I'm here in SF as well. But as to fixing the slash, here's what I
learned watching a guy in a top shop.

1. Clean the inner surface as much as possible.

2. Get a piece of matching top material and cut to overlap the slash
at least two inches in each direction.

3. Spray the the area inside of the top that will be accepting the
repair piece with industrial strength contact cement--not sure what
they use but call up a top shop. Spray the shiney side of the repair
piece. Wait till it sets up.

4. Apply the piece to the slashed area--shiney side or whatever up.
Pull the edges as close to gether as possible. If you've let things
tack up correctly, this should be difficult, but not impossible.

5. Use clear silicone to fill in the slash on top after the whole
thing dries.

This has held for two years on my top and it's not all that ugly
(especially when the top is down!)

If the slash is small enough, just the clear silicone will do fine but
you'll need to figure out a way to support the edges.

I've also seen tops stiched and siliconed.


City rules:

Never lock the car.

Never leave anything in the car though now days I leave few cents
there so some drug user who opens the door doesn't get ****ed and
well, **** on things. But only when I leave the windows open.

Leave the windows down when you know it won't be foggy, moist or
raining (okay, that's not a lot of the time in SF--depending on your
neighborhood.)

If you have a mechanical trunk release, detach the cable. You'll have
to remove the center console to do this. I can do it in less than 2
minutes now thanks to a propensity for locking my keys in the trunk.
With the mechanical release detached you can leave stuff in the trunk
with a fair amount of safety.





On Fri, 22 Oct 2004 05:39:57 GMT, "Art McGinn"
> wrote:

> i forgot to mention windy, like all the time. a lot of back yards in some
>areas are virtually useless due to perpetual and even chilly wind. irish
>coffee helps. art
>
>
>
>"Art McGinn" > wrote in message
link.net...
>> ironically, s.f. isn't much of a convertible town (cool and foggy much
>of
>> the time) but on a perfect day, it's to die for with the top down. the
>> general region, however, especially along the ocean and most other
>gorgeous
>> areas, is very much convertible and motorcycle country. art
>>
>>
>>
>> "Col:" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 16:55:05 GMT, "Art McGinn" >
>> wrote:
>> >
>> > > per an earlier post, the repair of a convertible top slashed by a
>radio
>> > >thief -- using elmer's stix-all adhesive, commonly available (like at
>> > >walgreen's for about $6.00 a tube) -- passed its first serious storm
>> test
>> > >by holding-up very well. if this stuff works, and it seems to, it saves
>> > >about $1,200, the cost of replacing the top. we know because we
>replaced
>> the
>> > >top the last time it happened. the adhesive has been successfully
>> "holding"
>> > >a patch of vinyl convertible-top material obtained from a auto
>> > >upholstery/top shop. most glues seem to wilt under heat from the sun or
>> > >give-way in other ways. this stuff, which goes on gloppy and dries that
>> way,
>> > >has held up under both heat and rain. we're still looking for a
>> > >reasonably-priced hard top but these seem not to exist. and in fact, we
>> now
>> > >may not need one. cheers, art mcginn, '91, san francisco
>> > >
>> >
>> > It never rains in San Francisco does it ? Why do you need a top ? .
>> > --
>> >
>> > Col
>> >
>> > Col's law.
>> > Thinly sliced cabbage..
>>
>>
>