MTFCA Forum

I am going to put a top on my 21 touring this winter. Some background. When I bought it the bows where in place folded laying on the rear and the the top material was rotted. I removed the topo bows tied them together and put them away until now. When I began to prepare for the new top I put the bows on the body. When I prepared to put them on the front bow that goes to the windshield was attached to the lower tab on the# 2 bow. In looking at photos of other touring the front bow is attached at the upper tab. As can be seen in the attached photos when the bow is on the upper tab it extends beyond the windshield and on the lower is behind. Can anyone help on what is wrong or did i do somethin wrong installing the bows?
Any help would be appreciated

The lower point is for when you put the top down. It shortens the distance, so that the top boot fits.
The upper point is for when the top is up and being used. It extends the first bow over the windshield.

You are correct. The lower tab is for use when the bows are down and the upper one when the top is up. A few things to do. The two center bows should be straight up when the car is on level surface. They should also be equal distance from attachment to body to the top of the bow. Notice they are tapered, but you can measure from the point where the metal is rolled on each bow and it should be same at top and bottom. With the bows in this position, the front bow should be about 3 inches in front of the top of the windshield when the windshield is up. This will give you the correct position of the front three bows. The back bow should be measured from the tack strip to the bow and when you attach the webbing with the pads the bows should be in this position. Leave some of the web hanging behind the back bow and in front of the front bow and trim only after all final adjustments have been made. By leaving some hanging over, you will only need to adjust whichever bow is in the wrong position. Check the height of the rear curtain to be sure the rear bow is low enough to fit before you cut anything or drive your tacks in tight. One important thing to consider. The height of the rear bow should be measured from the tack strip at the back of the car, not from the floor. It will look straight that way, but if the car leans a bit and you measure from the floor, and it is a different height from the tack strip on one side, it will always look crooked.
Norm

Thanks to fire chief and norm for their reply to my question on the top bows position. I live in a small Nd town and was not able to look at a touring to see how the bows laid. I looked on the internet photos and from what I saw I thought the front bow had to sit on the windshield. You guys straightened me out. M any thanks

The front straps pull the front bow tight. The windshield can still be folded down for air. There is a strip that attaches to the underside of the front bow that fits against the top of the windshield to help keep the rain out.

I had a pro with lots of experience take the lead in installing my top. He spent a lot of time making sure everything was square and firmly held in it's proper place (see photos). If you set it up right, it should come out right. The other thing - it's a lot easier to stretch the top to shape when it's warm

I have a 17 and can snap any photos you might need...just contact me.