57 Soft Top Cars - Check Mounting in Top Well

[Gary C.]

Need '57 owner's to check inside the soft top compartment well with the soft top bracket off to see if there is a riveted "Tee Nut" installed or not.

See this thread for additional information on Hard Top only cars.
https://www.forums.ncrs.org/showthread.php?p=495783

Appreciate everyone's help and input. Thanks, Gary....

[Don Y.]

Re: 57 Soft Top Cars - Check Mounting in Top Well

I'll check when I get home Gary, VIN 5899

[David B.]

Re: 57 Soft Top Cars - Check Mounting in Top Well

Need '57 owner's to check inside the soft top compartment well with the soft top bracket off to see if there is a riveted "Tee Nut" installed or not.

See this thread for additional information on Hard Top only cars.
https://www.forums.ncrs.org/showthre...550#post496550

Appreciate everyone's help and input. Thanks, Gary....

Gary,

My '57 has the tee nut. It is a December '56 build (#101234). I know it had the original power top option, so definitely was an original soft top.

Dave B.

[Gary C.]

Re: 57 Soft Top Cars - Check Mounting in Top Well

David, thanks. Is the mount bracket off where you can take a photos and post them. Would appreciate it. Gary....

[David B.]

Re: 57 Soft Top Cars - Check Mounting in Top Well

Gary,

Sorry, the mount is not off for a good picture.

Dave B.

[Richard M.]

Re: 57 Soft Top Cars - Check Mounting in Top Well

Gary, fyi your link to the other thread s/b this one below. It looks like yours is the single post, not the whole thread.
Rich

https://www.forums.ncrs.org/showthre...=2305#poststop

p.s. note that the infamous " More replies below current depth..." artifact in the header may lead you to more info. Geesh I hate those things.

[Gary C.]

Re: 57 Soft Top Cars - Check Mounting in Top Well

Rich, that was my error not a software error on picking the URL for a post in the middle of a thread rather than the initiating thread. Thanks for catching that. Gary....

[Richard M.]

Re: 57 Soft Top Cars - Check Mounting in Top Well

....yur' welcome. You may wanna edit your first thread to put the full thread link in.

Rich

p.s. I sent a note to the Discussion Board Help section about the "More Replies" issue. It'd be nice if they can change that someday.

[Doug F.]

Re: 57 Soft Top Cars - Check Mounting in Top Well

here are a couple of pics from an early 57 in my yard, no rivets, i believe they just assembled the tee nut as if were a regular nut, then smeared some bonding adhesive over it [ or not ] to hold it in place if you ever had to remove the bolt, the car pictured still has the lh nut installed covered by a ton of glue, the rh had very little glue and fell out when i removed the bracket years ago, when installing a top on a non soft top car, i drill a small pilot hole, if there is a bunch of glue, i just thread a bolt into it, plenty strong, if no glue, i weld a nut on a piece of wire and maneuver into place through the water drain hole on the edge of the lip or if the gas tank is out it's easy to reach up and install a nut

[Gary C.]

Re: 57 Soft Top Cars - Check Mounting in Top Well

Doug, appreciate the photos. Am sure others will appreciate the tip on how to install a nut on the backside of the fiberglass wall.

Surveyed six '57's in the last couple of days. 3 turned out to be hard top only cars and had no sign of rivets for the nut plates or bolt holes. 3 were soft top cars and had the rivets, nut plates and holes. Interesting to note that 2 of the hard top only cars are in the process of restoration and the owner's didn't realize they did not originally come with soft tops.

Thanks to Rich Mozetta and John Hinckley for bringing this information to the forefront and educating me. Gary....

[Richard M.]

Re: 57 Soft Top Cars - Check Mounting in Top Well

here are a couple of pics from an early 57 in my yard, no rivets, i believe they just assembled the tee nut as if were a regular nut, then smeared some bonding adhesive over it [ or not ] to hold it in place if you ever had to remove the bolt, the car pictured still has the lh nut installed covered by a ton of glue, the rh had very little glue and fell out when i removed the bracket years ago, when installing a top on a non soft top car, i drill a small pilot hole, if there is a bunch of glue, i just thread a bolt into it, plenty strong, if no glue, i weld a nut on a piece of wire and maneuver into place through the water drain hole on the edge of the lip or if the gas tank is out it's easy to reach up and install a nut

Doug, Great pics and info. Thanks!

As John Hinckley mentioned in the other thread with his information about how which top configuration was known before the cars arrived at the paint shop, I wonder how that happened to that one pictured?

Maybe it's possible that particular car was destined to have a soft top, and they forgot to add the tee-nuts in the body build. Maybe somebody in the paint shop noticed, and rather than calling the "rivet guy" over to drill and attach the tee-nuts, they just cleverly used the bonding adhesive to hold it in???? (I love to try to figured out these oddities)

Ahhh, good idea about how to add the nut with the wire. I wish I knew that back in '92 when I tried to add the nuts to mine. When I had the soft top frame out I think I recall seeing that if the tank was out I could get the nuts in there, but opted not to get carried away pulling the tank.
To this day one of my brackets isn't in too tight against the body and the side rail weatherstrip doesn't mate to the side-glass very well. Maybe when I get some time I'll get in there again and try your idea!

Also, soon I will be pulling the gas tank out of the 59 I'm restoring. When I do I'll get in there with the camera and take some photos of those little critters.

Thanks,
Rich
p.s. Gary....... I think I heard you say somewhere that you're going to Charlotte next week. I am too. Maybe we should sneak around the HT only cars with little mirrors and flashlights and take some pictures when the guys aren't looking. Oh, yea.....and if we see any tee-nuts in there we gotta' promise we won't tell anybody!

[Roger W.]

Re: 57 Soft Top Cars - Check Mounting in Top Well

What size bolt goes into the t-nut?

[Gary C.]

Re: 57 Soft Top Cars - Check Mounting in Top Well

Roger, same as for accelerator pedal to floor. 1/4" Gary....

[Richard M.]

Re: 57 Soft Top Cars - Check Mounting in Top Well

Gary, Here are a few photos of the tee-nut I took today on the 59 I have apart. I took 2 using a mirror, then 2 up close with the camera inside the area. I was able to get the camera inside, just squeezing it in the opening between the FG and the fuel tank on the passenger side. The remote control for the camera came in handy, as I wouldn't be able to push the shutter button with the camera way in there.

They're a bit blurry but the tee-nut is obvious. With the naked eye, this tee-nut on this mid production 59 appears to have no rivets. It seems like it's just bonded in with the bonding adhesive. This is similar to the photos that Doug Faber posted.......no rivets, just bonded in.

Rich

[Alan W.]

Re: 57 Soft Top Cars - Check Mounting in Top Well

I hope this helps. Vin 6155 1957 both tops.