Mechancial Convertible Top

[Guest Skyking]

Is anyone familiar with mid-sixties GM A body cars that have a mechanical top instead of power??  I put the top down on my '64 Chevelle for the first time last Tuesday and I had a lot of trouble getting it back up.  I had to literary stand on the back seat and grab the front bow to get it up.  I used to own another '64 Malibu with the mechanical top and it worked perfectly from standing by the car.  There are two springs,  one on each side of the rear side carpartments that aid in getting it up and down.  The question I have,  is there an adjustment to these springs?  Or do they just go bad?  The Shop Manual only explains how to remove these springs,  nothing on adjustment............TIA 

Edited August 3, 2016 by Skyking
spelling (see edit history)

[61polara]

I like to start with basics.  I agree this top should be easy to lift.  I'd first check to make sure the springs are there.  Second, check to make sure there are not power top cylinders attached to the top.  It's possible that the power top went out with the prior owner, so he call it a manual top.  The effort you went through to get the top up sounds like a non-working power top.

[Marty Roth]

Our 1965 Corvair Monza has a Manual (non-Power) operated top. It moves up and down effortlessly. This is my first Non-Power convertible top. All of our other cars have either hydraulic-, or vacuum- cylinders. When a power system is non-functional, then working against the pistons is very difficult, but if your springs are in place, check to see if they are properly attached, and lubricate each and every hinge point. 

 

Someone may have excessively tightened a swivel or hinge location. Check to see that they are not binding

[Guest Skyking]

Marty,  the springs are there and there's no sign of a hydraulic system ever being there.  Good point in checking to see if a PO over tightened the pivot points.  Thanks.

[Guest Skyking]

Dave and Marty, thanks for your replies.  There was a pivot point that hasn't seen lube in it's lifetime.  Everything is lubed and working fine.  Evidently there's a track that the springs are attached that slides inside one another.  Once I got it working up and down I noticed how the springs work loading in the up position and loading in the down position.  There's zero adjustment on the springs.

Edited August 3, 2016 by Skyking (see edit history)