1960 convertible snaps comming undone

[partsetal]

There is no shortage of tack strip material, only the channel in which to mount it.
Carl

[YellowRose]

1960 convertible snaps coming undone

I have been looking through the 2011 Larry's Tbird Catalog for Soft Tops and did not find those plastic tack strips. I might have overlooked them. Do you have a Part # for them from the catalog? I think the OEM Part # must be 40310 as seen on Page 88 of the 58/60 Rear Window view. Here is a listing of soft top parts available from Larry's. http://www.larrystbird.com/scan/co=y...=results2.html Maybe it is in this list?

Jim, you might also try and get in contact with John Draxler of Thunderbird Ranch for these tack strips. Here is his email address and phone number. jdrax@tds.net 715-884-6546. If it turns out that you need new channels, he might have them also. Good luck with this.

[tp tbird]

Rear tack strip

What i did was go to a sheet metal shop with the old channel and had a couple straight pieces made that were close to the old ,but the out side curves corners could not be made so I had to use those pieces from the old one.The straight pieces I cut into five sections 2 sides and 2 along the back and 1 in the dip in the middle back connected them together best I could screwed down with the rubber tack strip in it ,so for it has all held.

[lawyercalif]

Sorry I gave the wrong source for the tack strips. I got them a Mac's Antique Auto Parts.

[YellowRose]

1960 convertible snaps coming undone

Thanks, Daniel, for setting that straight. I see them in MAC's catalog. I see there are two different sizes listed for the 1955-1966 Tbirds. 1/2" wide x 3/8" thick Tackstrip at $1.25 a foot and 5/8" wide x 1/8" thick Tackstrip-F same price. If he decides to replace that snap strip with this, which one does he need? http://macsautoparts.com/tack-strip-...0R3CHL1135515/

http://macsautoparts.com/tack-strip-...0R3CHL1142853/

[YellowRose]

1960 convertible snaps coming undone

I just got this in email from pghpa412james.

"Jim Rozzo here. My T-Bird was hauled from MN to Pgh Pa. When it got here the top was damaged. I just signed the delivery paper----i guess meaning the car was delivered. I filed a damage report with alpine auto movers. the owner Cindy refused to cover the damage cause i did not write on the delivery paper any damage. I told her to ask her driver what the car looked like when he delivered it. Plus my wife was there and we both witnessed the damage when the car was still on the truck. ps--they are not snaps they are staples."

So there is something to remember here... IF you ship a car and it has damage to it that was not present when it was shipped, annotate the damage on the delivery paper so there will be proof that the damage was done in shipment. Apparently, during shipment the entire back side of the convertible top was torn away from the tack strips. That appears to be the only damage.

What looked like snaps on those tack strips seem to be brads and screws or bolts. Jim said the back of the convertible top was stapled to the tack strips and they pulled loose. From the looks of them, they are not the original ones, but replacements. I gather the channels are okay, or at least they look to be.

Jim wants to know this. "I will have to restaple the back bottom of the top myself. My question is what is the kind of staple gun used to staple a top? I have a power staple gun but i think the staples are to long. i am not sure what kind of gun to use or the correct length of staple to use.

Here are the pix of how the top tore away from the tack strips. I can't see where the top was stapled to the tack strips, but Jim said it was. In the first picture you can see what looks to be slotted screw or bolt heads and washers on the tack strips. On the second picture of the rear of the top, they look to be brads. In the third picture of the right side, they look to be slotted screw or bolt heads and washers. I would say someone has tried to fix this problem in the past and it did not work.

[jopizz]

I would try and use tacks and not staples. The tacks have to be long enough to hit the metal under the tack strip and bend the point back. That's what keeps them from backing out. I doubt that staples will hold.

John

[lawyercalif]

Thanks, Daniel, for setting that straight. I see them in MAC's catalog. I see there are two different sizes listed for the 1955-1966 Tbirds. 1/2" wide x 3/8" thick Tackstrip at $1.25 a foot and 5/8" wide x 1/8" thick Tackstrip-F same price. If he decides to replace that snap strip with this, which one does he need? http://macsautoparts.com/tack-strip-...0R3CHL1135515/

http://macsautoparts.com/tack-strip-...0R3CHL1142853/

He needs about 10' of both if I remember right.