wmf62

this is the 'crate' that Glassworks sent me to ship my hardtop to them:



and the instructions:




Bill

lspencer534

mkay.... Not me. Maybe if I built a wood frame around the top, but I'd still seal it with plywood.

56 Texas

that's exactly how I shipped mine to them .. and how it came back .. no problems .. what's the issue?

firstgear

I agree with Bill, it just looks a little un-nerving...thats all.....but if you have done and they have had good success, then why not....but at first glance it does make you wonder......

wmf62

the issue is that the cardboard is not very heavy and would be subject to puncture and crushing and anything inside it could shift and rub.

how did you wrap and pack it so that it was stable and well protected inside?
Bill

PinkVetteLady

Bill, I wouldn't ship packing peanuts in that box... Nothing against Glassworks..

GCD1962

We used to sell and ship lots of fiberglass hoods, fenders, etc. and it took more than just a regular cardboard box and filler. We did use heavy cardboard boxes, but had them built to "float" (suspend) the item in the box. Even with that we still had more than our share of damage. Marking the boxes "top freight", "fragile" means nothing and other freight on the truck can shift and create damage. Any time I send a large fragile item I make a wood carton, or at the minimum reinforce the carboard box with a wood frame inside. I would do this and request (demand) Glassworks return it in a box with your wood frame (no reason it shouldn't fit as they supplied the same size box to you initially. You will be paying freight both ways, so its no money out of their pocket. The last thing you want is a damaged top and have to go through the hassle of filing a claim, getting it repaired, etc. Build the wood frame so that the hood can be suspended (i.e. no sides touching the corners, top or bottom of the cardboard), it will be time a little money well spent for peace of mind.

Plasticman

A key point here is that Bill's top is already in excellent condition, and does not need paint, trim renewal, etc. Glassworks already has worked on his top, but it does not fit correctly (on a total of 3 62 Corvettes, so it is the top at fault, not the vehicle).

Also, they say that the top will be returned attached to a wooden pallet. That is better than just shipping in a thin cardboard box, but still leaves a lot of area for potential damage.

At the very least I would attach it to a pallet when shipping it to them, and wrap it with a couple of layers of shipping blankets/bed spreads/heavy blankets.

A complete wood / plywood box would be best.

Plasticman

Stan's Customs

I'm considering shipping mine now Bill.....would have already done it except for they are months behind.

Refresh my memory...didn't Glassworks have to come down after they worked on the top still...to get it to fit?

What did they finally do to it to make it fit well?

I disassembled a beat up old hardtop I had from another car today...a trial run for my nice top disassembly. Piece of cake so far...but am wondering if anything needs to be done for fitment while the glass is out, like tweaking on the lower frame channel where it meets the body or...?

Thanks...Stan..

kskid

Be OK until the trucking company sets a 200# box on top of it.

Chuck Gongloff

I thought that the Glassworks guy fixed Bill's top over in your garage several months ago.

Chuck

Frankie the Fink

Just ship it after the Xmas rush...maybe it'll get a little more care in transit...but maybe not.

What in the world are you sending that top back for now ? It has been worked on more than Joan River's face...

Stan - you owe us pictures on your hardtop disassembly...If I have enough Corona's once Sat afternoon I may get up enough courage to replace my rear window weatherstrip on mine....

Tyler Townsley

They are registered for the Winter Regional in Jan. just wait until then and give it to them there.

Tyler

Stan's Customs

Hey Frankie..

You didn't get in on that conversation??

The top sits off to the left side a little...and the rubber under the back glass doesn't lay down flat against the deck. It hangs over the crack between the deck and the divider between the trunk and deck.

It's been at least 5 years since the restoration...and the rubber is just distorted badly . I think!! However the lower back glass frame could need some tweaking..and why I was wondering what Glassworks had to do to make Bill's top fit..

Now would be the time to bend on it if that's what they did.

Somehow in transit it got a ding on the front header stainless which I'm going to fix...and while I'm at it (uh oh...the dreaded phrase!!!) I'm going to repaint the top. It is laquer,as per NCRS, and the laquer paint is shrinking, thereby beginning to show sanding scratches (a common issue with laquer paint).

I will post some pics of that when I do it. Just getting my ducks in a row now...looks like a few drill bits and other odd and end tools will be needed.

Luckily..I kept a old beatup hardtop off one of the three parts cars I've had and used it to experiment with. So far its not very intimidating..but the proof is in the reassembly.

Herb's (firstgear) thread on it has some needed tips like carefully grinding the rivit heads "then" drill the rest of the way after a flat spot is established. Some of the film clips show a guy with a chizel...knocking the rivit heads off. Yea right...that ain't happening! Those suckers are hard...you'd bend the frame for sure.

Installing the rear glass has it's tricks...but I've done quite a bit of glass work, and that's true with all of them, so I don't see much problem for me there.

Stan..

wmf62

Stan
if you are going to Kissimmee, give it to them then, that's the way i sent mine the first time.

this is the box and pallet they provide for shipping (comes broken down... ) Matt flew down and packed it himself...

i have more pix if you decide to ship. came back the same way, wrapped the same way; no damage



Glassworks will completely refurbish a top, including paint, straightening/polishing stainless, new plexiglass, headliner, latches, etc... just depends on your needs and how deep your pockets are

Bill

Stan's Customs

My top doesn't need the complete treatment ..and they are months behind, but I forget how many? Just too many for me if I can handle it myself.

Plus, I'd have to ship from Ft Worh..not likely that I'll get to go back in Florida this soon.

Didn't they do some extra work on yours..and did they bend/tweak the rear part to make it fit the deck?

Stan..

wmf62

the bending/tweaking was necessary because the passenger side quarter window didn't meet the door glass properly.



Matt flew down to see what the problem was and then 'boxed' it up and sent it off to PA to 'tweak'. i have no clue what was done other than it fit when it came back...

the last time they worked on it was when Larry flew down when the back window popped out and he fixed it in John's garage; so far it's staying in place....

there have been a few missteps, but you sure can't complain about their customer service.
Bill

Stan's Customs

Bill..

I've head nothing but praise for Glassworks..no two of these cars are the same anyway. I'm surprised that they get as many to fit without individual fitting as they do..:thumbs.

I may wish I had them do mine if I have fitment issues when I'm done...

Jury's still out...but it would take several months and $1500 (inc. s&h) just to get the rear seal installed..bummer. I need it sooner for paint.

Stan...

Plasticman

Chuck,

Yes they did, but you were responding to a post from 2009 (post was before they came down to fix it)!

John (plasticman)

Pilot Dan

Bill, just curious, how does that door glass look when the soft top is up?
Are those gaps present?? I have played with adjusting the door glass and soft top frame and while they fit nicely, the hard top has that gap (like yours behind the window except worse) and in general took a lot of fussing just to get it on. Back down to the basement with it. Pilot Dan