How much persuasion is too much - soft top cover

[jameshoward]

Morning All,

I have searched the site thoroughly and cannot find the answer to my soft top question, althgough I've found plenty of other very useful stuff.

I have closed my soft top after it has been up for a VERY long time. The top is in quite poor condition. The problem I have having is that the top does not seem to go far enough into the box to allow the cover to close without some considerable pressure upon it. I have read about techniques for ensuring that the material is not scuffed using bits of file, milk cartons, snake oil, etc but I can't seem to find anywhere that deals with how to get the damn thing to fit.

I have attached some photos to show my situation. I need a metric and some opinions. Can someone please post or email me some photos of a working soft top in the box before the lid is closed? Can someone also give me an idea of how much pressure is required to shut the top cover box lid? When I close mine, (which I've done only once) I notice that the box cover hinge is forced upways and no longer sits comfortably against the rubber seal. This cannot be correct.

Incidentally, the problem is not just the top cover latches, although they have gouged a chunk out of the cover (I'm about to put small aluminium squares covered in a thin piece of rubber to protect my 'matching numbers' top). The problem are seems to be the largest fold that can be seen rubbing against the hinge at the back - it is there that the top really hits.

Question: If no one else has any ideas, has anyone tried to put in a spacer washer on each latch where the soft top cover latches into the catch to raise the level of the top a little? (Although actually my problem is at the other end, so this may not help).

Grateful for your advice and some photos would REALLY help.

(I posted a similar question under my TUV thread which has more photos - perhaps they give a better/different view)

http://sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=6291

Here are some others:



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[Ricardo]

Hi James
I can confirm that these are a problem...my car was originally a coupe with rear bench seat and had a softtop added at some point. The softop well on my car is twice as deep as yours because the original bench seat back was in this area. I still have trouble closing my cover and the extra depth doesn't help because the frame still sits on the edge of the inner fenders. I installed a new softop and all gaskets this summer and it's still just as tight a squeeze. The cover has the chewed areas you speak of and I've tried numerous different bits of rubber and they all have been scraped off again eventually. I do use my top frequently so I don't think it is a case of lack of use. I have to lean on my cover to get it to latch and the rear sticks up like yours too. I don't know if there is a solution and I've just come to accept that it's a bit of a poor design. I have found that closing my latch handles, lowers the pin slightly, but it still rubs the paint off the underside of the cover.
No help at all, but at least you know it's a common enough issue.

[enochbell]

James,

I assume the hatch closes OK with the soft top up?  If so, then I only have a couple of suggestions:  Before letting the top bow all the way down:

-retract the latches (to the "closed" position).  Even in this position the latching pins will be in contact with the hatch cover, I think that there was originally a bumper/rubber square glued to the hatch cover to protect it at the point of contact
-make sure the bottom bow is flat against the floor of the well before laying the rest of the top in there
-make sure the plastic window has folded evenly, with only one fold in the middle, and that it slides neatly into the front of the well.

Let us know how you make out,

Best,
g

'64 230sl, fully sorted out...ooops, spoke too soon

[rwmastel]

quote:Originally posted by enochbell

I think that there was originally a bumper/rubber square glued to the hatch cover to protect it at the point of contact.

Yes, that's correct.  I have my hard top on, or I would post pics of my soft top folded in the well.

Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL, Euro, Auto, Leather, both  tops
1994 E420