Cabrio Top, Repair or Replace

[scottinAZ]

just throwing this out there for R3v to chime in on...

I have some issues with the top on my cabrio.

1) fabric stays on the listings are deteriorated and falling apart
2) rear window nearly opaque
3) brushes on lower edge are shot to shit

this causes the top to be a bit loose and floppy, I cant see shit out the rear window, and the wind noise is driving me batshit.

All this aside, the rest of the top is in great condition, with no rips or tears, and no appreciable wear on the rest of the top. It does appear to be the original top for the car, but I have no way to confirm this.

Question is, would it be worth it to get the top repaired, or more cost effective to just replace the damn thing with a new one?

If the car were yours what would you do with your soft top, and no, parting it out, or a hard top are not options

[JTapper]

Mine is garage kept and only driven when dry, so I just leave the shitty top folded up. The only purpose it serves in the winter is keeping the dust out of the interior.

[stamar]

well mine might be similar to yours at least the opaque part.

my rear defroster doesnt work either. Its basically dangerous.

Im not going to replace it til its leaking though. When its on its way out, Im going to literally cut the window out. leave it an open space. maybe buy a new window for 90$ if its easy to sew in. Sewing is not my thing though I have about 40 sewing projects on the back burner.

[cabriotec]

E30 Cabrio Glass rear screen

Hallo scottinAZ and stamar

I'd just like to show you this video and ask you what you think (bearing in mind that is a first prototype to see if the idea works)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnemNtuzR0I

Yours

Chris Clark

[Todd Black 88]

I like the idea of a thin glass or Lexan rear window that you unzip and remove before,or during the top folding procedure. Late model cabs had zip in rear windows so that design should work as long as he window is not too heavy.

[MoreMayhem]

This is interesting. I would consider something like this.
My top and window are still in good condition, but for when they do wear out I was wondering if a late style roof with a zipper window would make sense.

[scottinAZ]

Hallo scottinAZ and stamar

I'd just like to show you this video and ask you what you think (bearing in mind that is a first prototype to see if the idea works)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnemNtuzR0I

Yours

Chris Clark

looks like an interesting idea. What other modifications are required to the top to make it work, other than the obvious removal of the old window? I have already replaced my top due to the other issues noted in my original post, but when it comes time to replace the window again, this could be a viable alternative to the scratch prone plastic window.

next question, where do you store your glass window when the top is folded? I would assume that it does not fit into the compartment with the rest of the top?

[cabriotec]

E30 Glass rear window

Hallo scottinAZ, MoreMayhem & Todd Black 88
Thank you very much for your positive replies. In 2010 I had the (great) idea of releasing the area under the window from the frame to make it possible for the top to fold away for the Audi 80.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxsJkfGtoTE

The top is held onto the frame at the back by a sheet metal clip which is glued (embedded) into to this part of the hood. When the hood is closed the tension holds the clip in place. As soon as you open the hood you can just take the clip off the edge of the frame. The hood box of the Audi 80 is big enough (43cm long) to take a decent sized screen. During the development of this Audi window I was often taking the window out completely by unhooking the three straps that tension the window towards the front of the car. I then had the idea to use this with the e30. The moment you get away from the idea that the glass screen has to go into the hood box then it is possible to make something for the e30! The straps can be made to attach to the window faster than shown in the video, this is just a prototype to check out the plausibility of this idea. Where do you put the window when the hood is open? I would suggest either on the rear seat or in the trunk. As with the Audi window the e30 window can be fitted to any existing top without much modification and any capable mechanic/trimmer should be able to do this in a couple of hours.
Other aspects to this idea are that you can have a plastic window in this removable hood section or you glue and screw the bottom of this hood section to the frame (like this original) with a plastic screen(which would make it a bit cheaper since there is no metal clip to be made). I hope I've given you guys something to think about over the weekend!


Many regards

Chris Clark