So how's that 'instant new car' now? (IMG:
http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/2thumbs.gif) I'm planning that for our Caprice. There's a huge pile of parts in the corner of the shop, just waiting for a long weekend to get to it.
The 4th Gen convertible mechanisms are pretty reliable. The only issues we've had with ours are with the 'bow links'. Those thin metal rods on the sides up front. The plastic 'rod ends' tend to break, and we've actually bent one of ours, somehow. They seem to be almost year-specific, or at least there are a couple of iterations of them, maybe LT-car andLS-car specific?
Hawks Third Gen does list them, I'm not certain what years they say theirs fit, but they do have them. Suffice to say, if you run across your year vert in a JY, and they're there, grab them!
The windshield latches can be an issue if you are not parked level, it's amazing how much these cars twist, even with SFCs. Just something to remember when parking with the top down.