Well winter is here and Im in a pickle... Some jackass decided he or she wanted to cut a gaping hole in the roof of my car... What Im wondering is, does anyone have any experience replacing the convertible top in a 95-00 sunfire and how difficult is it? Anyone have a guide or some instructions on how to do it quickly and easily? I have a 97 sunfire convertible.

Thanks in advance,


-Justin

there is no quick and easy way to reskin a vert top. but check out the third gen forum sticky for the gm convertible manual & weatherstripping info.

how big is the hole you might be able to get away with patching the hole wiht some vynil and automotive goop untill spring if you wanted to save up the $$$ and get it reskinend right.

I DO NOT RECOMEND trying to replace it yourself.......bad experence and on top of that if you dont have the money to get into a shop you might be without a car. (weather is an itch)

i didnt it on my sunbird.. just make sure u do the back befor u cut the front,

Just a thought...depending on what your policy is, have you considered checking into having your insurance replace your top? That would be considered vandalism. Chances are, if you have Liability -only, it's not covered. If you have Full coverage though, you might be able to swing it.


Philippians 3:10 (Amplified Bible)
10[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [[a]which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]

Thank you for reviving a thread that is almost a year old. Please, pay attention to the date of the last post before you reply. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle (against getting flamed).


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* Student of the University of Oklahoma. Go Sooners!
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I just had the top on my '98 Sunfire professionally replaced back in July.

The reason I went to an auto upholstery shop to do it is that replacing any convertible top is an involved process that -- if it is be done properly with good results -- benefits from having the right learning curve. Ergo, significant prior experience. I realized that after doing a lot of homework when I was initially thinking of doing this myself. What I eventually realized is that this is isn't like replacing a radiator or upgrading to a new, larger set of wheels, where a manual or jbody.org "how to" will get any reasonably handy person through the process. Think more in the direction of advanced painting, where it's not just having the right gun loaded with the right material, it's proper finesse in applying it that only comes with experience.

In particular, seating the replacement top properly so that the window curtain is evenly taught and the sail panels are wrinkle free is tricky, even for a seasoned installer (primarily because tops have compound angles). To get a clean looking install you need to be intimately familiar with how fabric tensions and be practiced at tweaking it inch by inch as you staple it down, which is best done simultaneously by two experienced people.

In addition, a seasoned shop knows how aged frames can be adjusted to deal with fit issues, an area of practice the "top replacement" section of the previously mentioned 3rd Gen 'vert supplement manual doesn't even cover. I lent the the installer I used my copy of that manual and he told me afterwards it has numerous other critical omissions relative to the process for getting the proper fabric tension.

Also, given the age of your car, you are almost definitely looking at having to replace the two rear tack strip retainers when the top is replaced (the old ones will be starting to crumble by now). I would check to make sure you can get them; the right hand one is out of production and increasingly hard to find.