooth and prime/paint (or just epoxy primer). That is going to be my back-up plan if I can't braze or weld the pits on my header with kinds of filler materials I have on hand.

[Vicfreg 800]

Yes I will.   I’ll look tonight for some pictures, I have several rivet guns and lots of rivets it was a chore to get it the way I wanted it.

 

[Vicfreg 800]

I also disassembled my top frame, media blast it,  powder coated it, and reassembled that, so I have all the lessons learned from putting this jigsaw puzzle back together!

[Vicfreg 800]

I got the tack strip from NPD.  Their convertible parts are on page 72 of their current catalog.   I did not get the rivets (they call it a mounting kit), as I had a container full of all kinds of rivets.   That was a mistake, I wound up eventually going to the hardware store to find the right diameter/length rivets.   My riveting skills were not that great, and the rivets I had were just a hair longer than required, so I used a Dremel and ground the rivet ends flush with the header (see picture).  Then I repainted it.   That part of the top is going to be covered with convertible top material anyway, so it just needs to be smooth.

Remove the front frame and do this on your workbench.  Drill out the old rivets.  Use the smallest drill you can get away with to avoid ovalling out any of the holes in the top frame.

I clamped the tack strip to the header and marked the first hole.  I drilled it out and used a nail to locate the tack strip on the header, and then clamped the tack strip to the frame, and marked every other hole.  Then I drilled those, and used nails to locate every hole onto the top frame, and then I marked the rest of the holes.  

I riveted the center hole, and worked my way out, alternating left and right with rivets until I was done.   Then I flipped the frame over and ground the rivets flush.

I did experiment with a piece of the tack strip and one hole in the top frame to get the rivet technique down. I did 5 or 6 of these, and just drilled the rivets out each time I did the practice.

PIc #1 - Header with original rivet still installed (bottom side)

Pic #2 - Header with rivet drilled out (top side)

Pic #3 - Header with new rivets ground smooth (top side)

 

The other holes in the header frame are for the top weatherstrip.  Good luck finding a weatherstrip kit for these tops.  NPD told me they are backordered a year due to supplier issues related to COViD.  There is a metal retainer that is used for that weatherstrip.

Pic #4 is my group of top parts after lots of clean up and powdercoated

I can take more pictures when I get home in a couple weeks.

 

 

 

[Shemp 7]

Thanks tons for the info.  I’m still a bit away from getting the top done.  Just sent the car off to the local body wizard to work his magic on the windshield frame. 

[Vicfreg 800]

Oh wow, that is a project.   Not sure how he will keep that square.....maybe you need to buy a windshield to make sure the geometry is right.  I don't have any experience with that, maybe the others on the forum can help...

 

 

[Shemp 7]

Not a problem.  He has a NOS carlight windshield and a frame from a donor car.  I got lucky when I found this project the PO had started collecting all the parts!  Between the windshield and the door glass we should be able to get it all squared up!

[Vicfreg 800]

Working on some punch list items before I take the car to paint.  Project #1 was to install the rear window regulators and hardware.  Of course, the restoration gremlins interfered again, and I found that one of the window stops had stripped (missing) threads.   These are made of some kind of pot metal, so guess at some point in the cars life, this happened.   As the bolts stick out where you can see them, I did not want to tap the hole and use a larger bolt.  So, I took out my trusty Riv-Nut gun, and installed a RivNut so I could use the original bolts.

Pretty simple fix, the two most important things are first, DO NOT make the hole too big.  The RivNuts need a very tight tolerance so they don't "spin" when you are installing them.   Of course, the RivNut hole for the 1/4 - 20 bolt is an odd diameter, which is 0.391 inches, so I had previously got a 25/64" drill for that. You can also use a size "W" drill.  

Pics below show the bracket, the RivNut tool, and the finished project

 

 

[Vicfreg 800]

Project #2 was to refinish the rear tack strips for the convertible top that get mounted in the rear "well" where the top folds down.   Mine were dirty and full of staples.   

Took about 1/2 hour to pull the staples out using a staple removal tool.  Then, took Scotchbrite pads and cleaned the metal and tack material.  Next step was to take some black spray paint and put about 5 light coats on the tack strip over the course of about an hour.  The black paint fills in the divots in the tack strip, and will make for an easier job when the top needs to be stapled in.    Last step was to take some "Spray Grey" and finish off the metal.   Came out pretty good.

Next issue is that some of the mounting holes in the car that are used to attach the tack strip are either stripped, or I have the wrong size bolts.   I will put up a separate post in the technical forum about this.

 

 

[Mike65 509]

Nice work Vic. That is one serious rivnut tool. I have a smaller rivnut tool that looks like a pop rivet gun & it works for what I need it for.