The big brown truck came today and brought me a present, new lines and rams for my convertible top. Here are some pics I took while replacing them. First thing to do is to get the back seat out. Second thing to do is get LOTS OF RAGS. Third thing you are going to need besides your tools is a couple of quarts of ATF and an empty plastic bottle with a nipple on it that will fit into the fill hole of the pump reservoir. Put your ATF into this bottle so you can then put it in the pump. Some guys like to use a hose, I did not have one so the bottle with nipple worked for me. Next, clean up the mess from the leaking system. Remove the bolt holding the piston to the frame (top bolt in picture) and then the bolt holding the cylinder in place. Gently tug on the cylinder and it will slide off of the locating pin behind it. Set the piston aside and repeat for the other side. Remove the lines from the ram. It is helpful if you elevate the lines once you take them off so they do not leak all over the place. I found the top mounting hooks for the back seat to be very handy. Once you have removed the old rams and lines you can install your new rams and lines. The new lines come with one line short and one line long. The short line goes to the top hydraulic inlet on the ram and to the inlet on the pump motor that faces the front of the car. The long line goes to the bottom inlet on the ram and to the inlet on the pump that faces the back of the car. Here's the back/bottom/long line and you can also see the fill plug on the pump. And here is the front pump inlet as seen from the back seat. I found it was easiest to work on the front pump inlet from this angle. You can see the new lines alongside the old lines. I kept the old lines connected until I had everything ready to go to minimize the amount of fluid leakage. Once the new lines are connected to the pump and to the rams you can start the fun process of topping off and bleeding the system. Add ATF to the pump but do not overfill. If you overfill you will simply have to clean up the mess because it will puke it back out. DO NOT INSTALL THE RAMS YET. Just hook up the hydraulic lines to bleed them. Run the pump motor first in one direction, it will start to suck air, when it does, stop and top off the pump then continue to run the pump motor, repeating the topping off of the pump as needed. then run the pump in the other direction. You will probably have to repeat this procedure several times before you get all the air out and the system full of ATF. DO NOT OVER EXTEND THE RAMS as they do not have a self limiting stop built in to them, you can make them go pop if you are not careful. Once you are satisfied that the system is full you can reinstall the rams. I suggest installing the cylinder and securing it first and the piston second. You may need to "bump" the top motor up or down a bit to get the piston to line up in the hole. Do NOT force the rams by hand. Use a drop of 3 in One oil on all pivot points. Make sure that you reinstall the brass bushings on the pistons. Secure all fasteners snugly but do not over tighten as you do not want anything to bind. Run the top up and down to be sure that all works as it should. Look for any additional fluid leakage that may still need to be cleaned up. I found that my well liner was full of ATF on the one side. Check everything for leaks and if you are satisfied then go ahead and put the back seat back in. Total time, including a trip to the store for ATF fluid was under 3 hours.
Excellent write up! I just replaced my lines and rams today that I have been waiting since last year to replace. I had a rather large puddle of ATF under the rear passenger seat as well caused by a crack in one of the lines. The worst part was removing some of my sound deadening material and replacing it. I did use a Fluid-Matic Convertible System Fill & Bleed Tool that was infinitely better when starting with a dry pump. It was well worth the money!
I got the cylinders and lines from The Parts Place this winter when they were running a sale. I will say that I was a bit disappointed in the lines as they were a half an inch longer at each fitting (requiring a slight persuasion to my driver's side wheel well for clearance) and the upper and lower hoses were the same length (necessitating a loop). It might be worth looking more at http://store.convertibleparts.com/index.html[/Convertible Top Parts] which is where I got the Fluid-Matic Convertible System Fill & Bleed Tool which makes the bleeding process painless. I have done it before without this tool and having used it I wouldn't do it any other way.
I got my parts from Hydro Electric. If you can find a sale that is a good thing. I searched around a bit and found that all prices are pretty much the same, NOT CHEAP!
Prices are pretty much the same,$600 to replace everything isn't that bad. I think i'm goint with Hydro,thanks !
I appreciate the thread. My top frame restoration is nearly complete and I have new cylinders and lines waiting to go in from the Parts Place. 3 questions: Is the fill plug the common screw driver plug shown in the picture? What fluid did the factory use? I have some Dexron 3 but I also hear of hydraulic fluid and brake fluid being used. I will not use brake fluid for several reasons. The fittings that are longer than factory, how much did we have to move the sheetmetal and does The Parts Place's competition sell a better set of lines? Please forgive my ignorance. I've had like 30 classic Buicks over the years but this is my first convertible. Thanks in advance.
Brake fluid was used long ago and was discontinued for obvious reasons. Yes it is the fill plug. I have used ATF in the past but on my last few I have used the light hyd oil like jack oil and I think it works best.<o></o> The link in my post above has about the most correct line sets around. Most companies sell the same length lines which are incorrect, the upper line should be shorter than the other. I think I have a new upper line and two new top cylinders. You should not have to cut anything.. <o></o> Nelson<o></o>
Nice write-up. I just did mine this past weekend on my '70 wildcat and it was a lot easier than I expected. Cannot emphasize having a lot of rags around to soak up the spilled fluid enough
Ordered a second set of "correct" lines from the place in CA that you recommended. Also bought their service set up. :dollar:
My top frame restoration is completed and works great. The CS (Convertible Service of San Gabriel, CA) lines were superior to the Parts Place and their service tool worked as advertised. We replaced the lines, actuators, isolators, and motor's electrical connector. We removed the motor from the car and I flushed out it's reservoir 6 times with hydraulic fluid before reinstallation. My motor had a rubber plug instead of a screw in the servicing port. 2 quarts of fluid is more than enough to do everything required. Thanks for the information guys!
