If possible, what's the best way to remove wrinkles in my wife's convertible top? The top has been down most of the winter in our garage, but when we took a drive today with the top up, it looked awful!
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If it is canvass Haartz "Stay Fast" top and not a stiff vinyl material, park your car in the driveway on a sunny day with the top up, rear stretchers latched up and side windows in. Get out your garden hose and nicely saturate the top with water. Use a car-wash sponge to make sure it's all saturated with water. (of course, you could wash your car at the same time, ya know....)
Walk away for an hour or two to allow the top to dry in the sun.
That should do it. Might take two treatments a day or so apart if it's really saggy to start with.
It's a good thing we're talking about the top. Wrinkles in the bottom are a LOT harder to get out!
Are the top bow tensioners on either side flipped to tighten it? (See top center of picture)
Thanks, I'll try your suggestions.
The top is from a FiberFab kit sold in 1987 and I don't know what materials it's made of.
IndianBob posted:Thanks, I'll try your suggestions.
The top is from a FiberFab kit sold in 1987 and I don't know what materials it's made of.
It'll be cloth or vinyl.
It would be vinyl then. Hot sun will get some of the wrinkles out.
I thought the sun gave you wrinkles
IaM-Ray posted:I thought the sun gave you wrinkles
It certainly makes grapes wrinkled.
Says the man from the city next to the raisin capital of the world!
Its good the weather is getting warmer, putting the top up in the colder weather is very tough to stretch the canvas material.
On my new Miata (Haartz cloth roof) they recommend storing with the top up for "anti" wrinkle reason. Of course, it's a one-hand flip up or down. No tonneau on the Miata though.
Driving Speedster "at speed" on a hot day will cause the top to billow up and push wrinkles out too - i'd think.
If it's a vinyl top (the cloth top feels like cloth, while the vinyl top feels like plastic) then you can delete the soaking with water and just park it in the sun with the top up - leave it for the afternoon or so. Soaking it won't do anything if it's vinyl. Might take a couple of days treatment.....Vinyl does't adjust as easily.
the easiest and cheapest way to remove wrinkles from a top that i have found is to buy foam pipe insulation from the hardware store and put it over the two bows. do this when it's warm / soft.
Indianbob - To help minimize wrinkles when you drop the top, here is a pictorial of how I drop the convertible top (Stay-Fast Canvas) on my Speedster. Also included is how I attach my tonneau cover. I keep my tonneau cover on so whenever I park my car while out cruising around, I close up the tonneau to keep contents of interior out of view. Hope this helps.
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This is excellent information and well documented! How can you get this into the knowledge base? This is information that I will be looking for in the future and won't even be able to recall keywords for a search.
James
PS - How does the Mr. Bill doll fit into all this?? lol
James @James I just put this info in the Knowledge Base. Glad you find it helpful.
I was going to use the Mr. Bill doll (Oh noooooooo) in pics of 'How Not To Fold Your Convertible Top" but I was short on time.