C1 How difficult would it be to put a power top in

[John P.]

Re: C1 How difficult would it be to put a power to

Larry, have you looked to see if your car came with a power top originally? That might be the only reason to put one in. They can be a nightmare to keep up but they are very cool to watch work! I don't know what year C1 you are talking about, but I saw two very complete '56 power top units including all the switches and wiring harness for sale in the swap meet at last weeks NCRS Winter Regional in Florida for $1,700 each, as is. The cylinders would have to be checked and probably rebuilt. Then the units would have to be installed and tested. Perhaps some of the switches rebuilt and any missing parts located or remanufactured. This is not cheap, a labor of love. You might want to follow the current Restorer Article by John Shugars on his power top installation experience or even contact him to see what it is all about. I know that one member, not John spent $12,000 to put in a power top last year in order to Duntov the car. He had all the work done by a shop, he did none himself. You could obviously save some money on labor, which in this case is easily over 50% of the cost if you can do a lot yourself or have mechanically minded friends.

[Larry Parylla #41143]

[Don H.]

Re: C1 How difficult would it be to put a power to

I put one back in my 60 about 12 years ago. I would not have even considered it but the car was a PT car and I got a deal on the unit. I totally rebuilt it with new hoses and cylinders. It work perfect for quite a few years, then the top quit going up (the deck lid still worked). I unhooked it with the intention of fixing it soon. Unfortunately I have never taken the time to fix it (I MUST this year). It is cool when it works and looks great with the trunk open at shows ("Is that nitrus?"). Don H.

[James F.]

Re: C1 How difficult - John and or Don

John / Don,
It would be appreciated to know who or how the power top cylinders were rebuilt. I have to imagine the cylinders needed to be cut apart. Thanks & Regards,

[Roy B.]

Re: C1 How difficult - John and or Don

As you can see inside is nothing more then a rubber washer between two steel washers that is held on the shaft that has a nut,. Take them to a machine shop have them cut at the bottom or top area , re-chrome the shaft , then re-weld it. The seal never reaches the bottom area so that the seal will not be hurt.

[Don H.]

Re: C1 How difficult - John and or Don

I did not rebuild mine. The company I was dealing with (sorry not at home so can't look up name - e-mail me if you want it) recommended to not rebuild. The only reason I can see to rebuild is to retain originals for judging. But you would then have a big weld that was not supposed to be there. I was after reliability so I went with new cylinders and hoses (probably never have this car judged). If I remember right it was around $500 - $600 for both (12 years ago and dealer price). Don H.

[John P.]

Re: C1 How difficult - John and or Don

Don, New cylinders is a great way to go. The shape of the cylinders you have, cost comparison and originality vs. reliability requirements are the obvious issues. You don't want to have to install more than once. It is a bear to get the system operating properly. If it were easy, I am sure many more originally equipped cars would still have their units installed.

[Larry Parylla #41143]

Re: C1 How difficult - John and or Don

Thanks for all the advice. There is a small part of me that still wants to have the top to but the logical thing for me to do is forget about it. Not only will it be a big cost project but it may hurt me if/when I decided to get the car judged