Vinyl Top Replacement....let the games begin!

[694spdRT]

   Sorry to hear about this Chris. How some guys stay in business is amazing. Hope everythings works out for you.

It reminds me of when I had a glass shop come out to install my Charger's windshield. I didn't feel comfortable doing it so I wanted a "pro". Luckily I was there because he spent the first ten minutes trying to put the windshield in with the gasket backwards. 

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Update.....still no show....called off till "he promises" 8:30 tomorrow AM

Stay tuned

[Ghoste]

I suppose thats better than showing up and doing a crappy job because he's rushed to get to whoever else he "promised" to get to at that time?

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Well after waiting 2 days for the glass guys to come out I'm still not getting it done....yet.

Guy came & checked out the car (he was the one that took out the glass at the vinyl top shop) and after not getting into too much detail about how they F'd up my car's paint he said the garage was too tight for him to feel comfortable to work in.  I need to wait for a clear day to bring it out of the garage for them to work on it outside....stumped again!

Good news is that while it will be raining most of the week, tomorrow there will be a break in the rain & Im only working till noon tomorrow....they will pencil me in for noon tomorrow...we'll see.

Funny thing is that his boss called me back after he left saying that his guy told him I wanted to take him outside & rough him up for touching my car!  It was a joke of course....I did tell him how the other shop scratched up my paint and as I was telling him this he proceeded to run his adhesive stained paws over the same spot where the other shop did!  I told him "ya see....that's how the other shop screwed up my paint"  He then put his hands in his pocket
My wife tells me that I scare people away & thats why they are hesitant to work on my car.....I dont think Im THAT bad am I?

[Ghoste]

Ummmmm, NO!!!
There is no way you are in the wrong about it.  My buddy had an incident one night at our shop when his girlfriend traced out her name in the dew that had settled on the car.  She thought he was being stupid until he asked her if she had the money for a repaint.  People just don't get it and thats why the classic car specialty shops charge more for similar work, they hire people who understand and care about what they are doing (or at least they should)

[71ChallengeHer]

Wow, Chris . I can't believe the idiots that they have working on cars anymore. I'd be pissed too. I only have 2 guys anymore that I will let touch any of our cars. Good luck with it. I love your Charger. I hope everything turns out better. 

[Rolling_Thunder]

I dont think Im THAT bad am I?

nope - Chris you have a beautiful car and are upset it was treated so poorly...     you're not that bad - if it were me the shop owners hospital bills would already be more than the cost of your top.   

[Hemidog]

I dont think Im THAT bad am I?

You are handling this MUCH better that I ever would have! 

[RJS]

Man Chris this sounds like a page out of my life!!!  There's really no one on this Island that has a clue!!! Your car is too nice for the average man...

[FLG]

Chris if you need a good guy for the glass i might have someone. No they wont wreck your car.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Chris if you need a good guy for the glass i might have someone. No they wont wreck your car.

Damn where were you a few days ago?
Got both glasses installed by who I thought were "professionals"  After waiting 3 days for them to show up (while I waited I did call up 5 other glass places on the Island....3 wouldnt touch the car, 1 wouldnt come to the house & the other wanted to charge me $350!)
On the third day they finally showed up 5:30 pm....an installer & his older brother who he was training.   Both looked like deer in the headlights & had no clue....good thing I had my service manual....still took them 3 hours to install the front windshield.  New gasket (which I didnt need) was really tight & to me still doesnt look like it is sitting right on the drivers side lower corner.
Oh yeah I got a new "present" from the glass guys this time...a nice 6-8" scratch on my cowl that will require wet sanding to get out (Thanks Tito & Angel!)

My PPG glass is a bit thinner than the repro gaskets so I asked them to put a bead of urethane around the outer gasket surface before they locked it in to try and prevent the same leak I had on the old gasket/windshield combo.  It would leak around the glass into the car.
did a little water test the other day....guess what?  it still leaks!!! yay!! Although no major puddling like the old one but you can see fog/wetness building up inside the gasket.  I dont think the window cleaner they were using as lubricant fully dried before they shot in the urethane.....gonna unlock the gasket again, clean it out & try and add my own bead in there.....later.

Finally they came back the next day (4 days now) to put in the rear glass using urethane & the foam dam.  Primed the pinchweld & glass & put the foam dam on, put a bead of urethane & laid in the glass....with problems of course.

For what ever reason (maybe because the glass was a repro) it really didnt seem to fit right.  it seems that no matter how hard they tried it seemed to not lay flat on the foam all the way around.....either that or my pinchweld isnt square but whatever.
The glass is in, I have some urethane to clean off & hopefully the trim fits on (the top most side clips seemed to be level with the glass now where all the rest stick up past the glass a bit.  hopefully i'll be able to grab them all.

Moral of the story....it sucks to rely on others who you think "should" be able to do a better job than you since they are "pros"

Rant off....PS---I am NEVER taking this car apart again....I will sell it first.

Good night.

[Sublime/Sixpack]

Thats quite the ordeal you (and your car) went through.     I understand why you chose not to do the viny replacement yourself, but the outcome probably would have been better had you gave it a shot. 

I cringe at the thought of even taking my Charger in for the yearly required State Inspection, and Imission Testing even though the guys I go to are very careful with it.

Good luck from here on out.

[FLG]

Well i figured things would work out for ya, guess not 

If you want to ever get the front fixed just give me a hollar and ill make some calls.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Thanks...im gonna attempt a little fix myself first.

hey I know....just dont take it out in the rain or wash it!

[resq302]

Im in the same boat with you Chris.  My charger still has the same water leak that yours does so unless I get caught in a rainstorm, the charger for the most part doesn't get wet.  As for washing, my car is never ever that dirty so I don't have to worry about that unless somehow I manage to take it off roading, Dukes style.

Good luck with getting the scratch out.  I feel your pain brother!

[mikepmcs]

What I do because mine leaks as well, instead of washing it, I go and wreck mine and repaint it.  Seems to work for me thus far.

Sorry for your troubles Chris, yet again.  Keep smilin'

Mike

[resq302]

Mike,

Difference between your car and Chris' is that yours has an 01 on the side and is "born/used" to doing jumps.  Ok, so you did a mini-jump into a ditch.  Lets face it, that was probably as close to jumping your car as you will ever have.   

[mikepmcs]

 
I know, mine's a hunk a junk compared to most.  Just thought I'd try to bring a smile to a bad situation. 

[RECHRGD]

Geeeeze Chris, I just noticed this post!  It sure brings back memories of when I was putting my car together about 11 years ago.  All the drama with the top and leaking glass pretty much mirrors my experience.  When having the car painted, I decided to have the same shop do the top and install the glass.  When I went to pick up the car, the vinyl top folds were way too far apart and actually went down the sail panels.  There also was not enough material too even cover the sail panels all the way to the moulding.  I think the top was really for a chevelle.  I ended up redoing the top myself and it turned out better than most "professional" jobs I've seen done since.  Once the car was on the road and hit some rain, it was apparent that the windshield was not sealed properly.  After going though two different "experts", I finally sealed it up myself.  I really have gotten to the point where I don't believe a thing these "experts" tell me.  I want proof and references that let me know that they actually have worked on classic cars before.  I've spent untold sums of money on transmission repairs that never should have been needed, over and over.  My latest fiasco came from deciding to have a local shop install some different motor mounts on the car.  It was too much of a hassle for me to get the car back to my shop, so that I could do it myself.  A few hours after picking It up, I noticed that the hood was dented from the air cleaner wing nut.  Initially, I thought it was my problem because the new mounts made the engine sit slightly higher and I had doubled up on the carb to air cleaner gaskets.  After further scrutiny, it became obvious that the "tech" had not opened the hood when jacking up the engine.  Funny thing, when I called them on it, there was no surprise or argument.  They must have known they damaged the hood when I picked up the car and never said a word.  Now we'll see how well the repair of the hood goes.   I feel your pain.   Bob

[Rolling_Thunder]

Honestly - I do not trust ANYONE else to work on my Charger...      If that prick Julius called and wanted to work on my car for free I'd tell him to pound sand...     If Strope called...    sorry - no thanks...     NO ONE works on my Charger but me.  I am sick of watching other people get paid good money to F-up cars...      I am by no means an expert...    but I am better than 90% of the other people who do this for a living.