[Terry M. Hunt]

I’m in the process of rebuilding mine. Bought H132G Convertible Top hardware kit from our host. This has all the bolts,wave washers,nylon bushings,etc. to rebuild the frame. There is a good set of instructions with photos for each step. One step calls for installing 10 small screws into the center bow as shown in the attached photo. I’m not sure what these screws are supposed to do. I could imagine them being used to retain the top pad, but why would the instructions say to install them before the new top was installed. When I removed my old top don’t recall if the old screws were holding the top pad in place or not. There were only a couple of screws in the center bow when I removed it from the top frame. There were several what appeared to be pop rivets that I drilled out. These were sort of a blind rivet because they did not extend completely through the diameter of the bow.
So, what is the purpose of these 10 screws?

[Peter Serio]

Look in the Dark Blue Fisher body manual. As I remember from many years ago; I had a 66 GTO convertible. Those screws in the hollow bow(s) with the thin washer were designed to lay flush. They hold the side pads and padding wrap onto the ribs then the top canvas lays over top of the padding when top is in the fully up position.


The washers are really thin and those screws are not very long; which is a clue that those screws are suppose to set in flush, just level with the top "wrapping" of the side padding.


Ask any convertible top shop in business for at least 60+ years and they will tell you. Years ago GM convertible top side padding was made from woven vinyl type cloth with compressed cotton and/or some fabric (very, very-thin) batting material tucked & folded long-ways inside of the wrap.

Fast-forward to today. I ordered a new top and clear plastic back window for my convertible about 10 years ago and all they supplied to me for the side pads were some flat sheets of grey foam.

[Terry M. Hunt]

Pete, photo from page 6-7 of that manual attached showing how these screws retain the top pad to the center bow as you describe. Thanks for pointing me to this manual. Most of the holes in my center bow are pretty hogged out so the screws don’t fit very tight. I will probably have to find some slightly bigger screws with a similar head, etc. when the time comes to attach the top pads. I realize that I will need something that fits as flush as possible so as to not wear into the material that lays over them.

[Peter Serio]

100%,.........That's the drawing I remember!


In the 1960s for GM convertible cars; some of the bows have a man-made compressed cardboard/fiber material pressed in as part of the topside of each "bow." Those accept staples or tiny tacks.


That one round bow on your car is hollow so it takes those small screws with the thin washers.

[Terry M. Hunt]

I’m thinking I might substitute wheel opening moulding screws that have a sheet metal thread for the original fine threaded ones that no longer fit very tight. They have a nice flat head that wouldn’t protrude up into the material above them.. Gonna test a couple of them today.
Also ordered tacking strip material from Topsdown.com to replace the crumbling compressed cardboard junk left on my frame. They offer different dimensions of material, none of which exactly match the old stuff. I will have to improvise; something I’ve come to expect in 48 years of restoring these cars

[Peter Serio]

The tacking strip inserts they sell today are not made the same way as in the 1960s. But I am sure that you can make those work.

The new ones that I have seen are more of a smooth molded black plastic/nylon rather than compressed cardboard/fiber material which I believe was originally made from paper-bark and/or tree pulp.

[Terry M. Hunt]

The old tacking strip stuff looks like recycled Wheaties boxes to me. How this stuff ever held a staple is beyond me.