Top pins

46-03 Top pins

These are the pins that hold the top to the stanchions of the windshield posts.  They hold the top in the up position.

If a replacement can't be found, you can tap the holes and put in thumb screws as an alternative. Has anyone found these?

Aug, 2008 Michael responded:

I found replacement pins at West Marine (Lincoln Park if you near Chicago). I imagine other boating supply stores would also carry them and would be a good place to search.

Securing the top to the windshield

In Feb. 2009, John, car 1254 wrote:
Anyway the reason I am witting you is that the last time we met you  mentioned that you never trusted the top and were always afraid it might blow off at high speed.  Well you scared me and I went to work.  I will attach pictures of what I did to cure the problem so you may want to include them in your next top project.  I used flat aluminum stock from Ace hardware and just bent in a vice and drilled and --  boom they where installed and are hardly noticeable. 

Annexmaster note: I didn't recall mentioning that fear - I had been referring to the connectors that I had made for the back of the fiberglass top that I had built --

But, since he mentioned it, the FRONT of all Glassic tops is secured only by those two little pokey rods (one of which had broken off of car 1254 before I owned it, and had to be repaired) so his solution to strengthen that font windshield post security is well based - whether on a fiberglass top replacement, or the original soft top.

Sorry about the focus on these -- this bracket adds a secondary connector from the windshield stanchion to the block holding the top on. It uses existing holes and hardware. The aluminum is 1/8" x 1" bar stock.

Where the original top frames came from:

In late 2009, in response to a question by an owner, Joel provided the following info:

The top frames were built by a little two man outfit which is out of business and both men have since passed on...

The owner was hoping to find the original plans for the top frames. The top frames of Glassics were designed especially for Glassics and hired out to be custom built. Model A top frames don't fit Glassics.

Cleaning materials, metal polishes restoration suggestions
Whitewall cleaner, plastic window cleaner etc.

Car 1254, The new owner, John shared the following WHEEL CLEANER in Dec. 2008:

If you ever need to clean up old metal wheels, I found that using a product called Mothers Powerball  Medal Polish System is the best.  It is a cloth ball that goes into a power drill and polishes as it cleans. 

Car  # 341 in July, 2008 shared the following metal polish:

Those gauges (Old International Scout gauge cluster from a junkyard) cleaned up fantastic. they look new other than the fact that we had to pry them open to clean 40 yrs of crud off the inside of the glass. Not fun. If someone needs metal polishing stuff I strongly recommend Eagle One Nevr-dull Wadding Polish. It took off rust and shined it up great. I found my can sitting in my dad's garage and gave it a shot. I think it's available at Fleet Farm. I'm impressed with how it turned out.
 

Car 1254, the Annexmaster discovered the following  whitewall tire cleaner in 2007.

A guy saw my car on the street and said he cleaned cars for a dealer. He recommended Bleche-White as a whitewall cleaner. He said it could be found in most stores and comes in a flat plastic bottle like liquid Turtle Wax comes in. I think I got it in Walmart, or a grocery store. It is a white bottle, kind of old fashioned looking in the label style.

This stuff is STRONG and you should read all the cautions. It eat the grime right off the whitewalls on my car - and no rubbing was necessary. Worked great, but be careful, the stuff is like acid.

Car  # 885 in Oct., 2008 shared the following tip for cleaning plastic windows:

I read on the message board some questions about cleaning the top and windows without scratching.  I have a new top and interior on my roadster #885 and was advised by my upholsterer to use Lemon Pledge to my amazement it works great.

41-14 Rear seats

Info supplied in 3/2008 by Joel, the builder of the cars.

Group 44 - Doors, hood, trunk and tailgate

Hood hold-down latches and straps

In Feb. 2009, Dennis, car 189 shared the following: (pictures below)

I installed these so I could put the hood on and run straps from the hood to the hold downs.  They are SS (stainless steel) with all SS hardware.  I paid under $15 for the entire setup and purchased from Boaters World.  If anyone is interested I’ll send the part number of the hold downs.  The current straps are just to get an idea of what it will look like after I’m finished.  The ones I’ll get (or make) will be a buckle type so no chance of slipping.

Boat superstores appear to the Annexmaster to be a great place to shop for ideas for Glassics. Their wide array of weatherproof plastic, stainless and aluminum products are great. Find a large boating supply store in your yellow pages and see what they have. If you know your prices for stainless, nuts, bolts, fittings, screws, etc. you may well find them cheaper than the hardware Home stores.

Dennis, and many others like to run their cars without the side panels in place, but with the hood on. I also saw some hot rod spring loaded things like barrel bolts that were made for hot rod hoods and fit up under the hood, and sent a bolt like rod into the front radiator shell area and into the cowl. The bolts are horizontal. 

I never did find those in a hot rod catalog, but something made me think they were very expensive.

Boat supply stores have all kinds of stainless goodies that may be of interest to Glassic owners.

45-55 Interior Accessories

Owner’s manual. No owner’s manual or instruction booklet was ever produced for either the Glassics or Replicars. Some cars may have come with some Ford booklets for some of the components in the cars.