Picked up a VWoA Hard Top, was it worth it,

[cma68]

Found a hard top in Toledo, OH. The catch, I live in Chicago. So I headed to Toledo at 4:30 this morning. The owner and I had already agreed on a price yesterday so after my arrival when the sellers asked if I wanted to look at it, I told them, I was not here to look, I’m here to buy.

We put it on my trailer and strapped it down. I gave them the agreed on amount and I just now got home. 4.5 hours and 3/4 of a tank there, same for the drive back.

Are they on the rare side? What’s considered good condition for a 51 year old fiberglass hard top? So, was it worth it?

I fill in particulars and images a bit later. Now it’s time for a nap!

[cma68]

Underside images to come later.

[SilverThing]

The top looks to be in good shape externally. There are internal steel reinforcements such as around the rear perimeter (below the windows), where the door pillar supports mount, and at the front where the windshield meets that are not visible and can rust out. My top has those problems and I haven't figured out how to tackle them.

That said, the Thing Shop does have repro parts such as the pillar supports, rear mounting brackets, and seals should you need them.

The shiny metal plugs on the top of your top are where the roof rack would mount, if you had/have one.
_________________
"I like how everyone likes talking about Zeke's Thing yet he's the only one that's ever seen it." - Katie
"I've seen pictures..." - Jeremy

[cma68]

The underside does have a few issues to deal with. The worst being the clasp on the driver side is missing along with the metal mounting point. A new metal bracket glassed in and a new clasp shouldn’t too bad. Getting it position just right will be difficult. But I have the other side as a reference and I could glass the bracket in first and place the top on to reference where to tap for the clasp. I will be adding pics as soon as I can.

So I’m in to it about $350. Gas and tolls $150, purchase price $200. Add a long day of driving.

But, since I don’t see too many for sale, I feel I did ok. Any thoughts?

[CraigInPA]

$350 for a genuine VWOA top is doing pretty good.

You'll find that the easiest way to get it on is with two people.

But, if you want to do it yourself, and you can reach from one side of the top to the other, take the car outside. Put the top behind the car. Lean over, grabbing the top at the point where the top becomes horizontal (i.e., the spot in front of the window). Lift the rear to lean on your belt. Lean back, lifting the front from the ground. Walk forward, tipping the front upward until it's over the steering wheel. Lower the front and back. Walk around one side. Open the door. Lift the top up, and sit on the seat. Slide the top over the front windscreen. Go to the other side of the car. Position the top in the correct spot on that side. Snap the front two latches in place. Climb in the car and attach the rest, including the B pillar braces. I've done it this way nearly a dozen times, after trying a hoist in the garage to lift it up and down (which was less painful on the back muscles, but became very fiddly to get the car exactly in the right spot to lower the top onto).

[cma68]

Thank you for the very detailed posting. I don’t think I’ll try handling the top myself. The reason I only posted images of the top is that I don’t think I could remove it from my trailer without assistance. It’s to awkward of a shape with unbalanced weight. But I’m sure that before this coming weekend, I will have tried.

[olypopper]

Yep, you found one that the owner had no clue of the worth. Good job!