M & T MANUFACTURING IS AN OLD FASHIONED BUSINESS
We, at M & T Manufacturing Co. of Rhode Island have been manufacturing convertible top specialty items for the industry since 1975. We offer convertible top packages for almost any domestic or foreign convertible for which there are replacement tops. There are many factories making convertible tops. All use the same fabrics. Tops differ primarily in the quality control imposed during the manufacturing process. Accurate cutting, careful seam welding and avoiding of cheap modifications to achieve savings are what distinguish the best tops. We do not sell inferior tops.

We are a "bricks and mortar" business with our wholly owned factory and warehouse in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The Peace Dale township within South Kingstown is where many early textile mills were built and thrived.

This web site is our catalog of convertible tops and related parts. It is also a compendium of information about each and every top that we offer.

CONVERTIBLE TOP FABRICS
Haartz Pinpoint Vinyl is the most popular fabric. This vinyl design is original to most American cars from the fifties to the nineties. Pinpoint refers to the little dots or pips that you see if you look closely at the vinyl surface. European cars, such as the old Beetles and others also used pinpoint vinyl as the topping fabric.

Haartz Stayfast Canvas has a canvas outer layer and a preshrunk cotton inner layer. The two are bonded with and separated by a butyl rubber core. It is this core that makes the fabric last a very long time, with both better static and dynamic wear ratings than vinyl toppings. Haartz Stayfast is the American substitute for the German canvases used in Mercedes, Porsche, BMW, some models of Mustang and Lebaron and others. Canvas is widely regarded as "richer looking" than vinyl. It is a little harder to clean. The inside of the top is pre-shrunk cotton. The inner lining is usually black. If you do not see a canvas top listed for your car, please inquire and we will provide a quotation for it.

Sonnendeck Canvas (also called ‘Twillfast’) is an American made canvas, true double texture topping like the Haartz Stayfast. Many purists who own Mercedes and other German cars want to see the particular German weave (that is called "dobby weave") when they look up inside the car. Haartz Stayfast canvas has a plain (unwoven) inner lining. So for Porsche, Mercedes and BMW owners who will spend a little more in order to see that "dobby" weave we offer a fabric called Sonnendeck (in addition to the original German Sonnenland or Happich canvas. The wear rating of Sonnendeck is also greater than for Haartz, by perhaps 10%. This is due to the slightly heavier inner lining and subtle bonding specification differences.

German Sonnenland Canvas is the original German made canvas used in many Mercedes, Porsche, BMW and other convertibles. It's general construction is very similar to the other two canvases. It is hard to tell the surfaces apart among the three. But the manufacturing specifications make this the longest lasting top. There is an approximate twenty percent greater wear rating for Sonnenland than for Haartz Stayfast. Some of this is due to the abrasion resistance of the exterior canvas. This is a factor in certain tops where the framework design tends to produce friction between the top's surface and the car's hardware. (It is a well known ‘trade secret' that the Haartz Division of Glen Raven Mills purchased the Sonnenland factory.)

Chrysler Sailcloth is featured on many late LeBarons, Sebrings, certain Mustangs and other cars. It is structurally (wear quality) equivalent to the Haartz Pinpoint but has a different surface grain. The grain was designed to imitate the look of canvas. As you can see from the scan of this fabric, it is an exceptionally rich looking material. It is sometimes chosen for replacing convertible tops that originally featured pinpoint vinyl.

Cabrio Grain is also structurally equivalent to the pinpoint. It has a pigskin outer grain vinyl as original to Volkswagen Cabriolets from 1984 onward and to Mazda Miatas and Mercury Capris.

British Bison (also called Colonial Grain) is the American made crush grain vinyl that imitates the much more expensive British Everflex vinyl original to many British convertibles. Color selection is limited. These are often referred to as 'crush grain' or 'leather grain' vinyls. They are structurally equivalent (wear rating) to the pinpoint, cabrio, and sailcloth vinyls.

YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SPECIFY FABRIC COLOR CHOICE DURING CHECKOUT IN AN AMPLE MESSAGE BOX.

CABLES
We recommend replacing the hold down cables if the old ones are suspect. Cables are threaded through the side seams and their purpose is to provide tension to the sides of the top. Old cables can be stretched beyond their original effective length. And they may have snapped or be about to snap. However, old cables can be reused in almost half of all tops that are less than five years old that have had just one prior top.

Some cars, such as the Capri, or the Cavaliers and Sunbirds have two pair of side cables. There is a rear flap that is also held to the frame with cables. We find that these rear flap cables last longer than the main side cables, often through two or more tops. However the Capri rear cables, owing to their design, are usually replaced with each top.

Some cars, such as the Beetle, VW Cabriolet, some Jaguars, etc. use a different kind of tensioning cable that holds the top down tight to the body of the car along its rear belt line. Such cables should be replaced with a new top in most cases.

OTHER TOP ITEMS
Top Pads can often be re-used in a second top. We sell fewer pads than cables. The term “pads” and “webbing” are sometimes used interchangeably in the industry. This is because some webbings are padded and because webbing is sometimes designed to "pad out" the convertible top.

Rear well liners are commonly attached to the back of tops until the sixties. Thereafter when present the well liners were usually independent of the top fabric. Well liners typically last a long time and are likely re-usable.

Tacking Strips are embedded into top frame bows in most cars from 1950 until the mid nineties. They replaced the wooden tacking forms used until about 1948 in American convertible top frames. Incidentally, Mercedes and Volkswagen used wood bows until much later. The old Beetles of 1979 had wood rear top bows. And the 2004 Rolls Royce has wood tacking forms too! Modern convertibles use fewer or no staples to attach the tops. Either plastic escutcheons or glue is used to apply top listings to the frame bows. Tacking strips, where used (usually in the front and rear top bows) usually last for two tops.

BOOTS AND HEADLINERS
We can supply boots for many cars. We stock them for popular cars, such as the Beetle, VW Cabriolet and others where they were original equipment. But most boots are custom made and require two weeks to ship.

We recommend that "boot vinyl" be the fabric of choice for replacement boots. Top fabrics such as pinpoint do not have the flexibility inherent in modern boot vinyl. Please inquire on boots and headliners if not listed. We will quote you and provide fabric information if you inquire.

SHIPPING
Shipping averages $17 for the top with a plastic rear window and $35 for the top with a rear glass window. Cables do not add to shipping charge. Shipping is calculated automatically, by the web site, during checkout if you are within the first 48 states of the USA. Shipping is most often via insured UPS.

If you live outside this region (the first 48 states) you may proceed to checkout; but the site will advise you to await a careful computation of your shipping by a member of our staff. You will be contacted by email with your shipping charges and you will be asked to confirm your order at that time. We do ship all over the world.

Many popular tops are stocked and can be shipped immediately. Please bear in mind that there are thousands of tops to cover all fabrics, colors, years, models, etc. No one can stock them all. Our tops are made the same way whether they are in our warehouse for immediate shipment, or are custom made to fill an order. They are based on original top patterns and incorporate, in almost all cases, original design features.

We have an extensive inventory of other parts, such as hold down cables. Your completed order may arrive in two parts.

Email questions or phone calls are answered personally and with consideration.

WARRANTY AND RETURN INFORMATION
Most of our tops are warrantied for five years against defects in workmanship and in fabric. This is the manufacturer's standard warranty statement. In rare cases where warranty claims are made we facilitate our customer's exchange or refund. We act to provide such service beyond the general specifications of all manufacturer warranty offers. We assign a specific (and identified) person in our company to attend to any customer service issues including warranty claims. Our influence as an industry manufacturer and large warehousing distributor allows us this leverage.

Please note that among the thousands and thousands of tops (make, model, fabric, color, etc.) there are many that are custom made. These are made from original top patterns but are not made in advance like the popular tops. A custom made top may be returned for warranty service of course. But a "change of mind" on a color or other customer choice may result in a restocking fee, or a refusal if the top is not resellable. Please be certain of fabric, color and of course your car's identification. We will pursue all reasonable avenues to solving any of our customers' problems.

IMPORTANT ADVICE
(1) There are about a dozen manufacturers of convertible tops in this country. There is no "Consumer Reports" to rate them and no federal oversight of standards, etc. You have to judge the vendor's experience or go by the advice of their customers.

(2) Almost all manufacturers use Haartz fabrics. They may specify "heaviest weight" or "original replacement" in ways that seem reassuring. But they do not really tell the whole story. Please bear in mind that two things dominate, by far, the quality issue: (a) the manufacturing quality control in the factory that makes the top and (b) the care and thoroughness of the installation. There is a trade-off in weight: heavier is better for resisting tear through, but lighter is better for flexibility and abrasion from within that may arise from movement. Almost all our tops are a flexible medium density (36 oz.) fabric. Heavier is not better in most cases. Where it is, because of the top design, we will say so and the top will be made of the heavier vinyl.

We will be happy to quote you on a "true double texture vinyl" top. This is a pinpoint with a butyl rubber core, like our stayfast. Generally these tops are about 30 percent higher in price than the regular pinpoint version.

(3) Warranties cannot be judged by their time duration alone. "Lifetime" warranties which are subject to the escape clauses such as "normal wear and tear excluded" are really sales gimmicks. Our main manufacturers provide a thorough five year warranty. By virtue of our stature in this industry and the volume that we do, we can assure our customers of excellent warranty service in the rare instances that may be required. We stand by our customers, as we have for over thirty years.

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
We have installation booklets for many of the tops that we carry. If you see an installation booklet listed (as an “accessory”) then it is available specifically for that top. These are written from shop and dealer procedures. We cannot provide consulting services. Also, though we have checked carefully on accuracy and clarity, it is the installer’s responsibility that the job be completed successfully.

Instruction booklets should be used in conjunction with careful notes you make during the removal of the old top.

Most American convertibles made after the forties are of a similar design. They consist of two parts: a "main top" which is the portion from the windshield to the bow above the rear window; and the "rear curtain" which is the rear window and its trim. They are joined during the installation process. Excellent instructions for this job are to be found in the “Guide To Installing Two Part Convertible Tops.” This manual is $5 and is listed on most of the convertible top pages as an accessory. It is not listed where specific shop based guides are available, such as for the Miata (not a two part top).

OUTSIDE INSTALLERS
If you decide to "hire out" the job:
Go to your yellow pages. Look under "automobile seat covers, upholstery and tops." Select a couple of shops and visit or call them. You want to determine that is their policy to provide installation service on tops that are not purchased from the shop.

Many shops are dealers themselves and represent a top manufacturer and will not want to sacrifice this re-sale aspect of their profit. Be wary of any shop that disparages a product that it does not carry. Although it is true that quality can vary, no company should use "scare tactics" to get your business.

ORDERING INFORMATION
If you wish to place an order with us you can do it securely on this web site. Or you can
(1) Call 800-999-2892 between 9 and 5 eastern time monday through friday. We accept VISA, MASTERCARD and AMERICAN EXPRESS cards.
(2) Fax us at 401-789-5650. This is a 24 hour fax line which is located in the sales office and is not accessible to any unauthorized personnel. It is secure.
(3) You can enclose payment and remit to: