Fully Covers Original 1960-1972 VW Beetle Convertible Top Removal and Installation
This easy-to-read 46-page top install guide offers step-by-step instructions on the removal and installation of your Beetle convertible top, headliner, pads, rear window, and top seals. It's the equivalent of 10 videos in one compact book! We highly recommend this guide to all do-it-yourselfers.
Note for 73 and later convertibles: This booklet will be incomplete primarily at the front bow which was changed to steel instead of wood in 1973. However we feel that this booklet in conjunction with observations made during removal of the 73 and later convertible top is the best convertible top installation guide available.
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Helping You Restore Your Volkswagen Beetle
At M&T Mfg, we have been serving Volkswagen Beetle restorers since 1975.Along with selling parts and accessories for your VW Bug, we are committed to educating you about caring for and restoring your Volkswagen Beetle. We sell a variety of how-to guides that will help you repair your own Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. By empowering you to repair your own Volkwagen, we can help you save on costly Volkswagen restoration labor.
Looking to repair your VW Beetle? Installing new seat covers? VW upholstery? A convertible top? Not sure if you are qualified to handle mechanical and/or body work on your Beetle? Our guides are the most popular guides on the market. They can help you master all kinds of Volkswagen repairs and upgrades. These guides will hold your hand through numerous types of mechanical and bodywork on your Volkswagen Bug.
M&T Mfg Recommends:
Classic Volkswagen owners are always asking us about do-it-yourself installation and repairs. And so we offer a host of guides that will help you fix, repair, and restore your classic VW Beetle or Karmann Ghia.The best all around Beetle restoration guide is the Haynes Restoration Manual Beetle & Transporter by Lindsay Porter. It is a complete guide, including advice on buying a Beetle, bodywork, mechanics, interiors, electrical work and other procedures.
If you are a serious convertible restorer, consider the well illustrated Volkswagen Official Service Manual, which offers a step-by-step guide to a complete top restoration. Although it does not fully cover 1959 and earlier, or 1973 and later, the work is very similar and this manual will still be very useful for all years. Want to know how to cut and install horsehair padding? Fully covered. Ditto for all wood bows, headliner, top seals, etc. The guide is 46 pages long.
Can I Install a Beetle Top Myself?
This restoration has been performed successfully by many of our customers, including first time installers, by self confident, patient persons. There is no sewing involved. There is alignment and contact cement work, and stapling or tacking to wood forms, and some pop rivet work (rivets can be changed to self tapping sheet metal screws.)At the end of the job there is a "rope in" window installation which can be done at any automotive glass shop for less than an hour labor charge.
Wood bows can be installed by any handy owner. Do not use plastic bows (so called "wood replacement bows")! Once the frame and wood are ready the upholstery begins. This is covered fairly thoroughly in the convertible top guides listed on this page.