Professional help with '57 Power Top rebuild

[G B.]

I'd like to have my power top mechanism repaired by a professional. I don't mind removing the parts and re-installing them with new wiring harnesses, but I don't want to clean all the contacts and "rebuild" anything. Has anyone used a professional to help them with this? Who did you use and how did it work out?

My contact info is: Jerry Bramlett, jerrybramlett@Comcast.net, (251) 478-4003, 151 Levert Ave., Mobile, AL, 36607, Central Time Zone.

[Mike M.]

Re: Professional help with '57 Power Top rebuild

jerry: i restored and got working the power top on our old 56. its a pita and i'd never do it again. good choice to seek a knowledgable Power top restorer. unfortunately, i don't know who to recommend. regards, mike

[Jerry C.]

Re: Professional help with '57 Power Top rebuild

Contact John Schell 260 672 8829 This is what he does and he is in northern Indiana.

[G B.]

Re: Professional help with '57 Power Top rebuild

Contact John Schell 260 672 8829 This is what he does and he is in northern Indiana.

Jerry, Have you used John's services in the past?

I'm trying to find some personal references. I tell people shopping for FI repair work to get several positive references before letting anyone mess with their unit, so I'm just following my own advice.

And Mike, I agree with you. I've also stopped cutting my own hair and doing my own dental work.

Thanks,

Jerry

[Dan A.]

Re: Professional help with '57 Power Top rebuild

Jerry, there is a memebr here that posts frequently, Richard Mozzetta (13499). He is a little closer to you in Florida. IIRC he has two videos on You Tube demonstrateing a 56-7 power top operating.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjRZoxL4jl8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJWWOiPeGIs

Dan

[Vinnie P.]

Re: Professional help with '57 Power Top rebuild

Jerry...way back in the mid 90's I used George King from the Philadelphia area for my 1962 Power Top...delivered the car to him on a Sunday & it was ready on Tuesday, I believe he has since passed...however I think his son continued to do the restorations...They had a complete set up jig of the working assembly in the shop/garage at his home...don't have any further contact info or updated info...maybe someone from the Philadelphia/Delaware Valley area/chapter will chime in with more info...and if I recall correctly, my '62 was the first ever power top car to pass PV back in 1995...With about 30 people standing around the car, then National Judging Chairman, Dennis Clark conducting the PV test, after the complete cycle and when the top went back up and the rear deck went back down, Dennis clapped his hands with a huge smile on his face...I knew I was in then!!!!

Vinnie

[G B.]

Re: Professional help with '57 Power Top rebuild

Thank you all for your input. I appreciate your advice very much.

Jerry

[Richard M.]

Re: Professional help with '57 Power Top rebuild

Thanks Daniel....

Jerry,
Yes I recently restored a power top on a friends' '56. Of course the car was in my shop, and it was my first ever rebuild so it took much time. I certainly learned much and became quite knowledgeable in the process. With some help from the guys here I was successful in getting it totally rebuilt and operating.

I happened to meet John Schnell at Carlisle this year as I was walking by his booth space. He recognized me from my videos and congratulated me on my success. We talked for a long time. He even told me he learned something from me about the '56 tops he never knew. A fine gentleman to say that to a "rookie" for sure.

John comes highly recommended. He's been doing these for many years. He and I also spoke on the phone last week for about an hour about a top he was restoring. There was some confusion about the PT underdash switch and we figured out the issue. Turns out to be a Wiring Diagram error which we both deduced. We had a great conversation about PT's for the rest of the call. John has a major supply of parts and rebuild items.

I have a tutorial of the entire process that I did during the rebuild if you have interest in doing it yourself. If you can do those tricky FI units, you could do your PT too! Oh, BTW, I'm doing my very first FI unit rebuild on a '61 as I write this. But I have a close "FI expert" buddy at my side along the way.

I must add..... John Hinkley was my inspiration to do the PT rebuild after he sent me an article that he wrote years ago.

To minimize high current through the switches and harness wiring, which are prone to overheat due to high current in the solenoid circuits, I added relays to the system and also additional fuse protection.

Below is the pdf file of my rebuild and restoration. It's very rewarding to see it operating properly after many years of silence.

Rich