today i got my newly painted pearl white hardtop (saddle interior)back from the painter (boy is it nice) and when i tried to put it on, the rear pull down would not pull the hardtop down in the back. it pulls the softtop down but not the hard top.what is wrong. where can i get instructions on installing the hardtop.i have been told i need a svc manual and that may be true but i need info(help) now.

 

Underside of the cover, the soft top cover, there are TWO switches.
One of them is the manual PULL-DOWN, the other releases the cover.

Play with the one that cycles the pull down and that should do the job.
If it doesnt, test it w/o the top or test it with your SOFT TOP.
IF it works ok with the soft top then we probably have a grounding issue.

Remove the hook from the hard top, clean the mount and try again.
i believe the hook is part of the electrical circuit.

If it doesnt work no matter what, you got a repair on your hands.
let me know.

 

thanks stealth.i will try that saturday.the top went back to the painter this morning because i just noticed a couple of chips in the paint under the front edge.when i brought it back my painter said "someone hadkicked it and it slid down a couple of inches and he didn't notice it when he checked it".needless to say i told him to leave it on the stand he has until i come to get it and don't under any cir***stances set it on end.i will pick it up friday after work.

 

if you wanted to, you can check that pull down switch before you even go and get the top.

 

I posted a two paragraph reply to your problem on Allante net which seems to have been deleted. Before you do anything, find that electric rocker switch under the console behind the drivers seat and make sure it is "driving" the pull-down motor up and down. That switch was made to be used with the hard-top operation which will "NOT" work as the soft top does. If the motor is not working with this switch you don't have a cable problem.

 

hey, i just found in my owners manual on page 105, the instructions for installing the hardtop.i didn't see it before when i went through the manual. i know what i did wrong now.i didn't use the pulldown switch under the cover lid to pull down the hardtop. i will try again when my top comes back this weekend.thanks to all

 

There you go. And no one even flamed you. See how nice we are?

BTW, I do highly recommend you do buy the Factory Service Manual if you are keeping the car.
$25 to $60, best $$ you will spend.

lol

 

whew,lucky me.

 

picked up my hardtop this morning and all went well.i brought it home and with the help of my son mounted it on my allante.the pulldown switch worked as it was supposed to and with a little adjustment the top latched down fine ( the 2 bolt method $2.50) .i then proceeded to drive the beast. the first maybe 2 miles the top creeked and rattled and made noises but then it was like it finally foundit's fit and it stopped creeking and rattling. i am going to take it off friday to put some weatherstrips around the rear side of the top where it meets the boot and at the fake window corners at the top.i hope that will stop water intrusion.it looks very good and thewhite pearl color match is damn near perfect.i would like tosay "thank you" to all the forum members( you know who you are)that helped make my top a reality.

 

On my 1990 Allante, the soft top pull down motor works fine, but I noticed that on the hard top, the hook was broken off. (Probably part of the problem I had with the motor which I replaced) So I fabricated another hook ($69 for a hook??!!) threaded the end and installed it. I used the rocker switch to bring the moor jaws back up, (they were open) but when I drop the hook into the jaws, they do't close, so the pull down doesn't engage and pull the back of the hard top down!

Could the problem be the cable that opens the pull down motor jaws? I tried to push the back of the top down hard to close the jaws, but they won't close.
Now I'm worried that if I do get it to close, I won't be able to open them back up t


o use the soft top. Any ideas?
Is it possible that I didn't make the hook long enough? How much should the hook protrude from the hard top bottom?