<VV> Installing Late Model Convertible tops

[Doug Mackintosh]

Hello, Carl!
It has been a long time, but when my daughter and I did her 1964 Spyder convertible top I made the sticks and found them useful (probably necessary) to do the job. The instructions in the 1964 manual were wrong - if I made the sticks as speciified they were too long to set the bow-to-bow space to the minimum dimension desired (14.75" in my case), so I had to make them shorter.
It may be that top installers have a universal "stick" that is adjustable for whatever top they are doing, but I don't know.
<<Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2019 05:54:40 +0000
From: Arlette Pat & Carl Kelsen <arlettecarl at hotmail.com>
To: Virtualvairs Virtualvairs <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Subject: <VV> Installing Late Model Convertible tops

G?day everyone,
I currently working towards fitting a complete new (Clarks Corvair) supplied soft top on to our 1965 Monza convertible. To date I have cleaned, re-painted and re-installed the convertible top frame and have successfully adjusted it. The frame appears to function perfectly when its electrically raised or lowered (its a power top).

I am now in the process of replacing all the tacking material in each of the bows and when this work is finished hope to have a professional installer install the new top cover correctly. I have read and re-read the workshop manual and the Clarks Corvair notes on convertible top installation in an attempt to gain as clear understanding as possible as to how to correctly install these tops. If I do this I might be able to assist my motor trimmer.

My question is: The workshop manual mentions making up a set of two ?Spacer Sticks? and gives quite specific dimensions and an illustration as to how these Spacer Sticks should be made up.

It occurred to me, that its going to be most unlikely that my Australian Motor Trimmer will have ever worked on a Chevrolet Corvair convertible of any description  and even if my motor trimmer has, it?s not likely that he / she  bothered using spacer sticks as recommended in the Corvair workshop manual.

The spacer sticks appear simple enough to make so I am thinking of making up a set. Should I bother with this or is it a waste of time? What everyone?s opinion?
Regards from ?down under?
Carl Kelsen
RHD 1965 Chevrolet Corvair Monza convertible
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia>>

-- Doug Mackintosh Corsa member since 1996 Corsa/NC member since 1996, Virtual Vairs member Corvair owner 1969-1971 and 1996-on