There was one missing wood piece to the original tack board that wraps around the rear of the package tray. I gave up trying to find an original replacement and made a new one to match..
Once the the top frame was dialed in, I painted it black and stained the wooden bows before starting on the fabric. I used an old WWII pup tent to cut into panels. (I also bought a walking foot machine!)
Simple. We live in California. The '32 state. Just look in open garages all over California, every 5th one there's a '32. Not all are roadsters, but most...
I purchased a hide of leather to make the edging, padding for the rear bow, and reinforcement for the rear window frame. (Still learning how to sew at this point).
I relieved the front bow to accommodate some webbed millitary strap I used for reinforcement. I also added some model A style “lift the dot” clips and tacked the front. The stitching is pretty amateur once you get a closer look at it, but I really wanted to have the experience of making my own top for the car. I can live with it!
I took it for a run at a private airstrip last weekend for some racing! ..And to take some photos of the work done so far.
Nice work, I really love this car and all the nice touches you have added, I learned something new that the tack strip was originally dove tailed unlike the repro word kit I have in mine.............tent canvas is a great idea to get that original aged look for your top, I am going to steal that idea if you don't mind?
Wow man- this turned out so cool, I had to go back and start from the first page to follow your journey again! The top is brilliant, everything you did is just perfect!
I love the top! I would find it hard not to make the wheel colour match it though. I think it would really pull it together.
...Words spoken Circa 1947...amongst the Youth of Your Hotrod Spirit... What a Hamb Treat...your nailing it...and the Hotrod Scenery...equally stunning @deluxester...
Ya, I was hoping the tent fabric would be more of a khaki color as the seller showed in the photos before I purchased it. I’m getting used to the od green, though. I might experiment with some matched wheel covers.
I love your build. And as always please do whatever you like to it, it's your car. But with that said, in my opinion(everyone has one lol) be careful with the matching wheel color thing. I wouldn't want to see such a beautiful traditional build get too street roddy.
Removing 3” at the windshield upper stanchions left me a dollar bill height at the center of the glass. I then removed a little more than 3” from the main top bow to maintain a level side window opening. The top irons are heavily altered as well.
The Jalopy Journal
