[patrickt]

My bows are screwed all the way down, and stay there, always. Maybe that's why ERA went to shorter bows.... Anyway, Dan -- here are the steps from the original 427 manual, paraphrased by me, with my annotations and insights. On a hot summer day, I do not have to use my "bows go in last" method. On a cold day, I do. Regardless, for me, putting the bows in last is now my preferred installation method. Everything comes out smoother, more even, and looking more fitted.


1) Carefully push the sun visors down using your fingers on the metal hinges only. If you just pull on the plastic visor itself it’s likely to break. Join together the two aluminum bar braces and insert them in to the sockets on each side of the cockpit. Unscrew them down so they are as low as possible. The folding piece goes towards the rear of the car, but leave it straight up and down for now.

2) Lay the top across the aluminum bar braces, hold the soft top front metal frames near the center and then insert the center holding pins, that are on the metal frames, in to the slot that is in the middle of the top of the windshield. Do one side at a time and pull the frames towards the sides of the car to engage the holding pins in to the channel that runs along the top of the windshield. Make sure the frames are positioned down along the top of the windshield so that they are completely fitted over the windshield’s frame. Make especially sure they are fitted over the screws that attach the sun visor mounts to the windshield frame. Pay attention to the middle space between the two bows. Make sure the top fabric is folded under this spot and that it looks neat. Engage the outside windshield clamps, but don’t cinch them down yet.

3) Push down the two lift-a-dots at the rear of the top (note that there are four lift-a-dot spikes on the back of the car between my two roll bars, but the soft top only fastens to the inside two, the outer two are not used). Alternate from one side of the car to the other as you fasten down the lift-a-dots; move the felt lined flap on the bottom interior of the top upwards from the inside of the car so it does not interfere with the lift-a-dots. Leave the last two lift-a-dots on each side (towards each door) unfastened for now. Cinch down the outside windshield clamps – the clamps should cinch down easily, if it requires a monumental effort then the top frames are not positioned correctly on the windshield.

4) Inside the car, push the folding hoop backward to tighten up the top, then button the tabs that go around that brace. Push down the remaining four lift-a-dots that are on each side of the top and carefully raise the sun visors by touching the metal hinges only. Note that the knurled knobs on the ends of the aluminum bar braces will now raise everything for a tighter fit, if needed.

My newer method is exactly the same as above, except you do not put the bows in until the very last step, and you do cinch down the clamps, and leave them that way, as you fasten down the lift-a-dots. You then put the bows in, one at a time, and kind of "wiggle" the second bow in as you do it.