tonyhuntsberger

I finally got the parts to make my top go up and down hydraulically, but as none of the parts were in the car when I got it, I am trying to get an idea as to how they go in. looking at the pump, there are two ports for fluid to the cylinders (up and down I imagine) but which is up? The same question goes for the cylinders. The orientation of the cylinders(rod up or down) may or may not be clear once I get a good look at it, and last, are there special bolts or pins to attach the cylinders? There are special bolts listed for other years, but not for the 63. Any and all help is appreciated.

tonyhuntsberger

Ok, I got the parts installed for the top, and it all works well. As to my questions, with some study, I was able to figure them out. The cylinders only go in polished rod up due to the mounting bracket sizes. The bottom bolts were in place in the brackets, but I had to go to tractor supply to get some bushings for the eye at the end of the rod, and washers to use as spacers around the bushing. The hoses were installed the same way as the old hoses, as far as which port on the pump was used. The pump was set in with the wiring on the same side as the wiring in the car. The connector on the car side was fairly rough, so I'll be ordering another one. After cycling the cylinders 4 or 5 times, most of the air was purged out, so I hooked the eyes up to the top, and put it up and down. I noticed that one side didn't want to fold away completely, so I adjusted the position of the frame by the cylinders, and it was much better. I'm going to check and probably top off the fluid level later today and finish putting the rear interior back together.