Top Fabric Only

[Hardrocker]

What about just replacing the canvas top fabric and leave out the headliner and padding. You drive with the top down most of the time, and just need a top if it starts raining. We don't drive these convertibles in the winter so why would we need insulation?

[busdaddy]

Why not?, the padding and insulation was mostly to make up for weak heat, it's your car to do with as you like.
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[hdenter]

The headliner and padding do a lot to quiet things down when the top is up. If it would help the top sit lower when it was down so that i could see better to the rear, I'd think about it. It's mild enough here that we drive year round, but it gets a little nippy on winter mornings, so, top up till 9 or 10AM.

Hans
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'79 triple white convertible bug
'84 sunroof vanagon
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[Cusser]

Way back in 1980, the last time I had the top on my 1971 convertible done, the shop did only the outer layer, used the existing headliner and "horsehair" middle layer.

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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[whobba]

The pad and its fabric liner are probably going to be rotten toast once you get in there. Plus the wood around the rear window. Be prepared.
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[Rome]

It could work... Here's a Ghia Cabrio with its headliner and padding removed, at a large VW show in New Jersey in 2014. From the outside, the top contour looked "correct"; walking up to the car I could not see any lack of bulk or shape due to the missing headliner. The exposed top frame was nicely painted and the bow varnished.

I think your Beetle Cabrio would have a wooden bow around the rear window which will be exposed without the headliner.

[Hardrocker]

My MGB just had a single ply roof, and my brohter's Model A Roadster just has a single ply roof. The Ghia Cabrio looks great. My wood bow is in pretty bad shape so I may have to replace that to make it more presentable.

Thanks for all your good feedback.