Advice On A Convertible Top

[ThePope]

Hey everyone!! I need some advice on a car I'm picking up saturday. I'm getting a 96 GT convertible and it's gonna need a top. I wanted to know the best route to go when buying a top. I was thinking of buying a OEM top from Ford and having it installed. Wanted to know the best way to do this.

Thanks!!

 

[MustangChris]

03 terminator top FTW

 

[NERD]

I've went through 3 tops. If I had to do it all over again i'd just get a terminator cloth top. I paid $730 each time for my tops to have a shop do it.

 

[MustangChris]

I've went through 3 tops. If I had to do it all over again i'd just get a terminator cloth top. I paid $730 each time for my tops to have a shop do it.

do shops give you a grace period on how long it will last? or if the product is bad, its not their fault, kinda thing?

 

[Slykin]

What is the total cost you'd be lookin at to get a termi top? I'm guessing the 730 was the cheaper tops.

 

[ThePope]

What's special about a termi top?

 

[NERD]

What's special about a termi top?

They're Cloth

I've went through 3 tops. If I had to do it all over again i'd just get a terminator cloth top. I paid $730 each time for my tops to have a shop do it.

do shops give you a grace period on how long it will last? or if the product is bad, its not their fault, kinda thing?

Usually $250 for material and $500 for labor.

Lifetime warranty, 2-5 year on materials (based on who you have order it and their individual warranty.)

Remember, that's just the 2 piece material and NOT the cabling or mechanicals. If you have something broken, that'll up the cost.

 

[ThePope]

What's special about the cloth top?

 

[NERD]

It looks better and lasts longer.

 

[Slykin]

So if your top is in good shape mechanically it should be 800 bucks at a reasonable shop? With cloth top? Good info, thanks.

 

[ThePope]

I just looked up on Silver State Ford Parts website and a new top for a 03 cobra is $935.60 Original price was $1,318.12

 

[NERD]

I just looked up on Silver State Ford Parts website and a new top for a 03 cobra is $935.60 Original price was $1,318.12

and that's just for the top and not labor....sounds right.

 

[Slykin]

Is that the whole top including the metal frame, motors, etc etc?

 

[ThePope]

Is that the whole top including the metal frame, motors, etc etc?

That's just for the cloth.

 

[MustangChris]

why did you pay $730.00 each time with a lifetime waranty?

 

[Slykin]

Hmm, alright.. so we're looking at 1500 now. Bummer.

 

[NERD]

why did you pay $730.00 each time with a lifetime waranty?

The warranty covers defects and installation, not imperfections. The first time I replaced the peanut butter color top with black someone broke into the car through the top by putting a small hole over the drivers door(well tried to anyway), the second time there was crack in the fold that they blamed on the mechanicals of the top and the third was an issue where they refused to acknowledge was their fault.

It's expensive being picky.

 

[Marvin97]

The first thing I did when I got mine was replace the top. I called several local upholstery shops asking about tops, and got the same answer from all of them: get an Electron top. 2 of these shops deal solely in classic and show interiors and both told me they would only install Electron tops, that they had the best fit and finish. I gave $180 for the top, as i reused the back glass from my old top. I bought mine from latemodel http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/products/Mustang-Replacement-Covertible-Tops

 

[MustangChris]

why did you pay $730.00 each time with a lifetime waranty?

The warranty covers defects and installation, not imperfections. The first time I replaced the peanut butter color top with black someone broke into the car through the top by putting a small hole over the drivers door(well tried to anyway), the second time there was crack in the fold that they blamed on the mechanicals of the top and the third was an issue where they refused to acknowledge was their fault.

It's expensive being picky.

ah, gotcha.

are you lookin into the terminator top?

 

[NERD]

Eventually, for now I'm going to concentrate on the other looks and things. Since people are too cheap to buy my engine, I'm just going to keep the mustang.

why did you pay $730.00 each time with a lifetime waranty?

The warranty covers defects and installation, not imperfections. The first time I replaced the peanut butter color top with black someone broke into the car through the top by putting a small hole over the drivers door(well tried to anyway), the second time there was crack in the fold that they blamed on the mechanicals of the top and the third was an issue where they refused to acknowledge was their fault.

It's expensive being picky.

ah, gotcha.

are you lookin into the terminator top?