This is what I purchased from an ad on eBay.  I got very lucky, as it was very dusty, but absolutely no rust anywhere.

The rear glass is no longer available and the side glasses must be custom cut, so try to get these intact.

I can see a few dings, but it doesn't look too bad.

First step, get it washed and check it out for missing parts.

This was big.  Every part was there.  From glass, to chrome to weatherstrips and mounts.

Now the little dings start to show.  Well, it has to be painted anyhow, so those will be fixed later.

It's first step out into the sun in over a year.  It's been sitting in the corner of my garage all covered up
on the stand designed for it by a good 6-Pack friend.  The headliner was damaged when I got it, but no big deal.

I wanted these pictures for reference as well as all of the weatherstrips will be removed for painting.

That post on the top left is what mounts the roof to the "B" pillar behind the passenger seat. 
There is one on each side and someone makes a nice polished stainless kit for that which protects the upholstery.

I don't know if these are the original bolts, but more on the damage they caused later.

The ever important back glass.  This one is in perfect condition, but has been sitting through a
major house renovation project where the garage was used as a sawmill, so it's a bit dusty.

Try to make sure that any top you look at has these intact.  I don't know if they're replaceable any longer.

There are three rods that go across the top and are hidden under the headliner.  They keep it shaped.

Shawn Loeske, who designed this carrier gave me permission to post his design for the hardtop rack that you've seen in the preceding pictures. 
I have added a link to a pdf file for those who want to download it for future reference to use building one for yourself.

Instructions to Build Carrier

Now we're at A&E and the weatherstrips and headliner have been removed and everything is being checked for needed work.

This top was only ever used for three seasons according to the original owner and it shows.

These are two areas that can be major rust spots and you can see that the paint was never applied over every bit of primer.

It looks OK from here, but if you rub you hand over the surfaces as Allan and Jorge did, there are small dents.

Another crucial area is the back window sealing surface.  I have seen a few that needed major work in there.

These glass channels are in great shape as well.

These guys did cause some damage by being screwed down against the top sheet metal and then used as legs to support it.

Jorge has begun to find all of the dings and dents and those are being corrected with a dolly first.

The two front dents were from the bolts shown before.  These were hard to see, but once painted
and cleared, it would be too late to do anything about them and then they would really stand out proudly.

This is Jorge from A&E Auto Body.  Superb craftsman and painter extraordinaire. 
This paint will be removed and epoxy primer will sit on it for a week before any color is applied.

Epoxy primer and some body glaze to smooth out the repaired areas.

The guys at A&E got all of those little dings that sheet metal inherits after sitting in a storage area for 25 years.

The good thing is that it was a dry storage area, so no problems here.

These all cleaned up nicely and simply needed scuffed for primer preparation.

All of the glue is gone and it's ready for primer.

The weatherstrip that goes on here was a sticky pain to remove, but it's all gone now.

A few more hours of prep and it will be ready for paint.

The sealer was applied on top last Friday and had a good cure in the booth over the weekend.

The deck lid will be getting drilled for the well nuts after the sanding is completed.

Today this will be flipped over and the rear section will be done just like this.

The inner area around the deck will be prepped and painted and ready for the headliner, but not until later this week.

The sealer has sat for a week and now the final sanding before the painting begins.

Jorge, the ever fussy perfectionist, will make sure all is well before color goes on.

Today the bottom side got two coats of color.  Tomorrow afternoon the top gets it's color, then the sanding begins again.

I wanted to make sure that the hidden areas were done better than at the factory and they were.

The new weatherstrips should fit perfectly back in these grooves.

All of those areas that could have a problem in the future never will now.

Jorge didn't miss anything and this will all be sanded smooth as silk before the clear coat goes on.

Before long the insulation will go in and then the headliner.

Once again, these guys never cease to amaze me with their painting skills.

These pictures are several coats of color and two of clear.  The top coat is not sanded or buffed yet.

After the sanding and buffing, Allan will install the insulation and this will got to J.T. Leddy for a new headliner.

This are just what I wanted done with what I brought in.

I just got the new carpet to line the wooden rack on the left and a new set of bigger casters for the base.

Allan sanded and buffed this after it sat and hardened for a few days.  It is flawless as usual.

All ready for the stand until the upholsterer is ready and the roof insulation comes in.

Home for a while.  Nice and stable and easy to steer around.

More to come in a week or so..........nice job Allan!

Today was insulation day.  It's all ready for the headliner now.

The location of the three rods is dependant on the depth of each rod.

The shortest in height goes to the front and the higher two each progressively move to the rear.

The front locks in on these tabs.

This holds everything nice and tight and keeps the headliner from ever sagging.

That's all until it goes to the upholstery shop.

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS AND THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AS OF FEB 23, 2010.

Another fine job in the works by Allan and his guys at:

A&E Auto Body

50 Alden Street

Pawtucket, RI  02861

401-722-2204