How do you repair ripped seams on a convertable top?

Question

Seabring specifically. I want to do it myself. Do I need a carpet needle and some heavy duty thread? Or is there a different way?

Should I take off the top to iron on the patches? Or should I leave it there and get somebody to hold something on the back for me? Should the patch go on the inside or the outside?

Answer 1

You may wind up wasting your money trying to repair it yourself... it may be dry rotted since it has seam problems... and the rest of the seams will begin to follow suit coming apart... Your best bet probably would be to bite the bullet and get a new top from J.C. Whitney or some other discount auto parts place and do the replacement yourself... At least you know the entire top will be good and should last for a while... Otherwise go with a duct tape job for the time being... Good luck...

Answer 2

mufasa is right...best bet is to get a pro to look at it. For the temporary...you can get the curved needle and thread from your local fabric shop. If you can't find the suggested nylon thread you can use carpet/button thread in a matching color. When you are finished sewing you can use a little bit of clear rtv silicone sealant to keep the water out. Silicone sealant is flexible, but I'm not sure if it will stick the top as you put it up and down. Anyway it doesn't take much to do the job. Squeeze out roughly 1 teaspoon of RTV onto some newspaper. Use a toothpick to work it into the thread and seam area. After doing this you need to leave the top up for at least 24 hours so the rtv has time to cure properly. You might also want to leave the windows cracked to keep the interior ventilated.
Don't use the iron on patches, they don't have the right kind of adhesive for a convertable top. And don't use duct tape either, it will make the top ugly and the adhesives might destroy it.

Answer 3

I am asuming you are asking this because you want to do the best job possible.

If you go to a auto shop you will find a number of repair kits for upholstery. they are expected to go under the fabric and be heat activated. that would require you to get a wooden board, a stream iron and and extension cord to cook the patch in place. You may want to do like you thought and place a patch top and bottom, but that won't look that good. Bottom only will look better.

Of course if you want to go the extra distance pull out a denim needle and heavy duty thread and sew up the rip first using a hidden seem stitch, small on the top and long on the bottom cross stitching for maximum strength. Then, do the patch. This will cost you about 30 dollars and take about four hours before you can drive it in the rain. You should leave the top up during the procedure and for a couple of days.

If you really want to do a professional job unseem the material and take it off the metal supports. You can sew a new one using the old one as a template. You will need similar waterproof heavy material and more heavy tread and denim needles for your sewing machine but you can do it if you take your time. It should take about a day with a old sewing machine, less with a professional machine. You can buy a rivet gun at the fabric shop. The whole thing wil cost you about $120. If you do it yourself.

Duct Tape is a quick fix but it gives ou in the heat and comes off the more you put the top down.

It is all up to you.

A professional will charge you about $1000 to replace it or about $250 to repair it.

Answer 4

Convertible Top Repair Kit

Answer 5

More than likely the top is vinyl not cloth so sewing it will not work. If you want a temporary fix you can use an iron on patch but you have to be extremely careful not to melt or damage the top. There are also adhesive patches you can use on the inside and then use an upholstery repair filler. Most of which you can get at an upholstery shop. They will likely try and get you to come in to repair it professionally. Depending on the size of the rip you may have no choice but as "band aid" this should hold you over.
Just take your time follow the instructions on the patches and should be good for a while.
Good Luck!

Answer 6

Over 95% of the time you cannot "repair" a convertible top. If the seams are ripped you can stitch them together to close up the hole with a curved needle ( at least a 6") and nylon thread. That will not repair the top though. It will only hold it together a little better. Your only real solution is to have the top replaced. The seams on convertible tops are not just sewn, they are hermetically sealed and cannot be repaired. You need to take your car to a reputable local auto upholstery shop and have them look at it and tell you what your options are.

Answer 7

Ok, as an Upholsterer, Trimmer that mostly works on Cars I can tell you this. It took me almost 5 years to learn how to replace a standard convertible top. And I still learn every day. I shant bore you with all that I have helped on or taken apart or replaced. I can tell you this, at the shop we seem to do alot of Sebrings. Sexy car, mostly made in Mexico, but they are cute and look like they go fast.
To do the job, I would first set you an appointment, you would then bring the car in and it would take us about 1 full day to R&R the top. Actually might take 3 hours, might take 3 days, as I would have to inspect what if any other damage may need attention.
To buy the Fabric top, I am assuming it is Cloth and not Vynal,,,,,,,,errrr....../g ,,,,,,as the most that I have worked on are considered Cloth. moveing onward,,,,,To remove the Original Top requires that the car be inside, this is not a need, but is highly suggested.First I need to disconnect alota stuff, power supply, seat belts, rear seat lean back, exterior trim, interior trim, Visors, and stuff.
That prep work alone takes about 1 hour as it involves mutiple entries and exits from the vehicle.
Then I can start on the Frame. The top has to be carefully removed from the Frame so as not to cause damage to the Frame or any other surfaces of the vehicle. Another 15-30 mins there.
After the old top has been removed, we will take the new top and carefully attatch it to the Frame, this is where experience comes in because a Factory Made new top really does not want to fit on a 2 year old frame, but thats how things work. Once the New Top has been properly aligned to the Frame, the Secureing points are all checked and then the fasteners and screws and whatnot that came off is replaced, new parts are added in many cases where the old ones are either broken or just to worn.
That was R&R with a new Top, take all that data and now lets repair a rip..................
After we have removed the Top, we then take a yard of Factory Matching material and cut it as needed. Plave the old top on a 6'x4' sewing table , cut and detwig all of the seams that are being repaired..(tops and stuff are in Panels) to effect a repair the panels have to be cut apart at the seams, then new cloth sewn in, al of that sewn back to the Top and then the top can be placed back onto the frame. 2 hours there.
Then its lunch time or someone stops in with a 1958 Chevy and needs an estimate. Appointments are made, then back to work on current job.
After the top is back on the frame, then it has to be re-attatched to the Frame, all of the cables and actuators that had to be removed have to be re-connected, the Frame has to be set at 30d of open top placed on, move top, connect items,move top, connect items,,,,,,after 30mins or so the top is almost on.
When it has been tested, then all the items that had to be removed to remove the top have to be replaced.
My advice, if you have a Heavy Duty sewing machie, and a large worktable, and some help, sure, it can be done, it will look like ,,,ermmm,,something went really wrong, but you will have the self satisfaction of a job almost done.
Seriously, ask the dealer who they will send the car to for a repair, then go to that shop and ask them, while you are there, have a look at all the tools and tables that make up an Upholstery Shop are. See the Dealers, most of them, do not do Upholstery Work themselves, that is subbed out. But you will never know that unless you ask.
The way that I suggest you do it is have an Upholstery Shop do it correctly and be happy. Cost varies by local, but I rekon its between XXX and XXXX for a new top installed. The price cannot be stated as an estimate is called for, look at it this way, New Top Dealer cost is about XXX-XXX. Labour Dealer XX per hour or more.

Long and short of it, if you want to keep a convertible , be ready to replace the top every 3-5 years.

Answer 8

My boyfriend has a Miata convertible. What he did with the rip was seal it with some black putty stuff to prevent leakages during the rain. But he did eventually replace the whole top because it just looks nicer that way. I don't think sewing will work for very long cuz it will eventually rip. Patching would probably work but it'll look funny. You can always buy a new top (just the vinyl) online.. and have a little DIY project at home. My bf replace the top at home.. it took a while, but it saved a lot of $! Good luck!

Answer 9

Soft Top Repair Kit

Answer 10

It depends on the size of the tears and where they are located.. I have a 94 Le Baron convertable, When the material overlapped the rear window and was unraveling on the seams, I got a canvas needle and sewed the seam. Now on the top where it needed to water prove I used a apoxy for vynal and canvas. You can get a hardware or more likely at a auto store. Now this were small tears on top of about 3 to 4 inches.