I purchased new tack strip for my soft top from CC, but it came with no directions. I removed the old strips 3 years ago and have no recollection. Can anyone tell me which goes where, and which side is up?
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Re: Tack Strip - C1
Paul,
I am not sure that I can be of any help, but I will try. I just took my top frame off of the car and stripped the top off in preparation for a new top. I too bought a tack strip set. It came with four pieces. The first one is dovetail in shape and goes in a dovetail slot across the front bow. The top and weatherstrip are fastened to it. It has elongated groves every few inches across it's length. These capture the T-nuts that the weatherstrip retainer is attached with.
What I can't tell you is what it takes to press this cardboard strip into the dovetail slot that it goes in. Does it take some silicon grease to get it to slide in, or do you need some adhesive so that it will stay once installed? Anyone got any experience with this?
The kit I got also included three other pieces. One seems to fit the grove across the bow just above the rear window. I think this is referred to as the rear bow. It is about 5/8" wide by 1/4" thick by 51" long and seems to be long enough to replace the one that is in the bow now. I have no idea about how this is retained in the grove. Is it glued in place? If so what adhesive is used?
There are two shorter pieces of the same material that are 8 1/2" long and cut on a slant on one end. I can't find anywhere that they look like they fit.
I hope this is of some help. Maybe someone that has been through this can fill in some of the blanks for both of us.
JohnAdministrator
www.ncrs.org -
Re: Tack Strip - C1
John, The header tack strip is usually just driven in with a piece of wood which is sharpened down to kind of a blunt point. The little short pieces are installed on the ends of the top groove on the header and give a place to staple the top pads to. The rear strip will probably have to be glued in place unless it is large enough to be driven in securely, but even then, glue is not a bad idea. If memory serves me right the rear bow and the second from the rear bow appeared to have the tack strip materail installed before the channels were completely formed, so making an exact correct appearing replacement is not possible without purchasing a new bow which has the tack strip already installed. That being said, it is not possible to see the strip once the top material and weatherstrip is installed. Regards, John McGrawComment
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Re: Tack Strip - C1
I'm with you John M. When I did my top recently, I had to pound in the rear bow (above the tack strip) tack strip. I didn't use glue, but probably would the next time. On the front bow tack strip, the boys at Coffman said to cut it in half between the two center T-nut slots and feed each in from the outboard ends. This was a little tough to negotiate the complex bend in the bow channel. To do it again, I'd pound it in like you describe. I have seen these tack strips installed using several vice-grip clamps. Seemed to work OK.
One question John M. You referred to a tack strip in the second from the rear bow. I only had tack strips (1962) for the front and rear bows. Need some help on this one........ThanksComment
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Re: Tack Strip - C1
Dick, The header has a tack strip, as does the one which goes against the decklid and the one at the top of the rear window where the top wire-on goes.
The one that goes against the decklid is the one that the tackstrip was installed before the forming of the channel was complete if memory serves me right.Comment
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