Installing a Ragtop Clip

Here was my clip before I started cleaning it up.  Now to set it in place...

I built the brace out of 2 x 4's and used a small floor jack to secure it in place.  I spent a lot of time
making sure the location of the clip was correct.  They say, "measure twice, cut once" try measure 200
times, cut once for me.  I was determined not to be fixing any errors later.

Once the clip is in place, you scribe out the inside of the top to the roof.  Then remove the
top and mark a 1/4 line outside of the scribe line.  This is the line you cut.

After hooking up the body saw and taking a deep breath, I cut it out.  All the time spent
measuring payed off.  It came out perfect!  I don't think I could have centered it any
better if I tried.

Once the top is in place and clamped down, the welding starts.  The front of the top is one
solid weld.  However, it must be done about an inch at a time to avoid warping the steel.  I
kept the weld far apart and allowed plenty of time for the steel to cool.  The result was very
little warping.  The sides and back are spot welded.  I drilled holes every two inches or so and
then filled them in.  All welding was done with a Millermatic Mig Welder.

Welds ground down

A "clip" is a section of roof cut off another beetle that has been damaged.  If you can find one,
they are usually cut off at the posts.  All you need to graft one in is about an inch of material
around the sunroof opening.  There are a few after market rag tops out there, but I feel the
quality is poor.  Besides, installing an original sunroof leaves you with original parts that are
replaceable.  If your after market sunroof manufacturer goes out of business, you're in trouble.  I
followed the instructions from an article in the June 1998 addition of VW Trends.  This addition
is out of print so if you can't find it I'll e-mail you a copy.

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