Has anyone had any experience with replacing tops on 69 Convertible cutlass's ? Had my car in the driveway and I guess a flying big bottle rocket landed on my car and burned right through the cover and the outer skin of the top , was wondering if anyone has changed a top before ???

 

You're lucky it didn't burn up the whole car.

Can you pinpoint responsibility for this? If it was a city or town-sponsored event and you were parked in a place where cars would normally be expected to park to watch the show, then you could probably sue the city and recover the cost of the new top.

On the other hand, if it was some local boys having a little fun, you might have a harder time pinpointing who did it. But if you can, I would go after them.

 

Jaunty 75 , There is no way I could pinpoint who is responsible except for myself I should have known better with the 4th approaching to put my car away in the garage , would have been nice to get reimbursed but it's not going to happen lucky for me in this weather I always cruise with the top down , I do cruise all the way until first snow here in Chicago usually late November , so I have some time to do some research and either farm it out or have it done .

Thanks ,

 

Too bad. That one burn hole is going to cost you hundreds of dollars. I hope the top was kind of beat up to begin with, and you were just looking for an excuse to put a new one on!

Any chance your insurance would cover some or all of it? This does fall under what would normally be covered under the "comprehensive" part of your insurance policy, and it would be the same thing if, for example, the car was in a hail storm or a tree branch fell on it and dented the hood (happened to me once on one of my daily drivers). It's damage not involving a collision.

 

Actually , while my top has no holes in it , it is a tan or saddle color from when I bought it real hard to clean I did want to change it maybe go with that fancy canvas material stuff but what ever style I go with will probably go with a black next time , my insurance has a $500 deductible so looking online the price for a vinyl top with glass rear and install kit is $399.00 the canvas "fancy type" with rear glass is $609.00 if you add installation it will help a little and keep my cost to just the deductible amount ...

 

I'd go get a couple of estimates from a few local shops. I think you are going to find the cost to replace the top will run between $700 - $1000 so you may want to involve your insurance. Unless you have done this type of thing before, it's best to leave it to the pros. I watched a guy install a top on a 69 442 conv and it is not a job I would want to do. Just take it to the pros as you'll be much happier in the end.

 

I agree - leave it to the pros. And...go to the upholstery shops first to get estimates before you buy your top. You may find that the upholstery shops you go to want to use certain brands and not others. It wouldn't be good news to buy a new top and then find out the shop you select to install it won't install your brand.

Randy C.

 

I just had my upholstery shop put on a new top for me. I have done this job in the past by myself on other cars (MGB, Alfa Romeo, and even a Porsche 911 targa) but. I knew that this car deserved a professional treatment. The shop had a great source for the top and they installed it in about 4 days. All items needing replaced were taken care of, everything from bleeding out the lines to cleaning every ground they found when taking the top apart. The out the door cost to me was $800. Worth every single penny. I would say the fit is better than factory.

 

Sorry to hear about your misfortune...

Estimate a $1000 job for a good top plus labor.
Often other things have to be replaced and repaired at the same time, such as pads, trim sticks, and the top's well if it is damaged.
I would contact the insurance company for sure.

I would let an experienced trim shop do this, preferably one that has done older cars. Tops are tricky and require a knowledgable helper, too.
Find a shop you like and have confidence in and ask them about different brands of tops. Some they prefer due to good reputation - Kee is often one of them. Some of them (like the ebay cheapies) they will not touch due to either known fit issues or distrust in them. They do not want to get 3 hours into the job and find out it was made wrong. Also they have to stand behind their work after the install.

Good luck and let us know the outcome!

 

Get a pro to do it. Adjusting a top is a bear.

 

Yes , I agree not a job I want to tackle ... plus good excuse to get a new top hopefully I will just have to pay my deductible we will see if State farm agrees ???

 

Yes, SF should pay over your deductable to replace it. Now they will pay to replce the top with one similar to the original. If you pick out something really exotic, you might have to pay the difference between it and an original type.

On a side note, have you considered insuring your classic car with a company that specialized in classic cars? You can keep your deductibles really low (like 50 or 100) and pay a lot less per year doing so.

SF (from my experience) has been good in handling no-fault claims like this. Let us know how it goes...

 

You also have to follow certain restrictions, like keeping your car in a locked garage when it's not being driven so that things like fireworks embers falling on it and burning a hole through the top don't happen.

You also would likely have annual mileage restrictions and be allowed to drive the car only to and from car shows, cruise-ins, in parades, occasional touring, and things like that.

In other words, it's a great deal if you don't plan to use the car for anything like a daily driver. But if you want to drive it anywhere where you would leave it outside and unattended, such as in the parking lot at a restaurant or a shopping mall or anything like that, these classic car insurance companies won't sell you the insurance. The reason their rates are so low is precisely because they have so few claims because the cars they insure are not driven much and are never parked outdoors unattended.

I have both of my old cars insured this way, and I keep to those restrictions.