Hi Mick,
This isn't a job for the faint-hearted. First, orient the bow properly in
relation to the winshield top rail. The rear face should have a thin plywood
piece forming a lip on the bottom rear .
Yes, the bow gets covered with the vinyl piece, but its a finicky job because
the vinyl doesn't stretch around all the curves without slitting and darting
the material. Check to see that there are metal Tee Nuts fitted in the four
holes in the front face to receive the top clamp screws. Use the best contact
cement you can find, the more you pay, the more heat resistance you get.
Better yet, get vinyl roof cement from a trim shop. Glue won't stick properly
when its absorbed by the material, so at least two coats- until you get an
even shiny coat of glue on both faces- are required. Wait till it gets tacky,
thinking about your plan of action, then work fast, wrapping the whole bow
and cutting and darting. Start and finish on the bottom face, which gets
covered by the ally plate.
Run a bead of caulking or sealant on the bottom face and screw on the flat
aluminum piece with the "hook" curving down around the flange on the
windshield top rail. It should butt up against the plywood flange at the
bottom rear. Predrill and use flat head countersunk wood screws. More cement
on the rear two-thirds of the ally plate, including over the screw heads, more
glue on the rubber strip, and carefully glue on your flat rubber seal nice and
straight, level with the REAR flange of the bow.
Find the four holes for the chrome top clamps, and fit the clamps with the
countersunk machine screws running into the TeeNuts buried in the bow. Clamp
the bow to the windshield.
Run your cotton webbing from the bows forward, draping the extra length over
the windshield. Mark centerpoint with tape and marker. Lay the top over the
bows. Fit the Tenaxes at the back. Put a heater inside the car carefully.
Grasp and pull the top forwards quite firmly and centered, putting in a
temporary tack or staple front & centre. Align the bows with the seams on
the top by pulling the webbing tight. Check and adjust fit with sidescreens
up. Tack the webbing a quarter inch above the ally strip at the front lower
face of the bow. Pull firmly towards the front corners and tack (or staple)
the top to the lower front face of the bow each side of centre. The bound
"ears" are pulled around the corners and up with excess material cut away.
Undo tacks or staples to refit and realign. Use steamer to clean out
wrinkles. Excess top material is cut away flush with the bow with a blade.
The hidem is tacked on to cover the row of tacks as well as the disappearing
ends of the ears at the corners. Sight down the hidem to make sure its dead
straight. Can put tiny dots of gap-filling crazy glue (eg: Zap-a-Gap) to
pre-fit hidem before tacking, but BE CAREFUL with the stuff.
Stand back and admire handiwork. That burning smell is the heater still
inside the car.
Best regards
Peter
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