Page 1 of 6 Back to Tech Tips Click on the animation for order info. Tech Tip for February 2000 Installing a 124 Spider Convertible Top Updated from Ciao!News volume 3 number 1, Summer 1996 Like our other long Tech Tips, we recommend that you print this out. One of the most frequently asked questions after we advertize special prices on Convertible Tops is, "Does it come with instructions?" The answer is no, so we decided to provide them for you here. Before you jump right in, it's important to know that Fiat "Flat Rate" time (i.e. standard time charged for the job by an authorized Fiat repair shop when the car was new) for top installation is five hours! That means that even an experienced Fiat tech takes quite a while, and that also assumes there are no complications. You might want to call up your favorite tech and make an appointment instead of attempting it yourself. If you do go for it, keep in mind these four important points during installation: (a) how good the top looks will depend on how well you fit it on; (b) keeping it clean is very important (nothing worse than a greasy finger or foot print!); (c) leaving your car doors open for extended periods of time will cause them to sag. Keep your doors open for only as long as you need to; and (d) If you find a problem with the top frame, fix it before attempting to go any further with the top installation. Also, read through these instructions several times before you start, and be ready to take responsibility for the outcome. Things You'll Need: 1. A new top that is made to fit your car. Two different frames were used on 124 Spiders: CS1 and CS2. If your frame has been swapped, it may not match your car type (and in late 1978 and 1979 Pininfarina swapped them at the factory). The difference is in the front bow. Check this drawing to see which one you have. 2. Two side wires to keep the top from flapping above the door glass. 3. Upholstery glue. We recommend 3M super Weatherstrip Adhesive. 4. An electric or air drill. 5. 3/16 inch drill bit. 6. Two 3/16 inch diameter by 1/8 inch long and two 3/16 inch diameter by 3/8 inch long pop rivets.
Page 2 of 6 7. Two 3/16 inch washers that fit onto the pop rivets. 8. Pop rivet gun. 9. Philips screwdriver 10. Long-nose plyers 11. Tape measure 12. Light-duty masking tape (like for paint masking) 13. Pen or pencil 14. Small flat-blade screwdriver 15. Wide but thin-bladed screwdriver 16. 10mm combination wrench 17. Light penetrating oil like WD40 or Polylube 2000 18. Clean blanket 19. An assistant with clean hands and upper body strength 20. Small container or two to put your screws and hardware into 21. Vacuum cleaner 22. Clean rags 23. Compressed air 24. Electricity 25. Small, sharp punch Follow the Photos for Steps 10 30 Take the Old Top Off Step One:Check the fit of the frame. Put the top up and roll up the door glass. The door should open and close easily without the top rear edge of the door glass rubbing on the vertical chrome B pillars, and the gap should be consistent top to bottom. Step Two: Get inside and remove the top forward plastic covers and the two plastic covers at the top of the B-pillar. If your B-pillar gap is not correct, loosen the two 10mm bolts under the front covers and adjust the frame so that the gap is consistent, and the door opens without rubbing the door glass. Step Three: Remove the rear cover above the top of the seat with six screws. Step Four: Loosen only the five screws on the sheet-metal bracket that retain the rear edge of the top to the body above the seat. Cleaning off the old bows. Regluing interior upholstery onto front bow.
Page 3 of 6 Step Five: Loosen the top screw and remove the bottom screw of the retainer on the end of the side wire, on both sides. Step Six:Drill out the pop rivets at the top of the B-pillar and the front edge of the door opening, just behind the point of the wing vent frame. Step Seven: Remove the six screws that retain the top bow seal on the leading edge of the front bow. Step Eight: If your car is a 2 liter, remove the three plastic covers on the center bows. Put them aside because you'll need to put them back on when you're done. Step Nine: Pull the top up and off of the front bow far enough on the edges to remove the side wires from around the small posts, and then pull up and remove the top from the frame and the car. Step Ten: Clean all the bows, reglue the inner cover of the front bow if needed, and vacuum up all the little bits that have fallen down. Step Eleven: Make sure all the hardware of the top frame is tight and moves like it's supposed to. Blow clean all the moveable joints with compressed air, lightly lubricate and lightly blow the lubricant into the joints. Then clean the frame of all the grease you don't want this on your new top! Put Your New Top On Pulling the side wire through the top. Fitting the top onto the frame of the 124. Locating the screw holes with a pocket knife. Marking the center on the car's sheetmetal. Step Twelve: Lay your blanket out on the hood, and lay out your new top, unfolding just as much as needed to install the wires one side at a time. Find the string that is sewn into the
Page 4 of 6 sides. Bend a small hook into the end of the side wire, tie the string onto it, and pull it through front to back. Repeat for the other side. Remove the strings. Step Thirteen: Push the rear bow fully forward, move the front bow back so it stands straight up. Carefully put the front of the top on the front bow. Try not to let the window touch anything no point in scratching it! Step Fourteen: Install the side wires on the pins on the outside edge of the front bow, then pull the wires tight while you align the top onto the frame. Step Fifteen: Pulling the seam to the edge of the front bow, locate the screw holes with your punch. Set it up so the seam is on the down side of the frame; that way the top material goes down when the top is closed, instead of standing up like my hair when it's short! Step Sixteen: Install the front seal and retaining plastic through the top material to the front bow. Do it all loosely, then tighten it down once it's on. Many people like to glue the front seal to the top, and the top to the front bow, but I don't think it's necessary. You can also trim the top material if you don't like it showing from under the plastic front seal retainer. Step Seventeen: Locate the center of the car between the two top boot retaining hooks. I use masking tape lightly attached to mark the center point. Feed the side wires through the hole in the small tab behind the back edge of the quarter glass, and fit the back of the top onto the rear retainer. Center the top across the back Centering the new top on the rear retainer. Locating the pop rivet hole above the B pillar. Popping the rivet in place, other side. This door gap is a bit wider at the bottom than at the top of the B pillar, but it's acceptable. The finished project. Step Twenty four: On the B pillar post, pull the top down firmly, locate
Page 5 of 6 the top center is the center of the slots the plastic is pushed into. Finally, make sure the top is fit fully onto the retainer. Remove the tape. Step Eighteen: Get inside the car. Have your assistant push down on the top as far and as hard as possible while you tighten it down, one screw at a time. Step Nineteen: Now comes the first closure, and it can be difficult as everything is very tight. Make sure all the bows are centered in their material, and down it goes! Step Twenty: Take a break now and clean up all those things that you'll no longer need.this gives the top a little time to stretch. Step Twenty one: On the rear bow are two pieces of outside material that hang down. Loosen, but do not remove, both top catches. Glue and wrap these pieces of material around the rear bow. Then, reclose the catches. Step Twenty two: On the top of the quarter windows are material that also needs to be glued down, along with the material that wraps around the three bows. Do it now. Try to do this with the door windows down, and quickly. If you take a long time, you'll get a headache from the fumes of the glue. Step Twenty three: Make sure the top is properly seated around the door openings. Adjust as needed. Pull the top's flap fully forward, locate the rivet spot on the top from the inside, test fit the rivet into the top until it fits, and then install it through the frame and seal, and into the inner pocket of the flap. With you fingertips, push the washer your hole, fit the rivet from the outside and pop it into place. Fit the vertical rubber seal so it covers the exterior head of the rivet. Step Twenty five: Take the sidewire that is through the hole of the tab, push it between the body and the rear retainer bracket, through the wire retainer and install the lower screws into the retainer. With long nosed plyers, grab the end of the wire. Shove the point of the plyers into the convenient hole in the body, and roll them over to tighten the side wire. Then tighten down both screws. Step Twenty six: Test your fit: If you roll up the door glass and it touches the top as you open and close the door, either the top isn't centered, you've installed a poor quality top, your top frame is bent, or the door glass stop inside the door is improperly adjusted. Step Twenty seven: Install the plastic covers over the frame adjusting bolts, and tops of the B pillar posts. Step Twenty eight: Install the rear cover above the rear seat. It's often difficult to locate the holes for the screws, especially with the smell of the glue. Step Twenty nine: Flip the velcro flaps down on the lower rear edges of the quarter windows and go clean up.you're done! Step Thirty: Stand back and admire your handiwork. Is that really your same old Spider sitting there in your driveway? Need a little more clarification? Read this recent letter for some hints.
Page 6 of 6 into the pocket over the rivet post, and then "pop" it down. If our front bow seal is long enough to reach to the front attachment point, be sure the pop rivet goes through all thicknesses. If your seal is too short to reach, don't worry about it. Chris will install your new convertible top by appointment only. Email Chris for questions about having this important installation. Check out our Location then make your plans. See the Tech Tips and more! Order Your Subscription to Ciao!NEWS C. Obert & Co. 2131 D Delaware Avenue, Santa Cruz, California 95060, USA 831 423 0218 FAX: 831 458 8128 Back to the Top of this page. C. Obert & Co. is dedicated to providing top quality parts and service to Fiat, Abarth, Lancia, and Yugo owners. Disclaimer: while we make every effort to ensure the correctness of all technical articles, C. Obert & Co. assumes no liability for the accuracy, safety, or legality of the contents of technical articles or of Ciao!NEWS or C. Obert & Co. Online. 1996 2003, no reproduction without prior authorization. Back to Tech Tips C. OBERT & CO. formerly FIAT PLUS Home Page Email Chris with your technical questions. C. Obert & Co., serving the world from our headquarters at 2131 D Delaware Avenue, Santa Cruz, California 95060, USA