Rust Problem

[Deepdale Lad]

I Have purchased a 1975 Stag, complete with hardtop. Both the catches by the driver's and passenger's doors are seized solid. Being new to this, I would appreciate any suggestion as to how I get the hardtop off with minimal damage to the main body of the car. Trevor

[mole42]

The catches you mention don’t do a lot, they only fasten into the shiny trim at the bottom of the ‘B’ post. Those trims are fastened to the body with two ¼” UNF studs through a return in the rear wing top, or maybe the side trim support rail, I don’t remember which. It may be possible to remove the rear seat side trims and undo the nuts to unfasten the trims, a bit of judicious levering might free the trim. Once the hardtop is off, careful work with a rust-dissolver (NOT WD-40 please) should get you back in action.