convertible reinfocement rail job

[Josean]

how the rails hold to the body how hard to replace the heater channels are in good condition i just have to remove the old ones and replace with some new ones other than that no rust any where else thankyou

[79SuperVert]

I'm trying to decide how to do that myself. I'm about to take the buggy to a couple of body shops to get estimates and I also have an offer from a sambanista to do it. So far there's no consensus on whether to do it body on or body off. I'm guessing $1,000 per rail to remove the old one and put on the new one without taking off the body but if I remove the body first the job would go easier because you don't have to worry about messing up the floor pans. I just really don't want to go through all the trouble of removing the body, maybe because I'm afraid of what else I'm going to find needs to be done to the car. I barely drove the car last year and I would hate to miss out on much of this year as well.

[Josean]

im about to do it my self the car its on its way from cali i recentley got it and if i see what they would take to remove then im very sure that i can do it its not the channels in my case so the body should be fine no body out of the pan if its only rails its like a 8 hour job im not going to pay 1000 per side im a painter and i also do some body and weld not a problem i hear its like doing floor pans and they do pans for like 500 for 2 sides

[79SuperVert]

Convertible rails are more complicated than floor pans because they are welded to the heater channels and provide support. The floor pans don't provide structural support to the body (although they do hold up the seats and the battery).

Since the vert doesn't have a roof to stiffen the body, the rails keep everything aligned. If the rails are really shot the body will sag on a vert and the doors won't close properly. I understand you will have to either keep the doors closed or weld braces across the door openings while the rails are replaced so the body doesn't sag.

[vwsplitman]

I have done a number of these convertible rail/heater channel replacements and usually weld them together as a unit outside the car. I sandblast the new channel to get the cheap primer off, sandblast the new or good used rail, coat the inside of the rail with several coats of MasterSeries, weld the heater channel over the rail, and two coats of MasterSeries over everything. Then as one complete unit, the whole thing goes up to meet the body. Now before this is done, you should get the door to a point where it opens and closes like new. The doors are either crossbraced to prevent movement, or sometimes I even tack the doors to the B pillar. I sometimes use a threaded turnbuckle between the A and B pillar and if the door doesnt close properly, a wrench on the turnbuckle can adust it . I even tack weld a angle iron over the tunnel from the left to right hand A pillars, so they dont spread apart. Once the door is working fine, then weld it so nothing moves, and then the heater channel and support rail can go in. This has worked for me on several convertibles, both body off and body on. Chuck P

[nlorntson]

We just finished a convertible rail replacement (among other things) on a 69 vert. It's currently at the paint shop so I don't have current pictures, but here here is a pretty good idea of why 'vert heater channels and rails are so different than the sedan channels and rails.

http://www.precisionframe.com/69Vert/69cabriolet.HTM

Good luck!