Need some help with aquiring/improvising top frame parts

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R2.0
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Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:57 am
Car: 1993 240SX Convertible

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Recently acquired a 93 240sx convertible for my daughter. It's in pretty good shape except for some things we knew about, and one that just happened (we think).

Last night she tried to close the top and it wouldn't close all the way. Opened it back up halfway and saw what happened. Don't have pics, but the following is a parts diagram and I'll refer to that.

Image

Apparently what happened is that the link on Assembly K8633 got loose because the pin holding it to the side rail got loose and dropped out. When that happened, the arm on the 2nd Bow (K8634) hopped off it's guide pin and got bent. REALLY bent. As in, didn't recognize it when I first saw it bent.

So a few questions:
1) Is there a reasonable substitute for the pin that dropped out? I could pull it from the other side and go to the hardware store, but I'm afraid I might not be able to get it back in - it's tight at that location.
2) Since the bows are unobtainium, it looks like I need to troll the junkyards and EBay. But in the meantime, is it feasible to simply bend the thing back into semi-flatness with various vice grips and other implements of destruction?

Thanks in advance - I'm sure you will be hearing more from me as my daughter and I find out just how deep in a poke this pig really is.


Lord Umoja
Posts: 126
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2012 1:23 pm
Car: 1993 240SX 'Vert
Location: Red Lion PA
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The bars appear to be steel so I would be very concerned about the strength of the part after you bend it back into shape....

That being said, the bar is useless in its bent condition correct? So it is either bend it back and try using the top until you get a replacement, or not use the car until you get a replacement.

If you have the time, I would recommend bending it back into shape and then taking it to a metal fabrication shop and getting a quote on them producing a copy. If you have the technical skills for metal fabrication, you may be able to do this yourself. If you are still working on this let me know and I will see if I can get some more information from a contact at ASC about what that part was made from.

As for the pin, can you locate the pin that fell out? If so, take some measurements on it and check to see if McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com) has something similar. I cannot make out from the diagram above, but how is the pin held in place.

R2.0
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:57 am
Car: 1993 240SX Convertible

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Lord Umoja wrote:The bars appear to be steel so I would be very concerned about the strength of the part after you bend it back into shape....

That being said, the bar is useless in its bent condition correct? So it is either bend it back and try using the top until you get a replacement, or not use the car until you get a replacement.

If you have the time, I would recommend bending it back into shape and then taking it to a metal fabrication shop and getting a quote on them producing a copy. If you have the technical skills for metal fabrication, you may be able to do this yourself. If you are still working on this let me know and I will see if I can get some more information from a contact at ASC about what that part was made from.
The main issue is that the arm is attached to the bow by 2 rivets, which I *really* would prefer not to drill out. Steel is actually pretty forgiving when it comes to reshaping as long as one doesn't work too fast. I can get it roughly back into shape with a couple of pairs of vice grips while it is still on the car, but it certainly won't be flat and square.
As for the pin, can you locate the pin that fell out? If so, take some measurements on it and check to see if McMaster-Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com) has something similar. I cannot make out from the diagram above, but how is the pin held in place.
The pin is a shoulder style pin, with a thin flat head, a large diameter section next that fits in teh hole in the link, a smaller diameter section that fits in the hole in the frame, and then an e-clip. Best guess is the e-clip popped off and the rest of the pin fell down into the body. I could pull the corresponding pin from the other side, but that runs the risk of losing 2 pins and not just one.

Lord Umoja
Posts: 126
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2012 1:23 pm
Car: 1993 240SX 'Vert
Location: Red Lion PA
Contact:

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Ok that makes more sense. I will take a look at my car over my lunch break tomorrow if the weather is ok and see if I can figure anything helpful out.

R2.0
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:57 am
Car: 1993 240SX Convertible

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Thanks.

R2.0
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:57 am
Car: 1993 240SX Convertible

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Just an update - I found a salvage yard that not only had a vert, by=ut was willing to part out the frame! Only issue is that they sent me way more than I needed, but missed the crucial part - the bent arm. I think that was due to the diagram being misleading and showing the bow with the arms laid flat - they are vertical when the top is partly raised. But the guy at the yard is really cool and I'm sending him another, more fully annotated sketch. Assuming all goes well I'll post his info.

Lord Umoja
Posts: 126
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2012 1:23 pm
Car: 1993 240SX 'Vert
Location: Red Lion PA
Contact:

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Congrats! I'm sorry I couldn't get out at lunch to take a know ok at mine. Keep us posted.

R2.0
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:57 am
Car: 1993 240SX Convertible

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Salvage yard hooked me up. I contacted them and they sent out the part that was missing gratis! Wirthman Brothers in Ohio. http://www.wirthmanauto.com/


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