Ok, the weather is a little warmer, so let's put a top on this thing. Here is a step by step tutorial on how I put a brand-x mystery top on an 850.
First step..the rear bow. I had set this aside with the rotted remnants on it so I could use it as a guide later. Make sure to work on something soft so you don't scratch your top window!
Look closely at it, and notice how the top rear welt is snuggled up against the bow. Also notice all the rusty crap.
Now flip it over, and you will see the rotted remains of your rubber seal, and the screws that hold down the fixing plate. Expect half of the screws to be stripped or corroded.
After removing screws by whatever means necessary, sand off the loose rust and paint away!
Much better!
Your paint is dry? Good, now let's proceed to install the back bow. Before doing anything else, fold your top in half and make a chalk center line. Do the same for the weatherstripping. The centerline of the bow is the middle hook. Looky-this...the new top has about a half inch of material that is stitched in before you reach the bow flap. The original top put the bow right up to the edge. Well, let us proceed and see what it look like. See the chalk mark?
Ok, this picture show progress. You have to keep the bow pushed up tight against the back seam as you do this, so that the top goes on even. Put the bow in the pocket, center the top, weatherstripping and bow, push it up against the seam and use your awl to make your first screw hole. If you have it all lined up, it will push through the fixing piece, weatherstripping, top and right into the bow hole. Now, as it turns out, the new weatherstripping is a lot thicker than the old, so you may need longer screws. So go get them. I had to cut a little off my new screws. Make sure the screws go in far enough so that they sit below the weatherstripping, or they will scratch your paint.
In the picture below, I have still to go back and put in a few more screws and cut the weatherstripping. Don't cut anything until you are sure! I also had to cut some spaces for the hooks.
Speaking of the hooks, the top would not slide into them! The new weatherstripping sits higher and must not be as compressible as the original. So, as you can see in the picture below, I used chrome washers to raise them just a bit.
And here is the top so far. I think it is going well. The extra material in the back does not appear to be an issue, and the top is hooking well. I will now take it off, finish the screws and cut the weatherstripping to size. Next will be to dig up some snaps for the bow right above the window.
More to come!