F355 Spider Top Replacement With Pictures

Thanks for the quick response, Brian, but I'm trying to understand how you can glue hot, wet fabric.

The area I first looked at is in the front corners.

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Does the fabric remain stretched after it dries (after the stretching force has been removed)?

Also, water and metal is not a good combination. The paint has flaked off in some areas. I may need to touch up the paint before attempting this.

The fabric seems so thick and inflexible. I just hope the fabric is the same as yours.

 

Sorry for the late reply. Thanks! I attempted to stretch the fabric over the front section of the roof (off the car) just using a hair dryer... something I haven't used for many decades ... and was truly amazed at how much the fabric stretched. I thought a hair dryer would be slightly less damaging than a proper "heat gun". It's now almost a perfect fit! The heat was transferred into the metal front section, so the stretching was nice and even. No water at all was required.

I've been trying to find a quality snap fastener (female) which goes just below the centre of the rear window. I damaged the old fastener and tore the fabric of my old roof trying to remove the fastener. I found a stainless steel one which matched the size perfectly (not in black, but I can paint it), but stainless doesn't deform too well when you try to use cheap, inferior punches. I'm wondering whether to invest in some better tools or just take the roof and fastener to a professional.

https://www.sailrite.com/Pres-N-Snap-Fastener-Tool

Much cheaper, but requires some practice to master

https://www.sailrite.com/snap-fastener-deluxe-installation-tool

The fabric the snap attaches to, is not exactly thick, so I may have to grind down the centre section of the snap to keep the snap secure.

A helpful video on snap fastener installation (Unfortunately, this handy tool with a hold down slider is not compatible with stainless steel snaps... The tool material is too soft)



They say it's important to use a mallet rather than a steel hammer to prevent rebound. Also, the snap holder must be placed on a very hard surface e.g. stone. Wood is not recommended.

 

I noticed on my buttress triangular metal pieces that there was a fair amount of corrrosion (perhaps due to disimililar metals in contact with each other). I cleaned up the pieces and used a rust removing gel to remove the rust and then repainted them. I'm wondering if a lot of spiders are like this.

I was thinking about not regluing these corner pieces as the fabric would stretch quite tightly over them, but I suppose the glue would help distribute the strain more evenly instead of relying on the screw on the tenax fastener and the sewn seams to hold the fabric.

Still a long way from completion, but at least I'm making progress.

I just noticed a Ferrari logo and some cleaning instructions printed on my old rear window. Kinda disappointed the new one doesn't have this.

 

Murphy's Law...

Well, I made some good progress on my roof. I managed to stretch the fabric over the frame, front to back. I used hot water and towels, although I'm not convinced the water made any difference as the fabric is hydrophobic. Perhaps the wet towels simply help distribute the heat uniformly over a large area?

The seams in the fabric at the top of the window and the buttresses match perfectly with the roof frame.

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The seam at the windshield frame matches almost perfectly.

Unfortunately, the bindings for the ribs on the interior are way off. Close to 1.5 inches in places.

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I may be able to get an extra 1/4" of forward movement if I persist with heating the roof, but short of bending the ribs back, I can't see how to fix this. If I glue the fabric over the ribs now, it will look really bad.

The bottom of the window is also a problem (even though the screws are tight). The canvas goes really close to the corners of the engine lid (see first photo).

It's been so long since I pulled the roof off, I'm starting to forget where all the fittings and straps went.

GermanTops of N. Hollywood didn't reply to the email I sent earlier. I certainly won't be recommending them with the roof fitting so poorly. The rib positions on these cars should be indentical.

If you see the webbing not aligning with the fabric tab which goes over the end of the first rib, that's a good reason to reject the roof when you first open the box.

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Gents. Is it possible to lower the roof mechanism at the rear a few millimeters. I thought I might win back some canvas length if I did this.

I'm well past the "tight as a freaking drum" stage. I'm going to tear the fabric if I'm not careful.

 

Seems I was taking the wrong approach. I was trying to bolt the retracting scissor mechanism to the front rail with the roof closed. I bolted the scissor mechanism to the front rail with the roof slightly ajar and with a lot of groaning (from the canvas, not me), I was able to close the roof. I'm surprised the buttress plates at the rear didn't shear.

Unfortunately, I can't remember if the small rectangular spacer plate goes under the allen bolts and washers or behind the roof attachment.

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I also heard something drop during removal. Are there supposed to be additional spacers/washers? Couldn't find anything on the carpet.

Also, I'm trying to figure out where the small rubber flap goes...

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Any hints?

Thanks.

 

You mentioned painting a stainless steel fastener black. No need. There are black plastic caps that snap on over the top of fasteners. Get them at canvas shops that make boat covers. If you can't find them let me know. I'll pick some up for you.

 

Excellent suggestion, Watkins.... but you've given me an idea. I do have some black fasteners, but they are slightly undersized and too loose to hold the cover down. However, they should be ok as a cosmetic cover

Anyway, thanks for the offer!

Cheers

 

This video might help some folks...