Convertible top wireless remote

[RMAENV]

Not to be the guy to spoil the party, but.... I spent a winter in the garage getting my top to work correctly and consistently. In speaking with a friend with a lot of experience with 60's Lincolns and Lincoln convertibles along with 25+ years with the local electric company, at his suggestion, I always start the car before I operate any of the electrical accessories.

I know I have and a lot of you probably have or will be replacing or rebuilding relays and switches due to the major amp draw and battery voltage drop from the top or any other electrical accessory. This past winter he noted all of the black that showed on my power seat switch contacts from the low voltage when we rebuilt it. He pointed out to me that this comes from low voltage. Also, I had to change the relay this past winter for the window drop in the B pillar because I burnt it up having the doors open playing with the front seat and seat switch and didn't disconnect the battery.

For me, unless it is an emergency I prefer to start the car and keep the volts up and not burning anything up. I do realize I am giving up being a little bit of the extra kool effect. BTW I am running a 1 year old Group 31 Motorcraft battery with 1050 CCA @32 degrees and 950 CCA @ 0.

[Sal]

The functionality of the factory switch remains the same..I can operate the top from the remote or the dashboard switch.
Cheers, Sal

[El__Quijote]

Mmmmm, now it becomes a true dilemma...
The "kool effect" as RMAENV mentions is something I do want and am looking for, hence the interest on the remote... And, I do have the car in Las Vegas, where the "kool effect" gets amplified with the crowds...
However, this car is my baby, and I want things done right and don't want to damage it just for the remote capabilities...
I'm going to have to read up a lot more on the damaging effects of running electrics while the car is not running and see how much damage, and over how long of a period this happens... If it is something that will happen over the period of many years, it may not necessarily be only due to the top functioning while the car is off. However, if this will cause my relays to burn-up within a year, it is definitely not worth it.
Those that have the remote (Sal, thanks for answering the question about the factory switch also), have you had issues with relay/switches due to carbon build-up since you installed the remotes??? I mean, these cars are over 50 years old, the relays and switches do need to get replaced/rebuilt at some point over that period of time. But if they fail again shortly after the remote installation, yes we can blame it on that, otherwise, it may just have been that its time to be rebuilt was due...

[RMAENV]

El Quijote,

Many years ago (1972) I had a friend who was a trained Chevrolet mechanic who basically said the same thing. When I got my factory fresh Chevelle SS big block he absolutely freaked at me when I started the car and had left the radio on from the last time I shut the car off. Now we are talking about transistors back then, but he explained to me that the power serge when starting the car and then the voltage drop as the battery weakened from starting did more damage to the electrical components than anything else.

To this day I shut the radio off and any and all power accessories I can before I shut the car off. Any of my cars new or old. Needless to say, I never blew up a factory radio in any of my cars and really don't have a whole lot of electrical issues with them.

The craziness I went through with my Lincoln turn signals when I bought the car was the same deal. Hands that didn't belong on the car, an aftermarket radio and the wrongs hands spicing into wires that he didn't understand what he was doing drove me nuts trying to get them working properly. The solution, a factory AM/FM and putting the wiring back to factory original along with replacing the relay he burnt solved the problem. But !!!, it was weeks of tracing wires and time on this board to get it fixed.

Years ago I enjoyed both the "chase" to get it fixed and didn't mind doing it and then driving it. Today, I don't get the enjoyment in having to fix it. I would rather be driving and enjoying it. I am 60. These cars had the "kool factor" built into them over 45 year ago based on what is available today. Not to say more can't be added, but what they were from the factory gets enough attention for me.

I really wish John Cashman or Dan or Barry would chime in on what I said about the power surges, amp draws, and voltage drops. I am very far from the expert and really consider myself electrical novice and closer to electrically ignorant then having electrical savy.

[El__Quijote]

Rob,

Thank you so much for your detailed and honest reply.
I completely understand what you mean by having gone through craziness trying to get the car up to decent driving conditions. I've owned my '62 LCC since Christmas 2010 and I've been having plenty of issues with it. After a lot of work, and money, being spent getting everything done right and back to the way it should be, my wife and I had our first uneventful night out with the car two weeks ago; yes, two weeks ago has been the first time I've been able to enjoy my drive in the car.
Unlike you, I have not enjoyed the "chase" to get everything right in order to get to a driving condition, since there's been too many flat-bed tow trucks involved in the process and/or waiting for the engine to cool down to fix the vapor-lock issue long enough to get back home.
I definitely want to enjoy driving it, and I don't want to be the one who gets in the way of accomplishing that goal.
Thanks for talking some sense into me... The car, you're right, is already cool as it is.
At least for now, I'm not going to get risk any more problems, and I'll let it be as it is.
Thanks again for your input.

~ Miguel

[Sal]

No issues with the top at all using the remote with engine off.

Cheers, Sal

[Dan Szwarc]

Being able to open the trunk with the remote without fumbling for a key or getting into the car is great. John installed one of his kits in my 66 and I love it. It has great range and makes lowering the top an easy affair. I have to tuck the top and futz with it while I goes down, and being able to do that with a transmitter in hand is so much better than needing a helper or holding a key.

[John Cashman]

Sorry I haven't read this post lately... Here is my spin... I've installed probably 60 of these units and I caution the customer that the remote is good for 2 cycles of the top before the battery needs to be 'topped off' (car started) now this is assuming they have a good heavy battery to start with, either a group 27 or 29. It is primarily a convience thing and fun at shows. Sure makes my work easier if I'm troubleshooting a car and no one is around to work the top switch with me in the trunk! As far as having a switch that would be a 'one hit' to put the top down it dosent exist... After all what would shut it off when the cycle is complete? I guess it could be engineered but the kind we've got now seems to be enough... Plus at a show maybe you want to stop it at a certain phase. I sell them for $250.00 installed or $210.00 VIA priority mail with instructions. (813)390-1950 to get yours.Oh, one moe thought... There are some units on the internet that don't deliver the 7-10
Amps needed to trigger the up/dn circuits... Buyer beware, as usual!

[Topside64]

cool! thanks John. this is noted and on my must have list. (once I get the top going manually anyways)

[ConTONental]

El__Quijote...

You and I must have the same curse for our Lincolns!! I've been restoring mine for the last 3 years and every time I make a repair (or have one done), the very next week something else takes a crap on me. I have had the car towed 13 times, at $65 a pop. I got my radiator fixed last week, put it in and drove around the block a few times and all was well. When I took the car out of the garage yesterday and tried to put the top down, the drivers side hydraulic cylinder for the top literally ripped off of the car, it busted the welds and shot the bracket into my back seat and tore a hydraulic line in the process so all the fluid poured into my trunk and behind the back seat. This is the 9th week in a row that something "new" has gone wrong with that car. I just want to drive it, so i cleaned up the mess, limped the top into the trunk and put the deck lid down. I laughed to my wife that it is now a "permanent convertible" so she named it "Pervertible" (fyi...I'm an IPS Officer that supervises Sex Offenders, not an actual pervert!!). Sometimes you just have to laugh it off, and go for a ride anyway.

[kevlemo]

I've been selling these for about a year now and customers love them! It is EZ 4 wire hook up... Power, ground, top up, and top down. I install them in the trunk area near the relays and it takes about 5 minutes tops. I just splice into the top up/down wires at the plug near the relays.My installation is always powered regardless of key position. I caution people not to over-do it and drain the battery! Beware of cheap Chinese remotes on the internet... It takes about 8-10 amps to power the top circuit. Yes I get them wholesale from Griff at the Birds Nest.

Sounds like something to put on the list for the next time you're down here in South Florida! Will we be seeing you this winter?

[El__Quijote]

ConTONental,
You're absolutely right, we have the same curse... I have had ONE, ONLY ONE time out in the Lincoln where I haven't had to get towed back, or had to wait until it cooled down to bring it straight home. However, I have been putting a lot of money, effort, and love into it and I think all of that is about to pay back. I think I am FINALLY at the point where I can start driving and enjoying it. I do know that I will still have problems from time to time; that happens with these old cars, and it happens with the new ones too, I have had to call for a tow in just about every car I've ever owned (mainly transmission problems, I've replaced transmissions in 3 different cars so far), so it is not isolated to the Lincoln. However, the Lincoln truly is the most enjoyable car I've ever driven.

John,
If you happen to be planning a drive through Nevada, specifically Las Vegas, please let me know. I'm not having any issues with the top right now, but I've never had it checked out or inspected to ensure everything is ok with it. Sooner or later something will go wrong with it, that's the way life is, so I'd rather do preventive maintenance than wait until it does go wrong and have it catch me at the wrong time/place. I don't even know what type of fluid is running through the top system. Now, while you're checking it out and making sure it is in tip-top (pun intended) shape, I'll probably have you put the remote system in it. Not sure how often I'll use it, but it may help when I need to use the trunk, rather than walking back and forth and, I'll have it for those situations when I do want it, and it will be installed by a true Lincoln expert.

Thanks again to all that have chimed in to help out with suggestions and inputs. I'm truly thankful.

~ Miguel

[JAB]

You will be able to use your original switch (or switches 66/67) as before.

I have them in stock as well.
John Brewer
Brewer Classic Lincoln
303 562-8368

[mjv8507]

Sorry I haven't read this post lately... Here is my spin... I've installed probably 60 of these units and I caution the customer that the remote is good for 2 cycles of the top before the battery needs to be 'topped off' (car started) now this is assuming they have a good heavy battery to start with, either a group 27 or 29. It is primarily a convience thing and fun at shows. Sure makes my work easier if I'm troubleshooting a car and no one is around to work the top switch with me in the trunk! As far as having a switch that would be a 'one hit' to put the top down it dosent exist... After all what would shut it off when the cycle is complete? I guess it could be engineered but the kind we've got now seems to be enough... Plus at a show maybe you want to stop it at a certain phase. I sell them for $250.00 installed or $210.00 VIA priority mail with instructions. (813)390-1950 to get yours.Oh, one moe thought... There are some units on the internet that don't deliver the 7-10
Amps needed to trigger the up/dn circuits... Buyer beware, as usual!

John, do you still sell these kits? I am located in Houston, Texas.

[John Cashman]

Got 'em... Call me to order(813)390-1950