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Convertible top: Auto to Manual


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Posted

I thought about this pretty much from the moment I considered my car. I like the convenience of an autom. top, but the inevitable $450 or so I will have to pay to get it refunctioning makes me wish I could convert it into a manual. I figure no motor/ motorized parts= drastically less problems right? Any thoughts?

Posted

I agree, I'll take manual over automatic, that goes for windows, seats, etc. less things to break.

Posted
I agree, I'll take manual over automatic, that goes for windows, seats, etc. less things to break.

 

ya'll are cheap and crazy.....I would pay whatever it took to fix the top on my spyder if it died...not to mention the other power features...

Posted

Power Windows are a must. 14-way power seats are a nice, too. I could probably do without a power top, though.

Posted
ya'll are cheap and crazy.....I would pay whatever it took to fix the top on my spyder if it died...not to mention the other power features...

 

I would be cheap if the procedure was and I still didnt want to do it. Does that Spyder require taking the back seats out among other things? I'm sure I would save money if I could do it on my own, but that's not my expertise. I agree witht he other guys though, everything else can be power

Posted

oh yeah I should mention that the $450 is the absolute lowest figure, I may have to end up spending up near $1200...for a broken hydraulic cylinder....

Posted

I hear ya man, the first time I used my top this spring it made a loud noise and wham!!! It no longer funtions on its own without some help by pushing up on the passenger side. SUCK!!!

Posted

Mine still works :P

 

 

But it does have some trouble SOMETIMES getting all the way up to latch it, so i have to pull hard to help it out. I think it only does that though when it gets cold and it has been down for awhile.

Posted

I loved the power top on the Cutlasss I had. It was so nice to roll down the windows, unlatch the top and press the button to take it down. I kinda miss that car now. :(

Posted

Thank God mine still goes done okay. Nothing beats pulling up to a stop light and dropping the top. That kicks ass.

Posted

I can still do that...if I have 2 or 3 people in the car:

 

1. Unlatch

2. Press button

3. Front passenger assist lifting mechanism

4. If third passenger available, have them press the top down into the complete resting folded position.

4a. If no third passenger, front passenger quickly jumps out and completes step 4

5. Now assume a look of calm collectiveness and convince yourself everyone is lookin' because the Cutty is just so clean!

 

:wink: :lol:

Posted
Thank God mine still goes done okay. Nothing beats pulling up to a stop light and dropping the top. That kicks ass.

 

 

 

That is always the best.

Posted

I would be cheap if the procedure was and I still didnt want to do it. Does that Spyder require taking the back seats out among other things? I'm sure I would save money if I could do it on my own, but that's not my expertise. I agree witht he other guys though, everything else can be power

 

I am sure that I would have to remove the rear seats, back panels and a ton of other shit, but it WOULD get done regardless.....call me crazy but I hate ghetto rigged shit...

Posted

Well, I hate it too, but since the ghetto is so close, I'm used to it.

 

Money doesnt grow on trees for me so sometimes the ghetto do what they can with what they got....the usage of "ghetto- rigged" is overrated on this board anyway

  • 1 month later...
Posted

On my old cavalier, when the ppump finally gave out (before i fixed it for about 10$) al I did was drain all the fluid out of the pump, and then disconmect the tubes. After that, all I had to do was unlatch both sides, and flip the top back. Was very cool to put down like that, but putting it up took a little more time. But from what ive seen, something similar to that should work. You just have to have all the lines open and not air tight

Posted
Well, I hate it too, but since the ghetto is so close, I'm used to it.

 

Money doesnt grow on trees for me so sometimes the ghetto do what they can with what they got....the usage of "ghetto- rigged" is overrated on this board anyway

 

The things a college kid will do to broken stuff on a Nissan 240SX will amaze you :lol:

 

When i got that thing i had to learn a whole teqnique to open the trunk and the hood

 

and i can understand the money situation...i've got some "ghetto-rigged" stuff in my GP even

Posted

I would never settle for not having a power top. I'd get rid of the car first.

All you need is some ingenuity to get the power top functional.

It takes all of 10 minutes to remove the rear seats. Not too difficult even for the mechanically challenged. A new cylinder is about $165 in the aftermarket which is pretty cheap. Chances are that the motor is ok. May need some fluid added.

When one of my cylinders broke last fall and I needed assistance putting the top up and down, I kept an eye on eBay and ended up getting the entire hydraulic system, cylinders, motor, lines for $70. Took me about an hour to remove the seat and swap out the cylinder and button everything up. It can be done on the cheap, even if you live in the ghetto, which brings up another angle. I didn't think a cutlass convertible was known as a ghetto car. Jees, now I gotta get rid of mine if that's the case.

Posted
I didn't think a cutlass convertible was known as a ghetto car. Jees, now I gotta get rid of mine if that's the case.

 

It sure is! I love my ghetto-mobiles!

I overheard a coworker talking to another about how she was driving through this bad poor neighborhood and there was this crazy drunken party and a whole bunch of $3000 cars parked out front and how scared she was, blah blah blah...

 

Hmmm... I don't own a single car that cost me more than $3000!!!

 

I work with a bunch of snobs. :lol:

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