Conv top wooden header issues

[croute]

Hi I'm struggling with fitting my '71 wood header bow. It doesn't want to sit right. It's way off and feels like it's not even the correct profile.

Do I need to strategically sand and remove material? It is proud on the ends but tight in the middle, the exact opposite I think I need...my top plates are a bit rough, one is loose (the adjusting screw is just missing, I was going to weld it when it was done) and the other won't adjust and doesn't budge...they do align with the pin holes on the windshield frame though.

Thanks for any tips.
Chuck

[rcooled]

[croute]

Thank you Rcooled - that's what I thought - I measured it in several places and it is not symmetrical, one side is 1/4" wider...it feels like I need to do a lot of reshaping...
thanks again, Chuck

[22manybugs]

Yes, you have to sand/trim to get the bow shape correct. Yours doesn't look as bad as the one I bought about 18 years ago when I rebuilt the top, so you should be able to get it looking good and symmetrical. The one I got was terrible at the beginning.

The photo looks like the bow sits a bit higher from the windshield frame on the passenger side compared to the driver side. The bow should contact the window frame in the middle and sit off the frame and be symmetrical on both sides. If you got the standard printed instructions for rebuilding a top (it’s an old reprint of some VW instructions), those instructions will say the frame should contact the sides and have a gap in the middle. I believe those instructions are for the older tops with one clamp in the middle, not the later tops (like your ‘71) that have two clamps - one on each side. For later tops, you want it to contact the middle first, then when you pull down the sides with the clamps, the bow will make good contact across the entire windshield frame to keep out water.

When I was trimming my bow, I made a mark on the bow starting in the middle, then every 1 inch in each direction (or maybe every 2 inches, I don’t remember exactly), then measured and wrote down the gap between the bow and windshield frame at each mark. That helps see where and how much to trim to make everything symmetrical. It takes some iterations to get it looking right.

I also had the adjust overhang at the metal plates and over the side of the car. There was a lot of work to get everything to fit and look right. When I started, I didn’t think I would be able to get it to fit well, but it did. The old bow can be a good comparison guide even if it’s rotted or broken. Take it slow and methodical, and it should come out fine.
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Lon

1969 Karmann Ghia convertible
1971 Westfalia camper