how to stretch 46 cad convertable top

[Dave T]

Does anyone know of an easy method to stretch a convertable top on my 1946 cad.The top is only 3 years old and is always down except for storage in the winter it seems like it has shrunk about an 1/2 inch, very hard to pull down front header and latch also cant fasten snaps on flaps. I thought there might be a way to wet top and pull some way. Has anyone done this before?Any information would be very appreciated   
  thanks Dave T CL22554     

[harvey b]

hello dave,i am having the same problem with my 37 caddy,it seems like the top has shrunk and is hard to latch,i asked my upholstery guy about this and he said there is little we can do except to keep the top up as much as possible,i dont know where you live but here in Prince Edward Island we have to store our "good" cars for the winter months,from october to mid may,we get a lot of snow here.my car `is in storage now and i put the top up for the winter and am hoping it may stretch back i dont think there is a magic solution we can spray on it and hope it works,if you used water it might make it shrink worse?.not much help but worth a try. thanks Harvey Bowness

[Jeff Kay CLC#7630]

I dont' know if this helps, but here goes.  My father professionally restored antique cars for over 35 years.  My father always told me that to get the way to get wrinkles out of a convertible top was to let it sit for a couple of hours in the sun on a warm day.  The heat relaxes the fabric and allows it to stretch and the wrinkles come out.  My guess would be to bring the car into the sun and manually raise the top as far as it could go without really putting too much tension on it (obviously to keep it from tearing).  Let it sit for a couple of hours, then try to see if you could move the top a inch or so towards the closed position.  If it works, slowly keep moving the top every few hours and hopefully by the end of the day, the top will have stretched enough to close.

You've got nothing to lose and it doesn't cost anything.

I can also remember my father's upholsterer him telling me that when he put a new top on a car, he actually had it made a little oversize to allow for it to shrink.  He told me that if you did not do that, the top would never close correctly.  He also said that the sides would shrink up to the point where you could see the top skeleton and weatherstripping when looking at the car from the outside.

Hope this helps.  Let me know if it does.

Jeff

[Allan Paton]

Dave,
Here is what I have found works for a cloth material, (not vinyl, I would say its canvas) boat top. Wet it down thoroughly while open, then while wet put the top in the  up - open (stretched as much as possible ) position. Try to fully stretch your top to the latched open position. IF it still seems too "shrunk" to open fully, then wet it thoroughly again and try to stretch into the latched open position.
As a precaution, never fold up your convert. top while wet - dry it out in the fully latched open position. Generally, due to possible dampness from condensation, keep the top fully latched open while being stored. Basically, only fold your top away when driving around on sunny days. Hope this helps. Al

[Dave T]

Thanks Allan for answering my post about stretching my convertible top I need to stretch the side flaps down so they will fit into the side tucks properly,If I am understanding you correctly I should wet down the inside and outside canvas fabric and pull top over the side tucks. I need to stretch top about 1/2 inch for it to lay out correctly, do you think it would be advisable if I could take some clamps  and fasten them to the bottom  edge of the flaps and gradually stretch them down?     Thanks for your interest Dave TA CL22554

[Allan Paton]

Dave, Al again, on your supplemental Q. - I see nothing wrong w/ using clamps on those areas where the normal top-up position does not put enough tension on the areas needing stretching. Be careful to spread the tension using long clamps and as many clamps as possible. Once wetted down, (Inside and out) let it sit for a while (For eg. I often throw my boat top into the lake when I'm not using it - it sits there for a day) Once you start stretching using clamps you sh'd at least be able to show some gain from the former dry position. Dry the top in the stretched position. Rather than over-stretch, better to be modest and go through the wetting process again then stretching again. Al