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Geo Convertible Roof Adjustment?; How do I adjust?
Topic Started: Mar 30 2010, 07:26 PM (2,393 Views)
Cincyguy
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What's up folks!

New to the forum, so I'll very briefly intro myself and my issues. Dennis, from Cincinnati.

I currently own four of the little buggers, all of them convertibles. I am having trouble with one in particular, and it has to do with the convertible top itself. Recently I replaced the two plastic convertible latches that are directly above the windshield, and kind of hidden by the visors. My problem is two-fold. First, the metal spikes that are supposed to glide down in to those two plastic "holders" in to those cubic rectangular cavities fall short of those cavities by about 3/8" to 1/2". When the roof is closed down, those two metal spikes (they kinda looks like fangs of a snake- I know you all know what I am talking about) hardly touch the plastic pieces I had just installed. The convertible roof itself is not new, but is in respectable condition, and I can likely get a few more years out of it. I just need to know if there is a way to somehow adjust the roof supports in such a manner to effectively "stretch" the roof so that those two "fangs" slip better in to their appropriate slots?

My second issue involves the moveable latching pieces themselves. When you rotate the handle on the roof 90 degrees to move those two locking levers in to place against the plastic latches that I just newly installed, only a mere fraction of those metal levers come in to contact with the angled guides against which they are supposed to rest. An entire 1/3 of my "pinkie" finger can fit in to that angled slot, yet when the locking handle is engaged, only an area measuring about 3/8" x 1/8" of each of those two moveable metallic latching bars actually touch those plastic pieces.

I've made and uploaded a YouTube vid, for what its worth, although my camera doesn't do close-up recording too well. Nevertheless, it's there for anyone wishing to see precisely which parts to which I am referring (as if you guys didn't know already). Below is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa4cANSy6vs

Other than these two issues, my little Geo runs excellent, with hardly a lit dash indicator, or even an engine sputter. Granted, the little engines are about as simple as automobile engines come, and the cars themselves kinda look like a senior-high-school automobile-design-class projects with their simplicity. Yet, keeping them maintained is relatively easy. The one in the video, above, is one of four convertibles I currently own, and is my favorite. The other remaining three are pretty much rainy day project cars that I fix-up in my spare time and save from the trash heap. At the moment, I actually own a total of six of the little Geos, but the remaining two are hardtops.
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zippy
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im sorry i cant help, ive never owned a convertable. anyways, kudos to you for saving metros!! :thumb :rocker
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Cincyguy
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zippy
Mar 30 2010, 07:51 PM
im sorry i cant help, ive never owned a convertable. anyways, kudos to you for saving metros!! :thumb :rocker
Thanks! Although I'll most likely still keep my favorite Geo convertible and sell the others, I will almost certainly upgrade to an all-electric vehicle soon, but that is another topic altogether.
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Johnny Mullet
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Fear the Mullet

Welcome to the site. There is a top replacement guide in the "Guides/How To" section, but not sure if that will help you or not. I never owned a Metro Vert, so I really can't help you.
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Cincyguy
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Johnny Mullet
Mar 30 2010, 08:25 PM
Welcome to the site. There is a top replacement guide in the "Guides/How To" section, but not sure if that will help you or not. I never owned a Metro Vert, so I really can't help you.
Thanks! I'll check it out!
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convertible


Welcome to the forum. I am sure someone will be able to help you with your top. The tops shrink in the cold/cool weather and expand when in the hot sun. The next few days will be much warmer. Allow the sun to heat your top for several hours. Then have someone to help you push forward and then down. See if this will allow the metal to go further into the plastic. I have one car I have to do this with. I had another one that the top was left down for a year. It shrank so much I had to replace the top. To my knowledge there are not any adjustments for the top. As for the metal hinges, open the top enough to slide your hand between the plastic header and the vinal to feel for looseness. Work the opener back and forward. The screws that hold the opening mechanisms in place can get loose. I had this happen to me also. If any of the above will not work, let me know. I have a few more suggestions. May God bless. Looks like we will have beautiful weather this Easter weekend to ride our convertibles. Hope this helps.
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jellybean


can you get the car in a warm garage? once you get it warmed wash it and try to install just needs to be stretched out again i learned to store my 66 with the top up or it was next to impossible after a month or so . I've never looked at a geo vert are the bows removable?
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GeoStalker
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"Chicks dig me and guys think I'm cool."

I have two verts myself. Sometimes if you raise the bar in the rear above the window it will shrink the top a bit. Other times you just have to really pull and press down as hard as you can.
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Cincyguy
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Thanks for all the tips..... I have noticed that it's easier to close in warmer weather. For some reason, it seems more difficult now than in previous years, even after I've left it set out in the sun to bake on warmer days. However, I shall persevere. In the meantime, however, I'm simply using two bungees to hold the roof closed as I zip around town. <Sigh>.... the things we do to keep our little Geos running! :whistle

Speaking of zipping around, the little car does get noticed- never more so than during the summer and fall of '08 when gas prices were between $3.50 - $4.25 a gallon for the cheap stuff. I found some bumper stickers online which read: "Don't Laugh! I'm getting 45 mpg! Are YOU?" Of course I bought a few for my Geos, even if 45 mpg is a stretch. I think the highest I've ever gotten in any of mine was 42, and that was with me trailing a semi.

Speaking of gas prices, if they are at $2.63 NOW, at the end of March, I'm wondering if we WILL see $3 gas this summer :(
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mcmancuso
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My top has the same condition, really hard to get it to close all the way, it seems to get better with heat and staying unfolded. Leave it up but unlatched in the sun for a while, then try to get it the rest of the way.
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idmetro
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Same issue here with the vinyl top and shrinkage with colder temps (And I had previously always thought of the car as female...) I have heard that canvas tops are not so prone to this but of course, they cost considerably more than vinyl ones.
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91 ragtop
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It's time for a new top. They just keep on shrinking. I've replaced the tops on both of my verts to cure that same problem. Ken...
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GeoStalker
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"Chicks dig me and guys think I'm cool."

Hope to see one of those bad boy verts up at Geopalooza this year! Post some pictures if you're able.
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Cincyguy
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I think I have found a quick and easy fix: I had several 40 pound bags of mulch lying around. I simply let the sun heat up the roof, then heaved a couple of those bags of mulch up there where the roof meets the windshield. That was enough weight exerting downward to effectively force the top back in to position, enough so that I could lock it in to place. I think I'll just let it bake in the sun for a few more hours or days if necessary to allow the top to fully stretch back in to shape. I kinda got excited when it began hitting 60 and 65 at the end of March that I threw the top down and thought I'd be able to easily get it back up and locked in to position- and that was not the case.

Now I have an excuse to procrastinate and not finish my mulching! I may need those bags later on to do the same thing. I live by myself and don't really have anyone nearby to have helped me push downward on the roof but hey, with bags of mulch nearby.... who needs friends??? LOL
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91xfi1.0


Hey, I do not have a convertible, and have never owned one, so do not know much about them. However, I am wondering if there is some type of softener/conditioner that can be worked into the material to soften it, thus allowing it to close easier?
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