this may be a dumb question, but here it goes......does it harm the top to stay down for extended periods of time? will the top itself retain memory of being in the down position? ie creases and wrinkles etc. thnaks for any input

Yes, it's bad to leave the top down for long periods of time. In the up position it is stretched (so to speak) and down it's loosly folded and shrinks up. Orig type top material can get crows feet that won't ever come out and eventually they split open...

Now after all that is said there is still going to be guys posting how they leave their tops down for months with no ill results. It all boils down to YMMV...

i can say that i leave my top down for long periods of time. Im talking about from about april to about april. im just too lazy to put top back up and down every time i park it for the night.

Having said that, what dennis said about having crows feet, i did get them in my top and it seems that they are permanantly there. the top has been up since i parked it last season and when i drove it today, the wrinkles were still there.

x3. If you leave the top down for long periods, it will take putting it up and leaving it in the sun for most of the wrinkles to work out, and even then you can still have some that just won't go away. On the 68 I had, the PO left the top down 100% of the time he had it after the power top system stopped working, and when I bought it and got the power part up and running, what had been a brand new white top was in pretty rough shape, shrunken and when I started putting it up every time, it started splitting at the seams, particularly the seams near the back of the quarter windows. The top was not a bad quality top, it was just that the dude didn't bother to care for it properly. Kinda like the whole car...

It does depend on the style and quality of the top. Leaving it folded is also hard on the plastic rear window, if so equipped.

Left my top down for one entire summer. Had a heck of a time stretching it enough to close. Never stays down more than a couple days at a time now. And still has a few wrinkles left....

I leave mine down all summer, up for the other 10 1/2 months here in the PNW. And yes - there are small wrinkles that won't come out. The car cover hides them nicely. I can't even remember the last time I drove it with the top up. It sounds like a war zone. Rude and crude they were!

I try to cycle it a couple times during the season. to clean it well and get any grit out of the window. Just like a car rusts faster if it is not driven, a top need excercise too! During those spring and fall days where it cools down fast after the sun goes down, the top goes up for the ride home. Getting old means you feel the cold more (at least for me :))

What? You can put the top up?

Dave, yet another thing ya gotta watch for is some part of the frame rubbing the roof material. Down most of the time doesn't allow to keep tabs on the top. Upon close inspection, you'd be surprise how many tops do have a wear factor going on.

Then too, you got the added factor of more dust and dirt hitting the interior of the car.

Keep it up, as others have suggested, for extended periods.

capt

thanks for all the input, it won't be alot of trouble to put the top up, i just didn't want to have to put boot on and off, but that's an easy fix too...just won't install it every time the top is down......thanks again for the recommendations

Also there is a correct and an incorrect way to put the top down. Not sure on a power top, but on a manual, you put it down about 2/3 of the way, then pull the folds outward, then lower it the rest of the way. Somewhere on here there was a procedure posted from the Fisher body manual. It does help minimize the wrinkles, but in my experience it does not totally eliminate them.

Al, it is the same for power tops. you have to get out and put the qtr windows down and fold the top properly :D

once again guys..... thanks for the tips, i just got the car in nov. but my dad has had it for 30 years, took him that long to decide to pass it on, he wasn't driving it at all for the last several years.

Dave, just noticed your location, I used to live in New Kent Co a long time ago when I was working in Richmond on broad street. Drove I-64 a lot :)

Al, it is the same for power tops. you have to get out and put the qtr windows down and fold the top properly :D
After talking to some gents, years ago...they suggested that I put a clean soft terry towel on the plastic window, just as I am putting the top down (this often requires a second person to keep it in place as it folds down). I think this has resulted in less scratches in the long run...I could be wrong? Plus, I clean the back window each and every time before I lower it. Having a drop top has its downsides with more mantainence...but with the wind in your hair when it is down, is worth it!:)

capt

Dave, just noticed your location, I used to live in New Kent Co a long time ago when I was working in Richmond on broad street. Drove I-64 a lot :)


Kevin,I like it here been in the county for 25 years, 2 miles off I-64 but just like anywhere it is growing.

I was there living with a girlfriend's parents back in 79. I cannot even remember the road it was on! Just remember it was very rural. Later moved to Highland Springs before moving back to NJ. Still have a warm heart for VA.

After talking to some gents, years ago...they suggested that I put a clean soft terry towel on the plastic window, just as I am putting the top down (this often requires a second person to keep it in place as it folds down). I think this has resulted in less scratches in the long run...I could be wrong? Plus, I clean the back window each and every time before I lower it. Having a drop top has its downsides with more mantainence...but with the wind in your hair when it is down, is worth it!:)

captI agree with using the terry cloth towel between the fold of the rear plastic window. I have always done this with a large beach towel as the window is folding. It keeps the window from rubbing against itself causing scratches and doubles the life of the window. It is especially important if the window is dirty.