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Reatiner Clip for Flap Roof Support Convertible top

17K views 18 replies 15 participants last post by  agent008 
#1 ·
One of the cables that are hidden in a flap (door type) when you are going to store the cloth convertible top has broken on the driver side.

I call this a retainer clip for the flap for Roof Support.

Does anyone happen to know the part number for this cable? Thank you
 
#6 · (Edited)
nuts...

the clip busted on me today...





in my case, the purple-ish item in the 2nd picture...

The price has gone up for part number 15290793... and $12+ for shipping :willy:

BUSHING | Genuine GM | 15290793


This is $7.99 at Amazon...


http://www.amazon.com/Dorman-75474-Door-Lock-Clip/dp/B002ET6GT4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464911352&sr=8-1&keywords=Dorman+%2375474


... seems to be number 14 in this picture (below)



http://www.wholesalegmpartsonline.com/showAssembly.aspx?ukey_product=2734172&ukey_assembly=389564
 
#10 ·
For anyone going back to this thread because your plastic retaining clip has broken, let me advise you that the DORMAN rod clamp 75455 does NOT work. The hole in the clamp that the L end of the actuating cable fits into is too small, and--once inserted--the male end of the clamp (that fits into the hole in the metal tab on the trap door) expands and it won't then go into the hole.

If you fit the plastic clip into the metal tab first, you then can't fit the L end of the cable into the hole in the rod clamp.

However, all that said--the cable end will fit in the slot in the rod clamp: so if you do that, and then push the rod clamp end into its hole on the metal tab, there is just enough tension in the whole cable assembly to slightly open the trap door and allow you put the top up without the top frame catching on the edge of the trap door.

So the Dorman will make a temporary fix while I am await the arrival of the expensive GM part.

(I so wanted that Dorman part to fit! $1.99 and in stock at the local parts store!)
 
#11 ·
For anyone going back to this thread because your plastic retaining clip has broken, let me advise you that the DORMAN rod clamp 75455 does NOT work. The hole in the clamp that the L end of the actuating cable fits into is too small, and--once inserted--the male end of the clamp (that fits into the hole in the metal tab on the trap door) expands and it won't then go into the hole.
But that is how it should work. The metal pin/post spreads the plastic barbs so the clip will not come out. So yes, put the clip in the hole first, then the post into the clip.
 
#12 ·
Yes and no. I tried it again with a new plastic Dorman rod clip, with success'this time.

The trick is to first insert the cable end (upright leg of the L) only into the slot on the clip and then work the horizontal leg of the L only part way into the plastic rod clip. (See image.)

I did this by wedging a small screw driver where the yellow space is. That way, the barbed end remains un-expanded and you can (with some force) press that end of the rod clip thru the hole in the metal tab, and the clip end will drop into its detent.

It is then easy to push the cable end fully home.

I had absolutely no luck trying to put in the clip first. Yet when I conceived the method above, all went smoothly and quickly--first shot.

It is clear that this cable end opens up a bit over time. Mine was at about a 95-100 degree angle. And while I'm sure it started out as 90 degrees, the slight bending probably helped me finagle it as I did.

BTW, I had hoped to edit my post before anyone got in here and corrected me. I stand, nevertheless, corrected. The Dorman clip CAN be made to fit without much trouble--with a little forethought
 

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#15 ·
so I just learned about this today.. called a top actuator clip/bushing. so I've noticed there's a red one and a purple one on the car that obviously have a let and right application, however I keep seeing only a red when im trying to by new ones from gm. does it really matter? are they universal now?
 
#19 ·
I can confirm that GM part 15545178 (Dorman #75455) works, at least it did for my "Plan A" 2006.
I don't know the manufacturer or brand of the clips I got, I sourced them on the web, it was advertised as a clip for 2nd-gen Chevy Blazer tailgate handle rod clip.
However, the clip needed some tweaking first. The part that inserts into the flap is kinda oversized ie. too thick to fit into the tulip flap hole. So I took an x-acto knife and trimmed a little bit (about 1mm) off each of the 3 sections of the clip that insert into the flap:

Gas Wood Font Symbol Carmine


This made it possible for the 3 sections to compress further towards the center and enabled the clip to fit the flap. After inserting the clip, I was able to fit the cable rod end into the clip. It wouldn't pivot freely into the flap' hole at first; so I turned the clip+rod inside the flap's hole back and forth a few times, added a little white grease and turned it back & forth another few times. Now it's working.

While googling to find which other US market vehicles this clip would fit, I found 2 interesting alternatives on ebay. One of them is a gray clip (made of different kind of nylon?) that looks more similar to the original ones installed in the Kappas and is listed as being compatible to GM P/N's 15545178 (same as Dorman 75455) and 14037239 (a new number for me, might be a thinner clip that might fit better):
Ebay Gray Rod Clip

The other one is offered in two versions described as fitting "most dodge , chevy , gmc trucks plus many many Mopar & General Motors cars" and shows the white 15545178 / 75455 clip as being a 3/16" option, and another option, listed as a 5/32" version which has different coloured sides just as in the Kappas. This one also lists the clips as being compatible to GM# 14037239:
Ebay 3/16" and 5/32" Rod Clips

Thought I'd just post this info here for future reference and if someone does buy any of these please post here telling whether they fit or not. Thanks
 
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