Ok so i can get most of the frame lined up after lining up the windows etc. i looked at the alignment instructions in the body manual nada,nothing. the header is always low on the drivers side and high on the pass. side . i have tried everything to make them come down even. Am i missing something? i have tried every combination of adjustments to rectify the difference. to no availe. its almost 2" inches differnece between the 2 sides. I can pull the top down to latch it , i just figured it would come down even?
Is it possible there is air trapped in one of your hydraulic lines? It accumulates in the high spots by the top hose to the rams. (Well on mine anyway).Does the one side always want to lift first when folded down? Does it sit level when its folded down? If not its the outside frame bolts above the back seat the need to be set. Or is the frame slightly bent? These side frames are just flat bar steel kinked and rivited together and bend very easily. But if you can't get it, as a last resort you could try bending it a little by putting 4 x 4 block on the low side of the header and above the window and gently pulling down on the high side. I've adjusted many GM doors over the years kinda like that. Just pay attention to how it looks when its down after you do that, it will be easy to bend things too far.
There is also a hidden allen key stop behind one of the middle hinges. Its only visible when the top is about 1/2 way up. Make sure thats it not stopping it too soon. But....if the DS always wants to start first you may want to check for air. I forgot another place air tends to gather is in the hoses where the clips are behind the rear seat area. There is a natural high spot there too. Not real easy to bleed all the air out without taking lines apart and then very messy. Running the top up and down is supposed to purge the air out itself, but I never had much luck with that. You'll want to be careful you dont get the motor too hot. If you hook it up to a battery charger to get the voltage higher when running up and down its a lot easier on the motor. Adjusting windows LOL !!!! Make sure your not in a bad mood when you start cause your gonna need a lot of patience.
Most likely it's bent. Outsiders who haven't seen the behind the scene actions are floored when they discover the way ALL CARS ARE FINAL ADJUSTED.
Bjorn poste an excellent video that helps one understand that lots of these adjustments are done by beating/bending the dog crap out of it. And they are doing right now on the cars that are in the new-car make-ready process.
Bjorn, do you have that video handy. Anybody who is doing any work on their car needs to see it so that they understand how to align components correctly.
Thanks for the feed back, im going to tackel the windows this weekend. then redo the top frame , using more force.lol
I did get lucky though, i got a real nice set of the stainless that goes around the convertible top lip. the guy down the street is scrapping whats left of a 69 vert. so he is letting me take what i want of the bird. i love swapping compter skills for car parts! im going to go back and get the shakers (front) and the rain drip trough.!