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plastic window repair

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Yngbld14

Yngbld14

Freshman Member
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This may sound like dumb questions,but this is the first convertible I've owned. Do they make repair kits to fix the plastic windows in the top? Or do I need to tale it somewhere to have it replaced? Or do I need a new top? The window has a big crack in one of the little side plastic windows.

Thanx
 
An upholstery shop or marine canvas/sail maker can replace the plastic window.
I have had plastic from a sail used in a couple of mine over the years.
 
Expensive is relative. Finding a local sailmaker might be harder. You're close to the ocean. More sdailmakers there than in Kansas for example. Try the local YellowPages.
 
When the sail maker did mine a few years back, he used some existing stock, he has 2 MGs and is a good friend, it cost me lunch :wink:
The material is cheap, if you have access to a good sewing machine, you can do it yourself. My wife's machine will not sew thru the vinyl and plastic but any industrial machine will. You have to bring the top to the sewing machine unless you are real good with a needle and thread :smile:
 
Well, not to discourage you but, I took my top to a place that sews in (or welds, can't remember) plastic windows and they wanted more cash than the cost of a good new top. Thinking they dealt with the BMW crowd who have money than us.

Seems like tops are like tires - need to be replaced now and then.

BTW, I cut out the remnants of the plastic windows in my old top and plan to use it this summer as a bikini/bihimi? top to keep the bistering sun off my noggin.

Good luck,
Adrian
 
Prestige sells a nice top with a zip out rear window.
I like mine anyway.
 
True...Spridget tops are cheap and easy to replace; you really should consider it one of those things you just change out every so often. Cost can vary greatly, from cheap vinyl to reeeally nice cloth. Treat your top nice and even a cheap one will last for many years. Cracked windows are nearly always an indication that it hasn't been folded properly.

Since you're a newbie at the ragtop game, and from your avatar I see you have an attached foldable 'hood,' (Britspeak for a convertible top,) you need to know that the Brit way to stow the thing is different from most other cars. It takes a little more time, but it results in a smaller folded package and keeps the hood safer. The "usual" way; (e.g., undo the latches from the driver's seat and just throw it over your shoulder,) will surely end in disaster. There's info online that'll show you just how to do it if you're not sure.

The short version: undo all the fasteners. Fold the top back part-way. Tuck the side windows under, pull the top off of the bows and drape it over the trunk while you fold the bows down the rest of the way. Make sure the bows aren't pinching the hood at any point. Make sure that where the side windows are tucked under, the crease is in the vinyl and not across the window! Then roll the hood forward and over the bows. Speed comes with practice.
 
Thanks for the insight Bill. I've been doing it wrong but windows are in good shape. Would it be best the lay some cloth on the windows before rolling? Do you roll tight or loose? Should the top rest on top of the bows or drap down in front of them more in the cockpit?
I'm going to investigate on the web more.
 
A boot cover helps to keep things tidy. If N/A some nylon webbing with snaps to attach to the snap on the chrome strip at the back of the top, run around to the inside of the of the back package shelf. I replaced the crappy cardboard back there with a piece of 1/4" plywood and carpetted over. I added several snaps to a) Roll up the top tighter so speakers in back deck were audible b) keep top more secure and not come out flapping in the breeze.
 
Perhaps "rolling" the hood isn't the right word. The fabric isn't 'rolled' like a burrito...rather, when the sandwich of fabric and windows is laying across the boot lid, you flip it over the bows: so it lays on top, drops down the front, and tucks underneath them; and 'rolls' around the bows. (To keep the food analogy, it's a fabric taco, with the bows as the filling. :smile: )

I've never seen the need to lay cloth on the windows when folding; plastic touches plastic, and nothing is there that would rub or cause trouble...and besides, it adds extra bulk.

Some people lay a towel across the header bar, before flipping the fabric over, just to put a layer between the clamps and the vinyl, to be on the safe side.

Jim's idea with the straps is a good one if you don't have a boot cover; it keeps everything tidy and buttoned down.
 
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