I am not replacing this top yet, but am psychologically preparing myself for when I do...

I had wondered about an extra structure that had torn through the material just behind the header bow, but it's awful hard to see all that stuff up under the top material, so I didn't spend a lot of time on it.

Yesterday I was skimming through the Fisher Body chapter on the top, and I noticed that the picture in the book looked different than the car:

The Second Bow is misplaced.

(I count from the front: Header Bow, Second Bow, Third Bow, Main Bow, Trim Stick)

The Second Bow sits JUST behind (like an inch behind) the Header Bow, and the roof sweeps from there to the Third Bow. The fabric is installed that way - it didn't get that way over time.

So, since I am NOT taking the top apart right now (when I put on the new one, I'll take off the old - the power of short term memory needs to harnessed in these matters), I am curious whether anyone else out there has encountered this transposition, and whether I need to anticipate any particular adjustments or purchases as a result of it.

I've restored two conventional convertible tops in the past ('48 Mercury and '72 Skylark), so I understand the basics of how to put a top on, and I find it hard to imagine how a bow could end up in the wrong place.

Thanks,

- Eric