Re: TIII ragtop (long)

[Toby Erkson <Toby_Erkson@ccm2.hf.intel.com>]

Jason,
My babe didn't come with the rag top (none of them did); the only thing it 
had on it's roof was a roof rack and I had that removed several years ago.  
The rag top was installed during July and I *highly* recommend it.  The rag 
is from Street Beat located in Arizona and came as a kit.  I had a good 
body shop install it for me.  If you have a garage, the proper tools, a 
friend and trust yourself with cutting into your roof you can install it 
yourself as the kit comes with instructions.  My rag is the longest you can 
get (so far) -- don't settle for a Bug sized one unless it is what's needed 
for your particular styling.  I contacted Britax (spelling?) because their 
rags look good but they don't make them long enough for the expansive T3.

The kit was $650 and installation was $700 (roughly).  Yes, the cost for 
installation kinda shocked me too and I suddenly had to borrow some cash 
from my best friend but, for me, it was worth every penny.

My rag also passed the Female Hair Test.  When open, air will come in from 
rear to front and channel through the center of the cabin then exit up into 
the airstream.  Thus there is some turbulence, but nothing major to mess up 
the fine Beehive your sweetie may be stylin'.

Internally there is no headliner on the rag so you can see the 'skeleton'.  
Also, due to metal-to-metal contact it can be a little rattley (noisy) so I 
put small felt strips on the noisy surfaces and rubber O-rings around the 
points where the skeleton attaches to the nylon runners.  There is, of 
course, over lap where the edge of the rag runs across the roof (the edges 
nearest the rain gutters) and this stuck straight out.  To lessen some of 
the air noise and air inflow I *carefully* bent the tabs down so it kinda 
gave a Tupperware (R) fit.  This also made the rag look better since the 
lines of the rag seemed to flow with the curving roof.  My kit came with a 
frontal air thingy, which I had installed, and I recommend using one to 
help keep crap and water from blowing into the front of the rag.  The one 
that came with the kit isn't made from the best of plastics and I'm 
considering getting an after-market one to replace it.  I have driven my 
babe down Interstate 5, 75mph, during pouring rain AND wind and did not 
have any water enter the car through any part of the roof (the door seals 
are another story...)

The only thing I consider a drawback about Street Beat rags is that they 
don't have a handle for opening/closing the rag.  It comes with an Allen 
wrench that you use to turn a nut.  The nut then rotates a circular piece 
of metal with a peg on its circumference that the hook rotates on.  They 
said this is for anti-theft purposes, so someone can't easily cut a hole 
and open the rag.  From an engineering standpoint I think it's pure 
laziness.  I want to either put a handle or a latching mechanism on it, 
like used on convertibles/targas/T-tops.

The roof of the T3 has roof supports (runners?) that run gutter to gutter 
so cutting through these is probably what cost me that extra cash.  I 
didn't want the rag centered on the roof lengthwise.  I wanted it more 
forward.  The shop agreed with me because centering the rag would have 
necessitated cutting into the rearmost runner where the hatch hinges are 
and could have compromised structural integrity for the hatch and 
components.

I believe you are correct in putting the rag in after the paint job and 
interior installation.  My boys are good so I came away with no headliner 
rips or scuffed paint and I now have one piece of orange/primer OEM sheet 
metal to either hang on the wall or for later use.

Hope this answers your questions.  I say get one!!
     Toby Erkson
     air_cooled_nut@pobox.com
     modified '72 VW Squareback 2.0L
     stock '75 Porsche 914 1.8L

P.S.  My parents are the original owners of the car so EVERYTHING done to 
the car was done by me (or should I say financed by me ;)


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: TIII
Author:  Jdog183152@aol.com at SMTPGATE
Date:    12/17/96 7:10 PM


Toby, I have recently started restoring a TIII. My new engine should be up
and running soon! I was curious if you got yours with the rag top or did you
put it in, and if so where/how much. After my interior is back together and I
paint the TIII I would like to cut open my top also.
...