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I did not write this, nor did I provide the photographs. Use this information at your own risk!
Maybe you bought a hardtop for y our bird, only to find that you had trouble getting it to sit correctly on the mounting points; had to try and try again just to get the front bolts to engage. Or maybe you've helped in a hardtop relay, but found that it wasn't so easy to get the top mounted securely on your bird for transport. Rather than force it, and risk stripping the threads on the mounting bolts or locking tabs, there's a simple adjustment that lets the top go on smoothly and easily, as if it was factory fitted to your TBird (in fact, some say that this is the method that was used at the factory to fit your original hardtop to your bird).
1) Make sure the top's rear locking levers are pushed all the way to the rear.
(2) Lower the top's rear pins into their receivers. Then lower the front of the top onto the front mounting points. Pull the rear locking levers halfway toward the front; the pins will drop further into the receiving holes. The locking tabs on the front corners of the hardtop should line up with the mounting casings on the top corners of the windshield. At each corner, use the top tool to push the locking bolt up through the casing and into the receiver hole in the locking tab. i the bolt doesn't slide easily into the hole, you'll need a custom fit. It it does slide in, give it a few turns to engage the threads. if the bolt doesn't engage easily, with minimal pressure, then you'll need a custom fit.
If everything fits, then good to go...proceed as usual. But, it things don't line up well, then continue to Step 3 for a custom fit.
Custom Fit
(3) There's a plastic panel at the front of the headliner; it's held on by several metal (sic) across the inside of the panel (Fig.1)
fig 1hardtop.jpg
Maybe you bought a hardtop for y our bird, only to find that you had trouble getting it to sit correctly on the mounting points; had to try and try again just to get the front bolts to engage. Or maybe you've helped in a hardtop relay, but found that it wasn't so easy to get the top mounted securely on your bird for transport. Rather than force it, and risk stripping the threads on the mounting bolts or locking tabs, there's a simple adjustment that lets the top go on smoothly and easily, as if it was factory fitted to your TBird (in fact, some say that this is the method that was used at the factory to fit your original hardtop to your bird).
1) Make sure the top's rear locking levers are pushed all the way to the rear.
(2) Lower the top's rear pins into their receivers. Then lower the front of the top onto the front mounting points. Pull the rear locking levers halfway toward the front; the pins will drop further into the receiving holes. The locking tabs on the front corners of the hardtop should line up with the mounting casings on the top corners of the windshield. At each corner, use the top tool to push the locking bolt up through the casing and into the receiver hole in the locking tab. i the bolt doesn't slide easily into the hole, you'll need a custom fit. It it does slide in, give it a few turns to engage the threads. if the bolt doesn't engage easily, with minimal pressure, then you'll need a custom fit.
If everything fits, then good to go...proceed as usual. But, it things don't line up well, then continue to Step 3 for a custom fit.
Custom Fit
(3) There's a plastic panel at the front of the headliner; it's held on by several metal (sic) across the inside of the panel (Fig.1)
fig 1hardtop.jpg
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