Completed on september 2000

With the dashboard in place, let's see about the window glass. For four years the pieces have been waiting for me in a corner of the garage -- out into the light with them! First the vent wings, which serve as guide tracks for the door windows, then the rear track of the windows. The lift arms, sector and mounting plate with their electric motor are installed in down position. At this stage the glass is slipped down through its guides, with care to meet the rollers correctly. Time for a test: The window closes and opens, but needs adjusting -- the '57 Imperial windows are curved, a novelty then for production cars, and their adjustment is far from simple. This one wants to go "out" too far, or go "in" not far enough. After several hours, in the course of which the window and  vent wing had to be removed, the up-and-down travel is just right. Over to the passenger side, to go through the same process. Stop for now, we'll take care of the (rear) quarter-windows tomorrow.

Installation of the quarter-window is little different, but now we must see that its meeting with the front door window is watertight. Now we find that the passenger-side window, even adjusted to the maximum, comes inward too far at the top. Nothing to do but drill a new mounting hole for the guide track bracket.

It took a week to get the windows installed, adjusted and functioning as they should. So we could turn to the framework of the convertible top. It had been reassembled several months before, and was waiting on a work-table. Reinstallation began with bolting the brackets of the side rails into the appropriate holes in the body. Then fasten the top bows and header to the side rails, adjust them, and mount the hydraulic actuating cylinders with their electric pump.

Few troubles up to this point, but they begin with regulation of the rails to meet the windshield and side windows. Without the windshield in place, it's useless to adjust the header, which rests on the windshield  inner molding and locks into it. Lateral adjustment can only be done after installation of the roof rails weatherstrips that line the bottom of the rails. Still haven't heard anything from Gary Goers! So we'll have to do without new weatherstrips. Searching the pile of old parts I find the weatherstripping that came off the top long ago, and it's in pretty good shape. With two or three other pieces of old seal I had stored, one good section made from two defective ones, everything cleaned and recemented at the ends, I had a full set in excellent condition. Why wait for a new one?
As one might expect, the idea of a quick rail-to-window adjustment was fanciful. Since the top assembly can only be adjusted in vertical attitude, not laterally, I had to readjust all the windows. It became clear that I'd better get the windshield mounted so all the top and window adjustments could be made at one time. Having forebodings about the windshield job, I called in Bertrand the body man. It turned out that he was even more apprehensive than I. One must first set the windshield weatherstrip in its place on the body, paying attention to the fasteners of the stainless-steel molding at its base. Then the windshield is set in place and the "key" that locks it to weatherstrip is driven home. An hour's work, with several surges of adrenalin on Bertrand's part, saw the splendid original windshield, still with its 1957-58 Valley Forge Military Academy sticker, back in place. Reattachment of the windshield side moldings was easy.

Now, with the windshield ready, I could fine-tune the top. As I noted above, this meant readjusting all four windows for less inward tilt at the top. Several hours, beers and swearwords later, the top assembly (manually operated at this stage) settled properly on the window glass, and looked okay for watertightness (can that ever be perfect in a convertible?) Now suppose we run it with its hydraulic actuators.

The top cylinders are original equipment, repainted. A compressed-air test shows normal response. In a dry run the pump and its motor turn smoothly. At this point I've never seen it work, though, because on dismantling the car at the beginning I found the hoses punctured, and the system empty of hydraulic fluid. I ordered replacement tubes from Kanter three years before so they're at hand. In no time the shiny actuators are fastened in their old station.
As a precaution, links to the top mechanism are left open -- this preliminary test will not be under load. It's a matter of minutes to connect two hoses, screw down six fasteners, and fill the system with fluid. The summer was to begin on this optimistic note. Alas, disillusionment was waiting!

Thanks to Frank L. Peters Jr. from St Louis (Mo)  for the translation ...