[70oldgoat]

First convertible project for us. Almost finished with it. We are planning on the Power Tour Long Haul in June.

Based on our experience with our other "older" cars breaking down on the road (many times, enough material for a couple of chapters in our book)...the wife has two questions...

1. If we are on a trip with the convertible top down and it starts raining and the top does not work, is there a way to override the system and manually close the top?

2. If we cannot manually close the top, other than a break in the circuit, what might be a reason the top will not work?

3. Any suggestions on what part(s) might we want to take with us.


Thanks.

[nytrainer]

I've had a convertible top motor failure (of course during an unexpected rainstorm) and there is no amount of brute strength to close the top (or open it for that matter).
I usually keep the cars garaged with the top down and boot installed and only drive them when there is no rain in the forecast. While giving the top system a full check up after replacing pump motor (backseat out and side interior panels removed) I look over the hose connections, top cylinders, hardware, bushings etc. I disconnected the cylinders from the top mechanism (to check if there was any mechanical resistance to the mechanism opening/closing) and was surprised how easy it was to move top up and down.
You can, as an option during your trip, keep the top disconnected from the cylinders and work the top manually when needed (1 person can close/open it but 2 much easier) but I think if your system is up to snuff pump motor and hydraulic failures are not all that common. What is more likely are problems of excessive current draw/voltage drops because of the switch design that can cause breaker to keep tripping (if equipped), fuse to blow or thermal shut down of pump motor. The best mod to combat that is to keep factory switch to trigger relays that will power pump motor. Do a search and you can read details of the relatively simple mod.
Have a great road trip!

[rohrt]

I was worrying like you when I did part of the power tour.

For the top. The only thing I would take would be a some jumpers in case the switch were to go bad. If you have any bubbles in the lines or leaks in the cylinders fix it now. Even with leaks in the system you can usually get the top up even if you have to help it. If the motor itself goes out you would have to tear into like nytrainer said and disconnect the pumps.

I made a emergency tool kit for myself when I went. I had an extra set of points, a coil. Some extra oil and radiator jug. A bunch of tools. My electrical meter with assorted wires and connectors.

The only issue I had was blowing a fuse on the cig lighter.

[heups1629]

Bring some extra ATF to add to the motor reservoir in case it runs low (my system leaks a bit, and every year or two it stops working until I add some more fluid). Get a bottle that you can fill with ATF and squirt easily into the reservoir hole (I used a ketchup-like plastic bottle that you might find at a cheap burger joint).

[Txbobcat]

I don't think I have ever worried about a top failure. Yes a line could bust but the motor would slow down rather than just quit so you should have some notice if it is slowing down. Last year I changed the pump for the first time in my 65 Catalina that's 45 years without a problem. I also changed the pump in my 70 GTO it was 40 years old and still going but cylinders were leaking and it was slowing down so I changed them both out along with the pump.

[70oldgoat]

Oooops. I just realized I had a Senior moment and posted this on the wrong place (should have been the one below, "70 ...GTO..TECH").

But, I really appreciate your comments. I copied them over to my "research book" and will plan our trips accordingly.

If I have not built up the "confidence factor" by the time the HRPT takes place in June, I think I may just disconnect the top frame from the cylinders beforehand. Then manually raise the top as needed during the drive (rain or direct sun) and when parked for the night.

Great forum. Many thanks for the timely responses.

[north]

Statistically the most common problem is by far the switch. GM didn't use relays in those years so a lot of juice is running through the switch. Original switches often failed even when these cars were new. Cylinder or line failures can happen but they usually will allow you to get the top up with a little muscle assist. Pump failure is very unlikely if you have a pump that you know is working.

If you want pretty good insurance keep a jumper wire of heavy gauge that you could use to bypass the switch and some basic hand tools so that in a pinch you could yank the back seat and armrests to release the cylinders to allow manual closing of the top.