All seams should be waterproof. Either folded over and double stitched or covered with hidem ( moulding strip). Either your top was made by someone who does not know how to make tops, or it is purely for show and is not meant to be used outdoors. I could see leaving off the hidem on a show car for smoother appearance. $3000 for a 32 Ford top is a ripoff. What is it made of snow leopard pelts.
I build boat tops in the majority of my job. EVERY seam is stitched once, then bead of seam sealer goes in, then either a top stitch or just another stitch next to the first. Never had any leaking complaints. Call an upholstery shop to look at the seams and see if there is enough seam allowance to add a seam seal and second stitch. My opinion anyways
I have had a Bop top for 11 yrs . Never leaked , Never faded. Ihave never had to spray it. I would buy another. Maybe the guy on E-bay strocked you?
I have a Bop Top & the seams don't leak. Been on the car since 2000. Even my header stays dry. Didn't take long for the Bop Top haters to show up. Think your seams leak & get you wet- wait till you turn left. Can't be a pussy if you are gonna drive a roadster.
phone em back.tell them to fix it,as far as warranty is concerned. my buddys 70 impala just got a new top,2,500 somewhere thereabouts installed with a warranty. i'm sure there may be a roadster owner or two that put their top up in case of rain to protect the contents of the interior,no?
I don't think that I count as a Bob Top hater. I gave a solution to the problem. I do think that if you pay for a product and the manufacturer doesn't stand behind it (the price not being relevant here) the manufacturer is not one that I would rate very highly. It has nothing to do with how well everyone else has done with the product in this instance it is that the manufacturer did not stand behind the product when it did fail.
The Bop Top for 3K is not just fabric, Sid makes the frame that can be disasembled and stored in the trunk and it's quality work. I been driving roadsters for over 40 years and quess what, you some times get wet thats what happens when you want to look cool driving a roadster..
When you buy a top for a car, regardless of whether it's a car that "needs" a top, it's implied that you want it to sheild you from rain. It's sort of the whole point of a top. Saying "it'll leak through the windows" or what have you is almost like a shop saying "exhaust comes out the tailpipe too" when you bitch about an exhaust leak. A top's purpose is to block rain. Rain comes directly through this top. This top is defective. pretty simple.
And really awesome looking. I would take the fabric to an upholsterer and have the seams treated. I'm sure he'll glue some fabric up under the seams. My top is from a late model Camaro, and the underneath appears to have had that treatment as new - but is very unsightly without an interior liner. Maybe BopTop is more worried about interior sealing being unsightly, and figure their customers are in it more for the looks. I'm not sure you can have your cake and eat it too, but for $3k I'd think so. I'd have to think real hard to find $3k in my whole car. lol
the factory made tops are seamed with a special double sided tape that helps seal the seams. And I believe they also heat seal them as well. I have made tops for boats and they never leaked. The type of material used may also be a factor. I agree that for $3k it should be a leak free top even with the frame included.
A top is bought to keep water out. It should not leak. Obviously yours has a defect and I would be getting some satisfaction or money back. Bop tops are not cheap and all seams should be doubled and sealed stitched or not. You have a defective top...
Well since this guy Sid makes such a great product,he should stand behind his statment on his website . Our tops are designed for protection from the elements. Advertized for $2495 without shipping. Your top is a defective product that should be replaced,not repaired. And I ain't no bop-top hater either.
Huh? ... I believe plywude's point is that a ROADSTER (by definition) doesn't have side windows! ... so unless you install Bop Top Side Curtains: ... you're still going to get wet from rain coming in from the side. I have an O/T car (built in the OP's home city of Milan, Italy) with a convertible top ... My aunt purchased the car new in 1962 ... from day one, she complained that the top leaked every time it rained ... the dealer was constantly sealing the seams for her ... Since purchasing the car from her in 1980, I've installed 3 Haartz Stayfast cloth tops ... and guess what, they all leaked at the seams until I used some silicone seam sealer. Also ... Although by no means inexpensive, a Bop Top for a '32 Roadster actually retails for $2495 US ... I'm thinking that the 3000$ stated in the OP includes the shipping, handling, & taxes to get the top to adventurer in Italy.
Last month, HAMBer Dave Butcher Boy Schuab completed his "49in7" drive (49 States + British Columbia in 7 Days, 14 Hours, & 21 Minutes) in his Bop-Topped '32 Roadster: During his 13,897 mile journey, Dave encountered lots of RAIN ... including several torrential downpours ... and his Bop Top (with side curtains) kept him dry. NOTE: Butcher Boy's journey is well chronicled in Dave's Blog ... and here on the HAMB in my Butcher Boy's Charity Drive: 49 States In 7 Days, 14 Hours, 20 Mins, 49 Secs !!! thread.
I have met Sid on several occasions & he is a super guy and well respected in the Hot Rod community. His upolstery work is beyond reproach &, as a couple of people have indicated, his Bop Tops have worked well in all weather conditions. I think everybody has jumped on the bandwagon without ALL the information. It is easy to bitch about the price until you compare costs of manufacturing in the Bay Area as compared to other parts of the Country or Countries. I think with a little additional communication, maybe the issue could have been resolved. Maybe there were directions included with the top that did not get forwarded from the E-Bay seller, etc. Maybe to some extent a communications problem due to languages. Who knows?
I'll chime in here and say that the Bop Top that Sid makes is a very high quality product. I did have torrential down pours from Ohio to the East coast. I did have a few drops make there way through the top, but I know the reason. I have a takeout back window that is held in with velcro. A very small leak happened under the most severe rain storm. I just turned my hat around and wore my rain coat. Not that big a deal even if your in a Roadster. Try the seam sealer stuff first that was mentioned, should work Dave
I went back and read the original post on the thread. I wanted to be sure that i understood what is going on. here is the communication that was recieved from Mr Chavers company according to the OP. Now I have lived in the bay area several times in my life, from what I understand from having lived there and my basic understanding of the english language is that the tops leak at the seams evidently known by the person who responded and its your top now deal with it. A few years back we bought some carpeting installed from sears. When the installers were done that had gotten some carpet glue on the new carpet. I pointed that out to them and they said I had to contact sears. I called them and they said I needed to come down to the store and file a complaint, while I was there they gave me some cleaner and said this should remove the glue from the carpet. Guess who I don't do business with any more. Sears has had a pretty good reputation for over a hundred years. Bottom line is that you cannot develop a good rep then just coast from there on out, You have to maintain a good reputation. The absolute best way in the world to do that is to stay on top of customer service. You donot do that by saying that my stuff leaks and you can fix it if you want. Now all this is based on the information supplied here in this thread, I have nothing against Sid Chavers what so ever. I may want to get something in writting from him prior to doing business with him after this but I have nothing against him what so ever.
as a convertible top installer, I remember mgb tops came with a note saying that the first time a top would get soaked the seams would leak , but after the first soaking the thread would swell and they wouldn't leak again, this was infact so, however american tops had sealed and stiched seams so they never leaked, when I custom build a harrtz top for a car I always stitch the seam, then I use 504 latex to seal and hold the seam and top stitch if that is the look I need.As far as what was done on your top, my guess is they didn't seal the seam which may not be a big deal in some rain impoverished places unlike B.C. Canada
My BopTop hater comment was in general- not directed at anyone- an not you. I'm betting most of the haters never even owned a roadster. Seems like anytime someone writes a check for something- everyone jumps on bitching bandwagon about cost. Funny part- it's not their money & none of their business what we BopTop owners spend. Hell- it could be 5 grand & if I want it bad enough- you can bet I'm not going to start a thread asking if HAMB'rs approve. IMO- nothing else out there has the look of the BopTop- and if you wanna play, you gotta pay. Or try & copy it. Now that's not to say the BopTop is the only answer. Thare are far cheaper alternatives. Hell- there was a pretty cool build a few years back using electrical conduit bent up for a frame & Hartz cloth sewn by the owner. Now to respond to the leaking & Sid's comment (if true). This was an EBAY purchase. Was it new or used? Was it ordered w/ cloth or without. You do know you can get the top less cloth for those "gold chainers" who want to match their upholstery perfectly. Not every manufacturer supports ebay purchases. Maybe geography has something to do with it- and EBAY. Should it leak? No. Should Sid take care of it? That's Sids call, not ours. We are only hearing one side of the story here. There are literally thousands of these tops out there & 1 guy who's unhappy. Just sayin' Almost forgot- Here's how stand-up Sid is. I ran into him at GNRS a few years ago. I didn't have my car there but I had lost the bag for the top & the assembly instructions long ago. He didn't see my car- didn't know me at all. I could have been full of shit for all he knew. He took down my name & address & a week later- the bag is shipped to my door along w/ a disc- cost? No Charge.
porknbeaner - As you stated, you're basing your opinion of the Sid Chavers Company on what the OP claims Sid replied to him: This is no knock at adventurer's written communication skills (his English is far better than my Italian) ... but you'll have to admit it's quite possible that his correspondence with the Sid Chavers Co. might have got a bit "lost in translation" ... I highly doubt that Sid (or his customer service representative) would reply with just those two short sentences. So what do you suggest the Sid Chavers Co. do to maintain its "good reputation"? ... From your "SEARS analogy", I guess you think that Mr. Chavers should hop on a plane to Milan Italy (i.e., fly from SFO to MXP) ... rent a car ... drive to adventurer's house ... and personally seal the seams on his Bop Top ... ???
Your location makes this tough. Here in the States I would send you to the local WalMart to get a small bottle of Coleman Seam Sealer in the camping department. Maybe you have some camp stores there. Made in different names it is a small bottle that looks kinda like a Bingo dauber. Has a felt dauber under the cap. I use it in my trim shop some for the very reason you need it for.You can rub it on from the inside and it will fill the needle holes. There is no reason whatsoever for that top to leak if it were made right. Nobody wants to take the time to match needle and thread to the job.
I am going to go out on a limb here and guess that he cut and pasted something from an email. I wouldn't expect anyone who sells a product by mail to fly to anyone's house to make it right. I would exect that they would try and make it right a little better than suggesting that there tops do leak at the seams and if you want you can apply some seam sealer. Most of the time when I buy something that is shipped to me if it is not right the company in question suggests that I send it back and then they send me a good replacement. At the very least they try and tell me I screwed it up when I installed it. I am pretty low rent so I am not one who Sid Chavers needs to worry about keeping as a customer but I will just about bet that he has lost whatever Italian customer base he may have had. My remarks are not as directed at Mr Chavers as they are at the rest of the American manufacturing world. Too someone as narrow minded as to think that I am Chavers bashing this will go right over thier head. To those who are capable of thinkning just a little bit it is a warning about keeping good customer service if you want to stay in business. But just to get off of Mr Chavers ass let me redirect this just a little, and give you another example. There was a fella in Oregon that made Buick parts, when he made a good part it was damned good and when he dropped the ball he did nothing to make it right. He single handedly drove his business into the ground. He no doubt made lots of good parts that went out the door and the customer was happy. It only took a handfull of disgruntled customers and a little message board like the HAMB to make his business go by the wayside. One disgruntled customer and a message board is all it takes. No one in any business can stay alive by not taking care of the customer. With the advent of the internet it no longer matters if they are across the street or across the world. We are a country on its heels alot of the reason is poor business practice, we need to step up. We can no longer stand on our laurels. Does any of that make any sense?
The 3000 $ price tag was because of the side windows.It was a brand new unit, bought directly form one of his sellers. I am not complaining about the product, it's very nicely done, the frame fits perfect and the looks are outstanding. I am just asking if it's acceptable that water leaks from the seam. I can understand that Sid Chavers can't jump on a plane and come to my house to fix it....I was hoping he could send me some sealer or tell me that maybe some heat will fix the leak....but that's not a problem....will take care of the problem following the suggestions some of you gave me. The reply from Sid is taken from his mail, just pasted here. For me it's a closed case, wil not be building another roadster in the near future, so will not be a Sid Chavers customer anymore. And thank you everybody for the good suggestions
I'm a trimmer with experience with Marine Canvas and also Custom made Marquees and Tents etc. If it is stitched up with modern "polyester cotton" threads, it will need a good soaking so the cotton content will swell and seal up the stitching holes. Polyester is very strong but needs cotton to seal and pure cotton will rot with age. If there is still a problem, paint some "Bostik" stitch sealant along the seams. Remember that when the top is put up it is in far greater tension than when it is under the sewing machine, so the stitching holes will try and stretch in size. You can make these tops "waterproof but" I can reassure you they would not look trad enough for a hot rod I have HF welded them before but they look shit! I won't comment on pricing here, as we are all guilty of spending stupid amounts of money on rusty old car bodies and motors yet everyone thinks somebody else is a rip-off doing a job they can't do themselves.
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