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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / "34 Sedan Top

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Posted By Discussion Topic: "34 Sedan Top     Savvy 01-13-2010 @ 10:07 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 43 Joined: Oct 2009 How easy is it to replace an original '34 sedan top with a Lebarron Bonney top kit? Or, should I leave well enough alone and just cover it with Mac's top sealer product. Any tricks one should know before tackling the replacement? trjford8 01-14-2010 @ 8:36 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 4214 Joined: Oct 2009 Savvy, it all depends on how bad or good you original material is at the time. The 34 top strip had a rubber seal in the center. You can get a new seal and replace that item if the rest of the top is good. If the material is dried and splitting I don't think there is a top sealer that will cure that problem. The LB tops come with instructions and with patience you can do it. One word of caution, be careful when removing the original metal tack strip. You do not want to bend it. Another tip when recovering the top is to build a wooden frame that is the size of the material they send you. You tack the material to the frame and the weight of the frame keeps the material nice and tight when you begin to tack down the metal strip. supereal 01-14-2010 @ 8:53 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Also, be sure that the metal edge of the top opening is intact, and not badly rusted, as is more often than not the case where the tack holes are punched. It is best to install new chicken wire and padding, too. Watch the placement of the tacks, as it is easy to put some outside of the trim strip (don't ask). Savvy 01-14-2010 @ 9:55 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 43 Joined: Oct 2009 Thank you both for your input. Perhaps I should rephrase my question now..... How hard is it to remove an original '34 sedan top? Any tips? I don't have the LB top yet, but I suspect the instructions begin AFTER the top to be replaced has been removed. So..... removal instructions would be GREAT!! Cheers!! supereal 01-14-2010 @ 3:32 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Removal isn't hard, as many of the tacks will have rusted away. Use a tack puller tool available at most hardware stores. It looks like a screwdriver with a split end. Try not to distort the metal around the rim of the opening. Tom's suggestion regarding keeping the material taut as you tack is a good one. LB's directions are usually good. It helps to have some extra hands available as you tack the material down to prevent corner-to-corner wrinkles. Be sure the tack strip is in good condition. Many are rotted from leakage. If so, replacement is the only cure. trjford8 01-14-2010 @ 7:16 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 4214 Joined: Oct 2009 Savvy, Bob's suggestion about thetack puller is a good idea.They dontcost muck and I even think you can get one from LB when you order your top. When you begin to pry up the top tack strip I suggest you use a thin strip of 1/16 metal(about 6 inches or more long) next to the tack removal tool that can be used for leverage for the tool. It will help to keep from bending the edge of the roof and tack strip. Tom/SC 01-15-2010 @ 9:40 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 51 Joined: Oct 2009 Savvy, you have already recieved excellent advice form Supereal and TRJ. I want to add this advice. The metal tack strip that the top material is tacked to, as Bob has said, is often rusted badly and needs to be replaced. It has a paper material packing inside the metal strip, and that paper probably is rotten and needs to be replaced. Le baron Bonney and others supply a hard rubber strip that replaces the paper very nicely. If you need to remove the metal track, and if it is not usable,the only replacement that I know of is a straight aluminum strip that has to be bent to fit the four corners. Macs, Carpenters and others supply that tack strip. It is very difficult to bend correctly, but some 34 owners say they have made a wooden form to use to bend the corners. If you have to remove the original metal tack strip, you will have to remove the headliner in the car. At each corner of the metal tack strip there are two metal "T" screws that have nuts on them which are inside the car. Those screws are a must because they pull the metal tack strip down flush on the outside top of the car. Without these "T" screws, the tack strip will not pull down properly on the corners. I learned this on my 34 the hard way. I hope ths will help you, I think that if you follow the advice we have posted here, you should be able to replace the top yourself, providing that you dont need to remove the metal tack strip. Good luck with your 34. Tom

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