Getting the top down all the way

[Boobtube]

Here's my dilemma...I purchased the car (S IV) with the top up and have not touched it until now, as I have now come close to the finish line of all the work to get this car on the road. It's a pretty new top and I don't think the last owner ever had it down. I tried lowering it but the one cross beam will not clear the trunk-line so that I can stow it completely. I have posted a couple pictures so that you can see what I mean. I don't see any way to adjust the position of this. Is there something I'm missing? When I watched the youtube video of the man stowing his top,it slipped right down into the space. Not so here. Any suggestions? Is it because of the new top being thicker? I don't see that effecting the actual metal structure, though.

 

[Boobtube]

OK, I figured it out. That last piece has to move all the way towards the trunk to clear the opening. Still having some trouble cramming it all down and getting the clam-shell cover closed but some more pushing and smashing will probably get it closed. There isn't a millimeter of extra space for that top. Would have been nice to leave a little breathing room and make it a lot easier to stow. It's not like it's a space capsule and another inch is at a premium.

 

[mikephillips]

One thing to note, with the top down the covers almost never are a perfect fit. If you work the fabric and frame around it'll come close, but almost never an exact fit. You can even see in the cars used in Dr. NO and Get Smart that the covers don't fit quite right. So do the best you can and always remember all earlier car owners have the same issues..

 

[SoCal'beaming]

Yep! ... Mikes right ... It takes a little careful maneuvering to get it in and closed on the early cars but my covers fit exceptionally well when closed. Make sure the window is carefully folded in .. if not and left stowed for a period of time, ceases will be a permanent result.

... Good Luck, David

 

[Tom H]

This is probably not an issue with your car, but if the Previous owner never had the top down it's possible it was installed incorrectly. One common problem is that some people make the mistake of installing the two aluminum trim strips at the sides of the rear over the top fabric. That's incorrect. Only the one long strip across the rear is supposed to capture the fabric. Just a thought.

Tom

 

[Boobtube]

Got it!

Thanks for the encouragement. I finally got everything folded well enough to get the metal covers closed (with a little pushing). The last owner did install the top correctly as far as not putting it behind the aluminum strips. I don't expect to put it up that often but I guess I will take it out once in a while to reposition the rear window to avoid that permanent crease.