1/4 cloth top for 99 Eldorado
#1
07-12-2006, 12:26 PM
1/4 cloth top for 99 Eldorado
Hi,
I was thinking of putting on a 1/4 cloth top on my white 99 Eldorado.
1. What are the known problems with these? I heard that rust can build up underneath, is this true?
2. And do they have to drill into the roof and if so, what if someday I decide I don't want the 1/4 top anymore, will the roof be pockmarked with holes from where the softop was attached?
3. What will this cost me and what's a good place to get it done? Should I go to the Cadillac dealer or have some other independent workshop do it? More specifically, can somebody recommed a good place in Connecticut to get this done? And is a 1/4 top cheaper than a full convertible-like top?
I was thinking of putting on a 1/4 cloth top on my white 99 Eldorado.
1. What are the known problems with these? I heard that rust can build up underneath, is this true?
2. And do they have to drill into the roof and if so, what if someday I decide I don't want the 1/4 top anymore, will the roof be pockmarked with holes from where the softop was attached?
3. What will this cost me and what's a good place to get it done? Should I go to the Cadillac dealer or have some other independent workshop do it? More specifically, can somebody recommed a good place in Connecticut to get this done? And is a 1/4 top cheaper than a full convertible-like top?
#2
10-04-2006, 02:58 PM
RE: 1/4 cloth top for 99 Eldorado
I know you posted a while ago but you got no replies so I'll reply...
The CUSTOM TOP that you are referring to is permanent, not a temporary thing. The aftermarket company that will do that is going to add a hard shell that is secured to the car and holds the top material in place so there will be holes added. Note that the 80's and 70's Eldo's with tops were done at an aftermarket sunroof company in Detroit. Cadillac did not do the Carriage style roofs in house. Once you add the top, it's with you for worse or better. If you were to decide to take it off, it would require that the car essentially be repainted and any markings or holes patched.
What's it cost...WOW That would be around $1,500.00 - $3,000.00 or more depending on who was doing it and which kit they used. The dealer will not do a top, they send it out. E&G Classics is the company that makes the most common aftermarket tops for the Eldo, but you could find a local shop that would do something custom...get ready to pay for that. Tops are best fitted to the car when NEW. It seems crazy to spend $2,000.00 for a custom top on a car that is probably worth maybe $10k or so? I was going to have a velvet top done on my 98 CATERA but they want $3,000.00 to do that and the car is really not worth more than $3,500.00. A top WILL NOT add resale value to the car to the degree that it would warrant its addition. Now, if you plan on keeping the car for ever and ever, GO FOR IT!
On a side note, I had a 90 Eldorado Biarritz that had the Landau style carriage roof that came from the company Cadillac would send the cars out to for Sunroofs and tops in Michigan. It had the nice aluminum trim all around with opera lights. When it was time to redo the top (they do deteriorate with age) I could not find anyone to repair it as they advised that they could not get the trim to fit around the NEW top like the original did. This is because the company that Cadillac had do the top originally used a special vinyl that was form fitted to a custom shell to make the installation faster and would allow for indentations to support the fancy trim. I found one guy that would do a cloth top so that the trim could still fit, but he was talking about $3,500.00 to start. If you do a top, avoid complex trim and finish as you may have issues getting it replaced or repaired in the future.
Another example, my Sister-n-law had an 84 Sedan De Ville with a full carriage style vinyl roof. She just had it replaced identical to the factory vinyl with same stitching pattern and fit. That job set her back $900.00 as it was a simple, no opera lights or fancy trim job and they were able to use the existing shell. The car is maybe worth $500-$700 so it was still over kill.
I still feel that a TOP is best done when the car is NEW...Anyplace that says they can do it for less than $850.00 I would avoide.
Best of luck,
joey1127
The CUSTOM TOP that you are referring to is permanent, not a temporary thing. The aftermarket company that will do that is going to add a hard shell that is secured to the car and holds the top material in place so there will be holes added. Note that the 80's and 70's Eldo's with tops were done at an aftermarket sunroof company in Detroit. Cadillac did not do the Carriage style roofs in house. Once you add the top, it's with you for worse or better. If you were to decide to take it off, it would require that the car essentially be repainted and any markings or holes patched.
What's it cost...WOW That would be around $1,500.00 - $3,000.00 or more depending on who was doing it and which kit they used. The dealer will not do a top, they send it out. E&G Classics is the company that makes the most common aftermarket tops for the Eldo, but you could find a local shop that would do something custom...get ready to pay for that. Tops are best fitted to the car when NEW. It seems crazy to spend $2,000.00 for a custom top on a car that is probably worth maybe $10k or so? I was going to have a velvet top done on my 98 CATERA but they want $3,000.00 to do that and the car is really not worth more than $3,500.00. A top WILL NOT add resale value to the car to the degree that it would warrant its addition. Now, if you plan on keeping the car for ever and ever, GO FOR IT!
On a side note, I had a 90 Eldorado Biarritz that had the Landau style carriage roof that came from the company Cadillac would send the cars out to for Sunroofs and tops in Michigan. It had the nice aluminum trim all around with opera lights. When it was time to redo the top (they do deteriorate with age) I could not find anyone to repair it as they advised that they could not get the trim to fit around the NEW top like the original did. This is because the company that Cadillac had do the top originally used a special vinyl that was form fitted to a custom shell to make the installation faster and would allow for indentations to support the fancy trim. I found one guy that would do a cloth top so that the trim could still fit, but he was talking about $3,500.00 to start. If you do a top, avoid complex trim and finish as you may have issues getting it replaced or repaired in the future.
Another example, my Sister-n-law had an 84 Sedan De Ville with a full carriage style vinyl roof. She just had it replaced identical to the factory vinyl with same stitching pattern and fit. That job set her back $900.00 as it was a simple, no opera lights or fancy trim job and they were able to use the existing shell. The car is maybe worth $500-$700 so it was still over kill.
I still feel that a TOP is best done when the car is NEW...Anyplace that says they can do it for less than $850.00 I would avoide.
Best of luck,
joey1127
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