Question on Convertible Tops?

[douknowme12321]

Well I just put a 500 dollar downpayment on a 97 mitsubishi eclipse spyder. The car has almost 120,000 and a top that I believe will need to be replaced. The Car drove great, couple things are going to be fixed by the dealer but its all set. Hes replacing the battery, and the front brakes are going to be checked out. Seems great, Drove great. He said he would patch the top and that all it needs is to be sewn. I would rather replace the top. I had a couple questions on how much a top would actually cost to be replaced. I was also wondering what is better to buy, Canvas or Vinyl? I was leaning towards vinyl but if anyone disagrees please inform me. If you can tell me how much a top runs for and how much it will cost for installation it will help me alot, Thank you

 

[DSMSpyder99]

just call/go to a local upholstery shop they can give you an estimate. I remember when i went to mitsubishi for a price check they wanted something like $3500 for a whole new top they didnt just sell the material. I would go with a vinyl because i dont like the texture of my droptop. Also tell them to change the front brakes not check them

 

[douknowme12321]

ok thanks thats all i needed an opinion, and yea the guy is going to replace all that, and i already seen some vinyl tops for less that 300 and i called a shop and they said they could replace a top for about 400. Does this sound like a good deal? compared to 3500 i think it does

 

[douknowme12321]

When a top is replaced do they usually include the weather stripping?

 

[SpYYder]

www.topsonline.com is the best prices i have seen so far

 

[ArticNemesis]

I picked mine up from a whole-saler on ebay that goes through tops-online. $250 + shipping. I installed it myself though. Check the tech articles.. Prepare for a day or 2 if it will be your first time. It can be a pita, and is very time consuming.

 

[SpYYder]

artic... which model did you get? im waiting to buy mine becuase i couldn't decide which one i wanted... are they different as far as quality? $300, $400, etc...

 

[douknowme12321]

how hard is it to replace the weatherstripping? and does it have to be the weatherstripping from the dealer? I also wanted to know if the write-up by Wret would also work with a Vinyl top?

 

[FASTFWD]

topsonline is the place to buy from.. as for replacing the top yourself, it's not that hard. it requires some skill, tools and it's time consuming.. it will take about 2 days, if you're not that familiar w/ it.. i just did my top this past weekend.. came out better than i had expected..

you'll need:

help.. at least another person.. a 3rd or 4th person is even better..

staple gun w/ 10mm staples (that's the size i used.. buy the 1250 staple count box).. don't worry, it doesn't require all 1250 staples.. ..

2 rivets and rivet gun (not sure of the rivet size)..

metal coat hanger and masking tape, to thread the steel cable wire through the new top's sides.. (the rivets go through the eyelets on the front of these cables, which hold it to the top's header/front piece)..

contact cement (i used a DAP product from home depot, forgot the name..) <~~ paint section..

small brush (to brush the cement on with)..

spring clamps, should have at least 4, but the more, the merrier..

a scratch awl or long, sharp object, in order to poke holes in the sides of the top, in order to attach the 2 rear 1/4 glass gaskets/weather-stripping)..
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SPECIAL NOTES:

the new top will have to be stretched out.. it will look small at first, when fitting it.. this is normal..

the new top came w/ a centering mark.. i initally used this mark.. it was off.. after you staple top's rear tail to the last bow, you'll have to fit the top back onto the car, and see if you're centered.. mine was off, therefore, i had to remove the top from the car again, and restaple.. yeah, i was pissed.. but better to do it right, when you have it all apart..

secondly, the trough (rubber contraption that traps/holds water that fits under the top) is very easy to damage.. it was nearly impossible to seat the top back onto the car w/ trying to have the trough on top, in order to reattach it to the car's trim seat.. it's easier to drop all of the guts/trough into the cavity first, and then work the top in place.. after that, from inside, remove the rear bow (1 side at a time) from the hinge.. this will allow you to move the trough back up, past the top.. work the side and then the middle.. and then to the other side (after you reattach that side you took apart first.. note, it uses torx screws)..

lastly, the top has 3 substraps underneath, which attaches it to 3 of the bows.. it is attached via a special double sided stick tape.. i haven't had a chance to attach these straps yet, as i don't have this special tape.. i will contact a trim shop (the shop that did my car's first top under warranty (while it was owned by the original owner )).. it's a very thin/strong adhesive type strip tape.. i'll keep you posted..

lastly, good luck...