1993 Mark VIII convertible progress

B

billcu

Head Moderator
Finally got back to working on this car.

The rear window stitching is rotted. The top guy said the only way to sew it is to take the top off and stitch it with a machine.

I think once that top comes off, it's going to need to be replaced, and the tops aren't even available. Maybe I'll get a custom top made over the winter.:D

I'm trying to sew the window back in by hand, to hopefully get another season out of it. I know it won't look as nice as a machine, but I don't plan on using it much with the top up.:)

I try to use the old holes when possible, but that's pretty hard to do sometimes. I have to use a mirror, and getting my arm on the inside of the window is tough. It took me about 6 hours over a few days to get about half of it done.:eek-large:
 

Attachments

W

warden

New member
You need someone inside the car to help. I'm sure it'll work just fine. Mine had a new top installed about 5 years back. No clue who did it as it was before I owned it.
 
B

billcu

Head Moderator
Thanks guys.
I did a few more stitches today after work. A second person would help, but I'm getting there.
 
B

billcu

Head Moderator
Mad1stGen said:
I offered. LOL.

Bill, you could sew it in such pattern, where you go two holes over, and come back one, two over, come back one. It will look uniform that way.
Click to expand...
Yes, I'm going to finish the first stitch all the way across, then I'll be able to extend the top some and go back and do the second stitch so it's double stitched again. That should be easier and faster as the holes will already be lined up.

Thanks again for the offer to help, I wanted to get it started here and once it was started I just kept going with it.
 
B

billcu

Head Moderator
Thanks for the glue suggestions, but I don't think there would be a glue strong enough to hold the plastic window to the cloth. It's very tight when the top is latched down. My stitching might not be strong enough.

I might run a small bead of RTV on it just for waterproofing though.

My sister tried that flex tape on her pool, it didn't work, but it wasn't on the inside of the liner like the commercial, it was on the plastic skimmer box.
 
B

billcu

Head Moderator
Thanks Kirk.

I finally made it to the other side with the first row.

I can't believe it lined up perfectly with the original stitches.

I thought for sure I'd have to do some "adjusting".:D

Enough of this crap, I'm off to the cruise!
 

Attachments

B

billcu

Head Moderator
I finished one row of the double stitches, I still need to finish the other row, but I might get caught in rain this weekend, so I thought I'd try checking the stitches and rest of the top for leaks now.

The seal for the top by the windshield was mostly missing, you can see the orange adhesive and white caulk here and there, with some rubber pieces by the A pillar area.

I removed the rubber pieces and most of the caulk and stuck on a strip of closed cell foam seal I found for pick up truck cap mounting. I put some paper towels around all the sealing areas inside the top and sprayed the outside of the top with water to check for leaks.

It wasn't too bad, all the paper towels were dry except at the A pillar areas on both sides at a spot that I didn't seal yet. There were no leaks at my stitches.:)

Here's some photos, I don't have the after photo of the new seal yet, as I'm leaving the top up and clamped to make sure the adhesive sticks.
 

Attachments

tixer

tixer

Lincoln Evangelist
I think I'm beginning to understand why people always claim old convertible tops are so "finicky." Age and neglect, leading to quick fixes that don't actually work.

You really saved this one, Bill. Keep up the good work.
 
Ford nut

Ford nut

New member
Very nice. I could see how you wouldn't want to get caught in the rain how it was, and watch as it slowly gets more damage.
 
B

billcu

Head Moderator
Thanks guys.

tixer said:
I think I'm beginning to understand why people always claim old convertible tops are so "finicky." Age and neglect, leading to quick fixes that don't actually work.
Click to expand...
That's why they call them 'Ragtops'. :D
 
B

BlackIceLSC

New member
if money grew on trees, you could just roll it in to any upholstery shop and they'd stitch you a nice new one. But it would be at least $1200 and if you went with a nice chestnut canvas color OOOOHHHHH boy
lookin mighty fine there Bill...just keep track of your hours/time so you can put a value on it so when I come in to a large sum of cash I can make you an offer you cannot refuse
 
B

billcu

Head Moderator
Thanks again guys.

Here's some shots of the seals I put on, along with a before shot for comparison. The first one was where the top meets the top of the windshield area,

I also added 2 pieces that weren't there before, there was a big gap where the top meets the windshield vertically. I circled the seal strips I put there, one on each side. There's a shot of the top not latched, then latched.
 

Attachments

B

billcu

Head Moderator
I haven't done much work on the car lately, I've been driving it a lot, it's been running great.

I thought I had a differential leak but it turned out to be from the hydraulic top pump in the trunk. The fill plug had popped out at some point, and leaked some fluid through the pump screw holes, down onto the ABS sensor on the diff.:)
 

Attachments

B

billcu

Head Moderator
I finally replaced the rear shock mounts today.

It still had the 93/94 shock actuators on the original shocks.

I kept the original shocks, but I didn't put the actuators back on.

Here's a pic of the mounts and actuators.

No more clunking.:)
 

Attachments

You must log in or register to reply here.
Top