Spyder Convertible Top Replacement

Revised with comments after my second installation.

So you’re ready to replace your own convertible top. Are you sure? Very sure? There’s a reason installers charge big bucks for it. Cause it’s a big P in the A. On the other hand, if you’ve got a weekend with nothing to do, and you have a lot of patience, you can probably do a decent job. Just realize if you screw it up badly you either have to live with it or pay several hundred dollars more and get someone else to do it. Bah, it’s not really that bad. With a trusted brand (EZ-On), a helper, these instructions, you can do it.

I did this with very limited instruction and no prior experience, so some of these steps may not be done properly or in the best way. Many of the steps I had to repeat 3 or 4 times. Some of this is unavoidable and needs to be done for adjustment but some steps I just did wrong. Also, I wrote this several months after an experience I have tried hard to forget, so I may have forgotten something. Sorry. Don’t listen to him, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Do it right the first time and it will be a snap.

I did this on a weekend alone so figure 16 hours. If all goes well, you could probably do it in eight. 16 hours? You’ve got to be kidding me. I did it in five.


Sorry, no photos to add. Maybe another brave soul could add some later. And I didn’t take any this time either. My hands were kind of full. You don’t need them. You’ll know where the attachment points are when you take the old roof off.

At times it is necessary to partially (or fully) raise or lower the roof with the new top partially installed. Do this with caution, being careful not pinch and tear the new roof. I recommend switching the roof to manual and just raising and lowering by hand. Your battery will thank you.

Tools/materials:
Screwdrivers,
Torx screwdriver (#25)
Awl,
Heavy staple gun,
Hole punch, Helpful but not absolutely necessary
Half-inch staples,
Double-sided carpet tape,
Scotch high-performance double sided foam tape.
3-inch carpet anti-slip tape (optional)
1” black adhesive weather stripping,
Large plastic trim rivet-type button things, Only needed if you break the old ones
Scissors,
Chalk,
Coat hanger wire or similar
Clamps (spring clamps, small C-clamps)
Short piece of half inch wooden dowel
Hammer
Drill
1 case of beer (two if you have a helper)
Small Stanley Quickclamp was a major help

1. Remove old top. Do this carefully trying to remember the position of everything. A couple of digital photos may help, or take notes and make some quick sketches. It's not really that hard but one mistake could cost you a couple of hours. Most attachments are fairly easy to figure out and remove. The thick rubber gaskets above the rear side windows are held with trim rivet-type button things. You may want to take one out and see if you can find some at the local auto parts store of a similar size as most will not be reusable. The rear is stapled to an aluminum bow. Remove the trim panel and two screws in each end of the bow. There are a couple of “tales” pinned down inside on either side with more rivet-type button things. Don’t throw away the top yet. There are two cables threaded through the sides. You will need to drill out the rivets at the front to remove them. You can replace the rivets with sheet metal screws later

2. Lay the old top over the new and mark all the major holes. This was part of the limited advice I had before starting but you will find that most of the holes will need to be remarked and punched as you install. I think the only holes it is useful to punch ahead of time are on the sides, behind the rear windows. There are tabs that extend way down inside the car. Go ahead and punch these. If it is not already marked, draw a line where the staples go across the back. Only mark the holes on the side “tales.” Everything else is best left till later. Also be careful when you lay that nasty, dirty old rood on your nice clean new one.

3. Staple the back part to the bow. Start with the ends and line up the middle then halfway in between. Don’t go crazy yet, every four inches is good. Don’t reattach the bow yet. EZ-ON brand is marked with a line of chalk. Line it up with the top of the bow. Go ahead and fire in staples every couple of inches.

4. Carefully line up the sides behind the rear windows. Line the hollow with some double-sided tape. This is probably the most critical to a good overall fit. The rubber gaskets are kind of a bit(h to get back in there. Press the side flaps into the hollow, being careful to line up the edge seems. With an awl, poke holes in the flaps for the window gaskets. Use a large Philips screwdriver or other tool to ream the holes in fabric to full size. Press the window gaskets back into place. I found it helpful to tap the plastic rivets with a short piece of dowel and a small hammer.

4a. I laid some 3-inch foam carpet anti-slip over the bow webbing to prevent the staple bumps from showing through the roof.

5. To line up the material over the header, with the top almost all the way up, pull the material over the header and mark with chalk. It is helpful to have a helper or at least some spring clamps to mark it while you hold it in place while you mark it. Put some double-sided tape over the header and with the fabric lined up where you marked it, punch the holes with the awl to secure it. Screw it down and close the roof to test the fit. I had to poke several holes to get it to fit right. Be careful its note too tight or it may pull other things out of position. Don’t try to secure the corner tabs yet. Line up the side flaps and tales at the header bow so you can see how they fit. You can see by the cut of the fabric where the corners fit. Place double sided foam tape in the recesses on the sides of the header bow. Fit the flap into place on one side and clamp it with a small c-clamp. Stretch the fabric to fit the other side. This might take some serious tension to get it to fit but keep stretching until you get it. Clamp the other side in place.

5a. Thread the side cables through the roof using coat hanger wire and attach at the header with sheet metal screws.

6. Curl the fabric over the front of the header bow so that it comes to the edge of the recessed area. Put the retainer strip in place and screw it loosely into place. It’s helpful to locate at least one hole with the awl but for the rest you can just screw through the fabric. Test close the roof. It should be hard to close the first time but will get easier in a few days as the fabric stretches. When you are sure that the roof will close, tighten the retainer screws at the header bow. Tuck the little tales into the recessed channel in the gasket material a little bit of glue may be necessary to keep them in there.

7. Re-attach the bow in the back and with the partially up to blueuce tension. Close and latch the roof. It will be pretty difficult the first time to line it up and latch it. The roof will stretch in a few days-this will get easier. Adjust the rear bow if necessary. Unfortunately you cannot get the bow in and out of it’s position without removing the end screws. Look for wrinkles or looseness across the back. Mark them with chalk and take the bow apart again. You should be able to pull those sections tighter and staple to get a good snug look. I had to do this about 3x. When you have everything right, fire in staples about every two inches. The more the better. Get them in good or they will pull out. I did not have to readjust anything during the second installation.

9. Cut pieces of weather stripping to go over the windows and glue them into place. This step is only needed if your weather stripping is deteriorated.

11. Attach the rear window defogger wiring.

12. Reinstall the headliner. I used double sided tape to hold the bow flaps in place while I clipped the headliner on. Don’t try to pull the flaps tight. It may be difficult to snap the headliner clips over the bows in some places. This is where I used a small Stanley quickclamp for some enhanced finger strength. With the roof in a half up position you can ever get the one over the rear window while sitting comfortably (relatively) in the rear seat. Replace the screws in the front corners and elastic straps at the rear. Snap the retainer bag in place.

13. Give the new roof a good thorough coating of canvas water-proofer.

14. Cut the window from your old roof and hang it on a wall. Put some pictures of you and your friends waving behind it. That’s just silly. Throw that dirty old thing away.


Ron Tew

 

[wret]

I just finished installing my 2nd roof. The previous roof lasted only about 4 years, mostly due to an adjustment problem that caused wear in a couple places that eventually formed holes. The 2nd time, though I wouldn't say it was a snap, was much easier and took only about 5 hours. One major difference was that I had a helper, my wife. At times she didn't feel like she was helping too much but it's when you have someone to tug, hold, or pass something without dropping what your are doing, it makes things a lot easier.

The other difference was how I approached the job. When I did my first installation, I thought I would take my time and do a perfect "custom" installation. The result was that I had to do a lot of things over again and in the end my "custom" fit had a few flaws. This time I had only one day to get the job done and a limited amount of daylight. Instead of trying to tweak every fit point, I fixed the attachment points as they were designed and marked, trusting that they were marked properly. The result was a tight, perfect fit, much less time spent and far fewer tools. I can't guarantee that everyone will get this good a result on the first try and there are many brands of roof.

The brand I used was EZ-ON, in Haartz Stayfast material. This is the same as original equipment material. There is a cheaper vinyl available and also a more expensive higher quality material.