Jim McKenzie
1972 850 Spider
I'm not 100% sure this is allowed, but checked the diagrams I have and don't see any copyright. As I recall I got this at a yard sale where I bought a couple of Fiat books. If this needs to be removed Mods please go for it.
The link is on Google Drive here: (hopefully I shared this out correctly)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0oAueodzm6-ekRiR2RuQVpWTHM/edit?usp=sharing
A few things I'd add to the instructions (other than specific photos which I'll try to get up this weekend) is that the process did not seem intuitive to someone that never owned a convertible before, and who had taken the roof off for the first and only time three years ago. I had moved three times in between, lost my job and since I was paying for a truck, threw out a lot of stuff, including it seemed some relevant parts (!). So my method was not the preferred way, follow anything I say with a lot of grains of salt.
My top was still attached to the frame, so I cannot help with that important step. I opened the lid in the "backseat" shelf area and rested the roof frame in it, using towels to provide padding on the metal ends. This prevented tears in the old vinyl back there. The roof/frame won't sit properly and is not balanced at all so I used visegrips, wood and more towels to hold one side in place.
There are two holes on each side of the body, through the vinyl side pieces and directly into the body. They look like the same size holes and are vertical to each other in the same plane. However you need to match up the bolts properly to make this work.
The bolts to be used are here: http://images.marketplaceadvisor.channeladvisor.com/hi/67/67274/4131868-OE.jpg and here: http://images.marketplaceadvisor.channeladvisor.com/hi/67/67274/4131867-OE.jpg and both Midwest Bayless and Chris Obert stock them. Note the different sizes and that one has a smooth part to the shaft. This smooth area after the threading allows the frame to pivot on the bolt as the top is raised and lowered. You'll also note that the two "legs" of the frame on each side are different lengths.
The "shorter" leg goes into the top hole n the body frame and the top hole of the two on each side is the one that gets the bolt with the smooth pivot part. The longer leg goes into the bottom hole and has the bolt without the pivot area.
There is an oval plate, mine was painted black and I think they all are, that sits on the vinyl to protect it and to provide a metal surface to tighten the bolts to. I couldn't find a picture of them, but they look similar to these, just smaller and with the holes in the center and not on the ends. http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/m/mWNFJ0L-85DfEUWPtjGiqjg/140.jpg
I had a LOT of difficulty getting the top up, it was too tight to reach the front of the windshield. I found two issues: one that Chris Obert solved was that the top had metal cables running through it, "side tensioner" cables that were attached to the side of the frame in the back. Chris told me to loosen these and I'd get enough slack to pull the top up. My top is missing a handle (and note that a Fiat 124 Spider rubber handle is NOT long enough to replace the 850's) and so had a little bit of two handed pulling. I got the top up and latched with these latches (which seem very flimsy compared to the X1/9 latches) http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i205/viotti600/auction/dec12/850toplatches1.jpg but it required a lot of effort, to the point I was worried about tearing the top.
The side of the top stuck out, you need to take the side strips that have old fashioned "snaps" on them, put one side around each of the side frames and snap them together to hold the sides in. Be sure to check your side windows for lots of pressure, it appears to me that it would be possible to break your side windows if you slammed the door with the window up and the side snaps already snapped. On mine (and again do not go by any I say here as gospel, this was my specific case only, your mileage will vary...) the pressure of the top against the side glass was disturbing. I make sure I watch for this issue each time I close a door.
I found out that here was still a gap at the windshield. I was missing the front gasket, on my top there was bare and rusty metal. I ordered a front gasket from Mr Fiat in Atlanta who had them in stock. http://www.mrfiat.com/part.php?item...ls/Fiat850SpiderFrontSoftTopGasketOEMNew.html
I found sitting the car in the hot sun really loosened up the top for install and made it much easier to finally latch it. I had a glass of wine after that! I have left the top up for a couple of weeks now and now that warm weather is finally getting here will attempt to clean the rear plastic window which has some mold or other discoloration on it.
I'll reply to my own thread with photos to show what I did. It may in fact be wrong, but there is very little on the web on this, apparently because it is really easy in the end and owners of these cars are assumed to have familiarity. I didn't because I took the top off early in my 850 "career" and didn't put it back on for 3 years.
The link is on Google Drive here: (hopefully I shared this out correctly)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0oAueodzm6-ekRiR2RuQVpWTHM/edit?usp=sharing
A few things I'd add to the instructions (other than specific photos which I'll try to get up this weekend) is that the process did not seem intuitive to someone that never owned a convertible before, and who had taken the roof off for the first and only time three years ago. I had moved three times in between, lost my job and since I was paying for a truck, threw out a lot of stuff, including it seemed some relevant parts (!). So my method was not the preferred way, follow anything I say with a lot of grains of salt.
My top was still attached to the frame, so I cannot help with that important step. I opened the lid in the "backseat" shelf area and rested the roof frame in it, using towels to provide padding on the metal ends. This prevented tears in the old vinyl back there. The roof/frame won't sit properly and is not balanced at all so I used visegrips, wood and more towels to hold one side in place.
There are two holes on each side of the body, through the vinyl side pieces and directly into the body. They look like the same size holes and are vertical to each other in the same plane. However you need to match up the bolts properly to make this work.
The bolts to be used are here: http://images.marketplaceadvisor.channeladvisor.com/hi/67/67274/4131868-OE.jpg and here: http://images.marketplaceadvisor.channeladvisor.com/hi/67/67274/4131867-OE.jpg and both Midwest Bayless and Chris Obert stock them. Note the different sizes and that one has a smooth part to the shaft. This smooth area after the threading allows the frame to pivot on the bolt as the top is raised and lowered. You'll also note that the two "legs" of the frame on each side are different lengths.
The "shorter" leg goes into the top hole n the body frame and the top hole of the two on each side is the one that gets the bolt with the smooth pivot part. The longer leg goes into the bottom hole and has the bolt without the pivot area.
There is an oval plate, mine was painted black and I think they all are, that sits on the vinyl to protect it and to provide a metal surface to tighten the bolts to. I couldn't find a picture of them, but they look similar to these, just smaller and with the holes in the center and not on the ends. http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/m/mWNFJ0L-85DfEUWPtjGiqjg/140.jpg
I had a LOT of difficulty getting the top up, it was too tight to reach the front of the windshield. I found two issues: one that Chris Obert solved was that the top had metal cables running through it, "side tensioner" cables that were attached to the side of the frame in the back. Chris told me to loosen these and I'd get enough slack to pull the top up. My top is missing a handle (and note that a Fiat 124 Spider rubber handle is NOT long enough to replace the 850's) and so had a little bit of two handed pulling. I got the top up and latched with these latches (which seem very flimsy compared to the X1/9 latches) http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i205/viotti600/auction/dec12/850toplatches1.jpg but it required a lot of effort, to the point I was worried about tearing the top.
The side of the top stuck out, you need to take the side strips that have old fashioned "snaps" on them, put one side around each of the side frames and snap them together to hold the sides in. Be sure to check your side windows for lots of pressure, it appears to me that it would be possible to break your side windows if you slammed the door with the window up and the side snaps already snapped. On mine (and again do not go by any I say here as gospel, this was my specific case only, your mileage will vary...) the pressure of the top against the side glass was disturbing. I make sure I watch for this issue each time I close a door.
I found out that here was still a gap at the windshield. I was missing the front gasket, on my top there was bare and rusty metal. I ordered a front gasket from Mr Fiat in Atlanta who had them in stock. http://www.mrfiat.com/part.php?item...ls/Fiat850SpiderFrontSoftTopGasketOEMNew.html
I found sitting the car in the hot sun really loosened up the top for install and made it much easier to finally latch it. I had a glass of wine after that! I have left the top up for a couple of weeks now and now that warm weather is finally getting here will attempt to clean the rear plastic window which has some mold or other discoloration on it.
I'll reply to my own thread with photos to show what I did. It may in fact be wrong, but there is very little on the web on this, apparently because it is really easy in the end and owners of these cars are assumed to have familiarity. I didn't because I took the top off early in my 850 "career" and didn't put it back on for 3 years.
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