Hi, My 2002 camaro needs a new rag top. I glued the back window back into it 2 yrs ago with Rhino glue. Its not leaking or anything yet but I can see the cloth hanging down from the top of the back window. Any advice on what to look for in an interior shop that does these ? Any idea on the cost ?

 

I got a quote a little over a year ago for $1800. That included the top and rear window panels, plus the labor to install. There are not a lot of shops in this area doing this kind of work, so I haven't had the opportunity to get a competitive bid. I thought the price was a little high because I've seen the top and rear panels on Ebay selling around the $400-$500 range. I was told it would take about 10 hours to install, so that meant they were charging around $130 an hour for labor. That seems high for this area.

 

yes i hear there not cheap if you can do the job yourself you may cut that in half

 

I have heard that you want to replace it with actual cloth, not synthetic stuff. I don't know what all goes into it, but from the convertible Z that I got jipped out of buying, it doesn't look fun to remove.

 

You can buy everything you need to do this job for under $500, that is top in a decent material and plastic window, cables and pads.

But,

This is one of those skills that is earned by doing. IMO this is the top rung of interior work and once a guy gets good at it that is normally 80% of what he does all the time. A 5 man shop may have a "top" guy and in many cases he is the owner. The are tons of options on material, some resist sun, some resist wear some look great. It will be all about budget what you want and what the guy doing it likes to work with.

You should leave it to the pros. The last top cost me $1200 but that was in 1998 so $1800 sounds about right. With all labor intense jobs you should price the job at more then one place. Also if you know someone that lives in a depressed area that you could visit the labor can be much cheaper and at a better quality. When I lived back in the sticks I got a quote of $500 labor if I supply the material.

 

Hello, I just purchased a 2002 Camaro convertible last week, the woman who owned it, kept very good care of hers and records ( with the exception of letting her 30ish son borrow it, he screwed up the wiring, installing a radio). She had a brand new heavy black canvas top, with rear glass window w/refog put on it, about 7 months ago, for $750.00.