I picked up a new vinyl top on a recent trip to the US to save on shipping costs. The old one of 30 years was in a sorry state beyond repair.
I removed the frame to clean it up and repaint. It is very awkward to work with so that you can strip the old glue and sand/wire wheel off the rust. There are very good posts and directions on replacing the top. Also the top came with detailed instructions.

I removed the front bow from the frame for the same reason and to replace the vinyl.



Woes
I stripped three out of the 4 screws holding on the latches. How do I get the stripped screws out? What kind of replacement vinyl to use? Where to get thin strip of foam? Tips on how to put the vinyl on? I plan on using Rust-oleum primer paint. What about the finish coat..flat black; semi-gloss or gloss? Also I had no side wires . I don't see were they would attach to the front bow. Can someone post a picture of how they attach.

Looking forward to your experience and advice.

You can drill a hole smaller than the screw diameter. Then use an easy out to get the stud out.

try a left handed drill for the screws, or weld over them and start fresh with drill and tap, or Soak the bow completely in vinegar for about 4 days and then see if you can use the left hand drill to get them out
Go to home depot or lowes and get some green underlay this will work for your replacement foam,use contact glue for sticking it on or the same stuff you use for the canvas roof.
here are some photos of the cable in the bow

The cables loop over solid steel rivet heads on the outer wings of the front bow. That area in your pics appears to be covered with vinyl with the rivet heads barely peaking out.

Soak the broken latch bolts with PbBlast and try an easy out with the reverse drill built into it. Be careful to not overspeed the bit or you can snap it if it suddenly jams with the drill spinning at high speed. The hardened steel bit can be very difficult to get out if you do that. If worse comes to worse you can cut the area out and weld in new nuts to attach the latches to.

Thanks for the excellent suggestions and advice. I ended up soaking the screws and tapping them gently to get the rust release to flow over the past 3 days. Then used the screw extractor. 2 came out and the last 1 snapped off at the head like Diesel predicated could happen I have used a small drill bit to go through the center of the screw and progressed to a larger bit without touching the sides. However the screw remains and I haven't been able to pick it out. Can someone tell me what to do? It is the right hole in the picture below.



Diesel is right again as there was some vinyl covering the post for the side cables. Looks like a piece of the old cable is still there. I wonder if it is original. I will gently remove it and hope the posts will be strong enough for the new side wires.



Lastly I have some rust damage that needs attention. Please let me know what you would do. Otherwise the front bow is in pretty good condition. I also understand from posts I have read that the front bow rusts from the inside out. Can this rust process be delayed by spraying some rust retardant into the bow?



BTW my hold down latches are currently having a bath in vinegar.

Update: I had the front bow sand blaster to see where I stood in regards to the rust. A section about 8-10 inches on the front looked pretty weak . The front is covered in a plastic strip and I probably could get by just putting it back on painting and putting it back together. This didn't sit well with me as my daughter wants the car so I am currently having a body shop weld in a piece and competed the restoration and weld in pieces/ fill other holes etc. As for the stubborn screw broken off at the nut I drilled a hole through without touching the sides then used a tap set to return it to a 20mm thread. Used smaller taps until I reached 20 mm. The new stainless steal screws work perfect.

Next issue it the top hold down latches. The springs in both latches are broken. Has anyone put new springs in the latches? Can you explain how you did it and were you got the springs or at least the right size spring. One of the latches need some work as the finish is coming off. Has anyone refinished their latches?

Here are some pics of my latches.







Happy Thanksgiving

I was reading your post. I want to install a new top but it seems like a really difficult operation. My current top is in pretty good shape except for one tear which I fixed. My main problem is the closure to the rear side windows. The original velcro deteriored on the flap as well as on the window frames. Do the new tops come with velcro?

Yes the new tops come with the velcro strips.

The velcro on mine seems to be in good shape so I really didn't look at replacing it. My top frame is currently masked over as I am looking for an opportunity to complete painting it. I will be putting on the new top this fall if we get another day of two with warm weather so I can't comment on how difficult it will be. Having a helper is recommended especially if they have already done this. I decided I wanted to completely clean up the frame and know this will make the job easier. There are lots of really good post on convertible top installation on this from and use google. Also my top came with detailed instruction. Worse case scenario is I can get it done professionally for $200.00 Cnd.

You might want to try to repair/replace your velcro if this is your only top concern and consider a complete overhaul when you really need to replace the top.

Thanks for your response. My problem with the velcro is getting new velcro to stick to the window frames.

Since my bow was obviously badly rotted at the ends I picked up a used CS1 bow from C Oberti and was very pleased overall with the exception that the cable pins were missing and had been replaced with aluminum pop rivets so I will have to do the same.

I took a can of Rustoleum Rust Reformer and put the nozzle from a can of brake clean on it with the tube which I had moderately crimped on the end so it would splatter a bit better and then sprayed it inside each hole in the bow sloshing things around a bit to ensure better coverage before draining off the excess. A bit messy but it has a rust preventative/sealant inside it now with particular attention towards getting it in the areas most prone to rust through near the ends and front seam. I may repeat the procedure with some top coat paint to better seal the insides of the bow.

I have a new front gasket on order and already picked up some vinyl to wrap the inside of the bow with which I picked up locally on sale at Joannes Fabric with a coupon.

I took another look at my velcro to see how it is attached to the window frame. Looks like the velcro is wrapped around or the edges are pinched under a metal plate and secured by 3 screws. I know it looks like you have to simply remove the 3 screws and old velcro and put in a new piece and screw it back down. I would soak the screws with a rust penetrate and carefully take them out. Use new screws to put it back together. With my luck I would strip/ break 1 or 2 then figure out were to go from there. I would use contact cement to secure the velcro to your top.





My front bow came back from the body shop in great shape. I had asked them to spray/coat the inside with a rust retardant when they had access from cutting out the rusted metal. Total cost $80.00 Cdn. (cash) the owner is a friend of a friend I bought the vinyl from a reputable car upholstery company who specialize in classic cars. They stitched up a few seams in my boot cover with total cost coining to $10.00 cash!

My front weather stripping is in good shape . However there are metal brackets attached to the ends which came off when I worked at cleaning off the rust so I could repaint. Anyone know how to reattach the metal bracket to the rubber seal?

Finished putting the front bow on the frame and everything came together...almost. I put the new vinyl on. Then the rubber seal with the plastic hold down. I needed to drill new holes as the body shop had covered them over. Put in new stainless steel screws and washers. The almost is a foam strip which covers the transition area on the front of the bow . I plan to use automotive weatherstripping and will do this when I am installing the new top. Too cold to do this so this will wait for the spring. Car is heading for storage this week