I'm getting estimates of $1,500 to 1,700 to replace the top on my 73 delta 88, that's glass, pads and top. Does that sound right or a bit high, anybody had that done lately. Thanks.
Larry

 

I am very interested in this.

I've got to replace my '73 Delta top as well, and have been hoping to do it in the spring.

I am planning to do it myself, though, because of my basic mistrust of my fellow man.

From what I've gathered so far, it seems as though parts will be in the $500-600 range, depending on whether you replace the bushings, etc.
Don't forget that you may need to replace the gutter, down in the trunk, which is also made of top material.

I have read somewhere that you should expect it to take two full days of work if you do it yourself. I've replaced an A-body top in one day, and I've read the manual on this top, and I've got to agree, it's a complex little SOB, which has to be set up just right in order to work like it should, and is not a fast or a straightforward job.

My impression, based on parts costs, complexity, and time, is that $1,500-1,700 is probably about right, but be careful that your installer knows this type of top. These tops are completely different than any other "normal" top made from the dawn of time to the present, and you don't want to be paying someone to learn how to do it on your car.

- Eric

 

My quote was from a shop very experienced with GM scissor tops. I have installed some smaller tops but I'm a little apprehensive to try this scissor top, everything I read indicates it's more than I want to tackle. I haven't read the manual on this top but the standard tops seem to be pretty straight forward to me. If you don't get into the actual mechanism why are the scissor tops so much more complicated, I'm missing something.
Larry

 

It has to do with the way that all the parts have to work together.

With a regular top, the bows just accordion out, carrying the cloth with them.
As long as the fabric is attached to the bows straight and tight enough, the top works.

With a scissor top, the top is not attached to the bows the same way.
There is no "main bow" as on a normal top. If you recall, the main bow, above the rear window, is the main locating point for the entire top. Everything starts there, and is measured out from that point. The scissor top has no attachment points on the main bow - it just rides over it, so you've got to locate the fabric differently, and you can't really do it with the top in place, as the bottom attachment point - the "trim stick" - is below the body panel in the back. You've got to get that set right, then get the rest of it. It's weird, involves some trial and error, and relies on the previous top having been installed correctly, as you use it as a template.

Then you've got to have the #2 bow (over the driver's head) fastened correctly, with its ball joints working right, or the top might rip when it goes up or down.

Overall, it looks like it's a colossal b|tch, which is why I want to do it myself, rather than have someone who claims to know what they're doing screw it up.

If your shop is good, though, and has experience with these tops, then I think that's probably a reasonable price.

- Eric

 

Where do you all live. I have to get a top for my 73 88 as well and I cant find anyone that has any confidence of doing it correctly. I live in Maryland. My car is the green Delta shown in the wiki site. Mike

 

I live in Maine, and won't pay anybody to work on my car.
Too many bad experiences.

- Eric

 

Considering the last one I had done, around 1994-95, was just shy of $900, I'd say it's a good price esp if the shop knows the scissor top. I would not even attempt to recover one of them. A damn Fiat Spider was bad enough.

And those tops are the single reason I will never again own a 71-76 GM big convertible.

 

MDChanic, thanks for the info, I might still give it a try, where did you get the manual on the scissor top. Thanks.

By the way I'm in Branson, Mo. area and Springfield has two shops that do scissor tops, one sounds way more experienced than the other.

Part of the issue is the soft retail value of these scissor top cars, you can get upside down in a hurry.

 

You get upside down on the restoration of any car. If you're looking for an investment, old cars is not it.

 

It's a chapter in the Fisher Body Manual.
I got the manual as soon as I got the car, which is something I always do when I get a new car.
You can buy just that chapter, photocopied, on eBay, and from some of the convertible top suppliers, but for the same price, you can get the whole manual, if you keep your eyes open.

I was upside down on mine before I'd counted out half of the $900 I paid for it . Every dollar I've put into it since then (and that hasn't been too many) might as well have been flushed down the toilet.
I'm not buying an investment, though, I'm buying fun (and remember how much fun you had as a little kid flushing things down the toilet?).

- Eric

 

Well guys I appreciate your opinions but I disagree, in a very friendly fashion of course. I do most of my own work and you can make money on old cars but you have to pick a car that's more in demand. You'll end up with more money in a lesser demand car because of lack of parts availability (As an example check the price of a quarter panel for the Olds Delta 88 out of a bone yard, when you can find one vs the cost of a reproduction patch panel for a Chevelle, Camaro, Chevy, Mustang, Olds Cutlass, etc., etc.) and it will be worth less at the end of the day. The labor for repairs (paint, body work, etc.) is essentially the same for comparable old cars so you're better off spending your time and money on a more in demand car. That doesn't mean I don't love the old Olds because I do, it has ample performance with a wonderful ride and a joy to drive it's just I think most will agree it's not a big demand car and as such enjoys very little aftermarket support which drives the prices on parts up which isn't reflected in the finished product price. Just my 2.

Hey Eric, You probably already know this but I was looking at my top, which I firmly believe is the factory top, and it does slid over the rear bow as you mentioned and it's attached to the bows over the rear seat and the drivers head. Just some stuff for your info but you probably already knew that. I need to dig up a manual, the search is on. Thanks again for you input.
Larry

 

Larry - My top's got holes in it, and at 113,000 miles it sure as heck not the original, but you would be amused to know that when I got it, that second bow was turned around on its ball joints and wedged about 3" behind the header (front) bow. Its attachment to the top above the driver's head had come off (the extra fold of fabric had unglued from the main top fabric) and it had somehow turned around as the top had been opened and closed, then the top had been clamped down tight, causing it to tear through on both sides.

Moral of the story: buy a good top, not a cheap top, because the cheap ones fall apart then self-destruct.

- Eric

 

Eric, you definitely have some issues with your top, I'm lucky, mine is as it left the factory and functions perfectly which will be a blessing when I change the vinyl, as I've decided to do. I found a top manual and figured what the h--- give it a try. I'm hard headed and still not convinced it's gonna be a whole lot tougher than a regular top but I've been wrong before. I've now got the easy part done - the talking about it.
Larry

 

Yeah, I'm kind of going to have to start from scratch with mine, which is why if it's going to be screwed up, I'd rather save a grand and have the pride of knowing that I screwed it up myself. Sounds like you're in an excellent position, though, to do it right. With a good factory top as a template, you should be all set. I did look into top suppliers, and while I have no experience with any of them, Aro seemed like they might be good, because they claim to have been the original supplier of the top to GM, and to make them from the original patterns that they used at that time. Other seemingly reputable companies include Kee, Electron, and CTG, but, as I say, I have no experience with any of them. The top I put on my '71 Skylark was years ago, and I don't remember where I bought it.

I haven't seen any information on this, but I suspect you'll want to lube all the pivot points, probably with a spray grease that comes out thin to penetrate, then dries thicker (like motorcycle chain lube or a really great spray grease from Würth that I got at a swap meet).

I'd be very interested in knowing how the install goes for you, so please keep me posted if at all possible - knowing what to look out for in a "best case" situation like yours will help me to get mine done right whenever I finally start it.

- Eric

 

I've got a 67 98 vert and just paid 1200, cloth top glass window, no zipper. Then had to go spend another 1k to fix it since the first shop used the original tack strip and didn't replace the cables like they said they would, oh and it wqasn't stretched right, and the stiching around the back window wasn't right.

So 2K total and its good now, so if they do it correctly, I'd say you have a fair quote, but I would check about cables and tack strips and weatherstripping

 

Thanks to all for input.

Dru, What happened with the original tack strip, did the staples come loose?

Eric, I'm working on another car right now but when I get to the Olds I'll let you know how it goes.

Larry

 

It was rough, and I wasn't going to spend all this money for a top and use a 45 year old tack strip, not when a new one is 100-200

 

does anyone know where I can get a replacement switch for my convertible top, the one in the dashboard four 1973 Oldsmobile 88 my switch no longer works

 

I don't post too often these days, because I'm a bit too busy doing things, and I just don't have the "bandwidth," but I can't help answering a direct question.

I know of no sources for the switch for post-'72 cars, which is unique, but that switch shares its mechanism with other switches from more-common models, such as the Cutlii, and can be disassembled, so a Cutlass (or Skylark, or Impala...) switch should be able to furnish the parts to renew yours.

Once you have a working switch, though, your best move would be to install relays to direct the power to the top motor, so that the switch is only used to direct low-current switching power, as the original switches are not designed to carry the current load that they are faced with. I have a whole thread on this subject, though I do not recall its exact title.

Good luck!

- Eric

 

In 1995 I got the last one that was still in the GM parts system, so unless someone has a NOS one stashed, none available new.

You can carefully take it apart, clean the contacts and adjust the tension on the contact springs and it will likely function again. My problem was the switch plastic internals had broken.

If you have a good electrical supply shop nearby, you can fab up a SPDT toggle switch with a paddle handle that will solve the problem permanently. I did that while I was trying to find the new GM switch. It worked better than the factory switch, but, as I was showing the car in OCA and AACA judged shows, had to get the correct part.

Moderators can you give this its own thread?

 

thank you I will try your suggestions

 

thank you you been an immense help in solving this dilemma