Is there a manual override on a 1963 Imperial convertible top ?

C

craig440

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Hello
I am a new member and want to say hello to all members! I am a life long Mopar guy.
I look forward to learning and participating in this forum.
I enjoy working on and driving them.
I am looking at a 63 imperial convertible and the top will not go up due to an unknown mechanical or electrical issue. I have never dealt with a convertible before. Is there a manual override to allow me to put the top up? It made me wonder how a person would put a top up when there might be a dead battery.
Any feedback will be much appreciated.
 
No there is not an override. Perhaps you can find a factory service manual online before you consider buying the car. The motor should make noise and its in the middle of the back seat area.
 
No manual override, does it make any noise at all in either direction?
 
you can disconnect the hydraulic pistons from the top and then you can raise or lower the top manually.
better get a friend to help, 1 person can do it but you have to stand on your back seat to do it.......... :eek:
 
First if the motor runs in both positions of the top switch, check the well for the cylinders on each side for obstructions such as beer cans etc and remove any other debris that may be blocking the mechanism. Check the fluid level in the pump reservoir and add fluid if necessary and try the top to see if it will function properly. You may need to bleed the fluid lines and the cylinders if the unit was very low on fluid. FSM gives detailed instructions on how to do that. Down load for free at www.mymopar.com. You will find the FSM in Tools/Reference section from the home page.

If the pump motor only runs in one direction, if the top will go either up or down but not go the other way, it will likely be a problem with the top switch. I am thinking that the terminals inside the switch are corroded or burnt. The operation of the pump motor is reversed by changing the direction of the power going into it so if the motor functions one way, it should work the other way. You can test the motor and pump fairly easily. You need to remove the rear seat top and bottom to expose the motor. once that is done, there is a two wire plug that supplies power to the motor. (Some motors also have a ground wire that is hooked to the motor case) Take a 12v battery and hook the negative cable to ground on the car frame. Briefly run a test lead from the positive battery terminal to the red wire on the plug going to the motor. The motor should run and start to move the top mechanism. Now run the test wire to the other terminal, usually yellow, on the motor plug and the motor should run in the opposite direction. If this test works as noted, the motor is usually good. Do these tests and report back.

Dave
 
Thank you for all the responses. I inspected the car yesterday that I am considering purchasing. With Key on, rotating the "Top" switch for up or down, I did not hear any noise. May be as simple as a bad switch, but am trying to learn about the mechanics and wiring of this model. I will be report back any progress. Thanks. If I buy the car, I will send some pics. It is a good driver quality car.
 
IIRC, the top switch gets its power from the ammeter gauge.
As a test, run a jumper wire from the battery to the switch and see if it works.
If yes it works,ammeter gauge is no good.
If the top does not work,then run jumper wire from battery to the top's motor/pump..
If still no go then the top's motor is probably locked up from sitting.
Hope this helps
 
It's a pretty basic system, not much to go wrong. This one sounds like an electrical issue. Disconnecting the top of the lift cylinders will allow for manual operation, as mentioned.
Don't let the top issue keep you from a nice car, it's just a great negotiation factor.
 
Thank you for all the replies.
I bought the car Friday :)
I will report back findings after the snow melts and I can transport the car to my house.
 
I drove the car home while there was a fair weather day . Snowed the next day! Now I can start fixing things! Thx all for the input so far!

20200228_160306.jpg
 
lovely car, lets see some more pics !
im curious to see what the front seats are from, doesnt look original to me
 
you are observant! Not sure what seats are from, but I did get the original bench seat as a core to work with. My plan is to get that original seat back in the car. I need to get some quotes from local Spokane or Coeur d'Alene shops to match the back seat. When I get more pics, I will post. Thanks
 
And if anyone can assist with a contact for original Seatbelts, there are no front belts . I need to dig in the backseat to see if there are any in back.

Regards
Craig
 
craig440 said:
And if anyone can assist with a contact for original Seatbelts, there are no front belts . I need to dig in the backseat to see if there are any in back.

Regards
Craig
Click to expand...
Originals in a '63, when they were not required? That will be hard to do. I put seat-belts in my '62 New Yorker, bought them at a Rod Show. The holes for them will be pre-drilled and tapped. You will need to remove the rubber plug to put in the belts.
 
I pulled the back seat out and discovered that the pump motor is not OEM. It is a 2 wire motor with a dc reverser module cut into the wiring harness. Power across motor case (gnd), then either wire, nothing. power across the two leads, big spark. No motor movement. Looks like I will have some fun sorting out the work that was done. So much for easy diagnosis/swap :)
 
Wow what a stunner! Congratulations!:thumbsup::thumbsup:


From this distance the seats look like they're from my '79 300. Are there chrome buckles on the seat bottoms and the backs?
 
craig440 said:
I pulled the back seat out and discovered that the pump motor is not OEM. It is a 2 wire motor with a dc reverser module cut into the wiring harness. Power across motor case (gnd), then either wire, nothing. power across the two leads, big spark. No motor movement. Looks like I will have some fun sorting out the work that was done. So much for easy diagnosis/swap :)
Click to expand...

1960 1961 1962 1963 Plymouth Dodge Convertible Top Pump, Hose, Cylinder Kit-NEW | eBay3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649
s-l1600.jpg

Click on the link for the "store" to find what you need.

A FSM will have the wiring diagram for the feed to the motor.
 
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