Don't know if there are any convertible top experts but here goes. The top on my car is in really good shape with the exception of one thing. All the trim that is sewed on to the edges of the top has come loose because the thread has failed. Can that trim be resewed back on? Or is total replacement the only answer to fix it? Like I said the rest of the top is in great shape, I'd rather not buy a new one if the old one can be repaired.
I just had the interior pads redone on mine, the top material was in great shape and did not need replacement however just the pads were showing wear. Every top shop I took it to did not want to do just this job and would only quote a price to replace the complete top and glass rear window @ $2500 - $3500 :eek2: I found an old school upholsterer near me to do the job I needed for $500 and it looks great. Keep looking.......
You can always get out a curved needle and hand stitch it up yourself. There is no way to have it machine repaired unless it's off the car, and by the time you did that there would be nothing left of the top. I have hand stitched a few edges myself. You just need to make sure you hit the same holes as before so it looks good when done. When I did mine I tied the edge up in a few places to hold it correctly in place, then started to hand sew it. When done you could not even tell that "i was there". It took a little bit of time and almost no money. Your hardest problem will be to find the right thick/weather proof thread, I already had this. Duane
I was considering stitching it myself. Sounds like it is doable given I can find the right kind of thread. I think I'm going to take a stab at it. Thanks Duane.
No sweat. Contact a local upholstery shop in your area to get the thead. If you have a guy in your area that does marine upholstery that might even be better. Here is another piece of free advice, make sure you use the same tension on the thread while sewing it up, otherwise it will gather in spots and look bumpy. Duane
I found some polyester thread at a fabric shop that I'm going to use. It was labeled for outdoor use. Supposedly even has UV protection in it. Doing some searching around the web, other places say to use upholstery thread for a convertible top. But using a thread designed for outdoor use makes more sense to me. Only decision I have now is what kind of stitch to use. Originally I'm sure it was done by machine. I will be doing it by hand, using the same holes. I'd like it to wind up looking the same.
It's been a while but I think I had two threads going in each hole. One came down from the top, and the other went up from the bottom. You can knot the two together (a couple of times) under the beading then "tuck" the loose ends under the beading to hide them. If you keep the ends long enough you can grab them with the same curved needle to tuck them between the stitching and the edge of the beading, and then trim them off. That should mirror the look. Hope my description helps. Duane
Yea, I was thinking that. I also was thinking of trying to mimic the machine stitching. Two threads, top one comes down and back up, leaving a loop. Run the lower thread through the loop and then tighten up the loop. Repeat. I think I am going to do some trials to see which is the best way.
