So for those of you who dig customs with a chop top, would you rather have a Chopped hardtop Chopped Carson top Chopped convertible top Feel free to throw in any other option that I might have missed. Is the make and model a big factor? Post or no post? Does the era factor in? Is there a dollar amount that you would pay more for one over the other? Does the rarity factor in it all?
This thread goes into a lot of detail and even shows some original Carson tops being redone. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/carson-tops-and-other-kinds-as-well.1135358/page-3
Been trying to find more info on 49-51 functional chopped merc convertibles. Saw the one ADI Automotive did and one or 2 others. Would be neat a video of them going up/down. That definitely isn't a short distance to get a bunch of hinges to line up to.
assuming by hardtop you mean not a convertible I'd go with hardtop. I have seen way too many "carson top" cars that just look stupid to think that is s good idea
I like chopped soft tops. Never been a fan of the carson or lift off tops. In the PNW you have to be ready for the weather. I left my T-Tops at home on one of my Bandit cars one day and went golfing...yeah, it poured. That was a wet, soggy, miserable drive home. My car has a chopped, folding, stowable roof. It also comes in handy on hot summer days when your brain is melting.
I had a '39 Ford Convertible and when I found the car there were no top irons and replacements were out of my price range, I chose to pattern my car after the Gibbon Fiberglass convertible so I chopped it 2"and bought a Carson top from Gibbon, I liked the look of a Carson top, lower and look better . HRP
I always thought a convertible top should be done with cloth and airplane dope paint . Now that I have a convertible it might be something I might try but probably not lol
Hello, Chopped top cars are a personal choice. But, a design to make it look as if it is a lower top height added to a cool style of hot rod just adds to the mystique and overall stance. If one cannot stand the lowered top as if it is a “Jolly Green Giant” is stepping on top while you sit or drive, then a lowered top is not for you. 1934 Ford Phaeton with a California Top... The solid top is lightweight enough for two to add or remove. There is no noise as with a convertible top up flapping in the wind while driving. The solid top allows for custom side curtains or solid clear panels to be added later if necessary. Those, also will no flap around at speed. So, this custom design created in Goleta, CA was a first and only… Ever since I took some early photos of this very cool Ford convertible, I was always thinking a street cruiser with a Carson Top or at least on of the only Ford convertibles with a removable “California Top,” from the old yellow 34 Ford Phaeton photo shoot in the Goleta/Santa Barbara area back in the old days. (Check out the story on the creation of the California Top in the early HAMB.) It may have been the yellow vs black top that swayed me in the later 46 Ford Convertible hot rod. But, the bright yellow convertible had all of the impetus to have a solid black top for a low slung Carson style top along with the other custom items on the hot rod. Jnaki The owners of yellow Ford convertible hot rod are enjoying the coastal cruising areas as much as anyone else. But, “IT’S GETTING WARM, LET’S SEE THOSE CONVERTIBLES” as per popular HAMB thread… YRMV The latest artwork … or If one likes the darker colors...YRMV
My dad always wanted a lift off Carson top for his cabriolet but we ended up making a folding convertible top for it. We love the look of the padded Carson top but it has a big draw back. If you leave home with it on and the weather turns real nice you are stuck with the top on for the entire ride. If you leave home with it off when it is nice out and then it starts to rain the top is sitting at home and you get soaked.
This is a tough question to answer. If I had to choose between three nearly identical '51 Mercs in the styles noted above, I think the Carson top is my third choice, but I still think Carson tops are really cool. The chopped convertible might be my first choice, just because it's even more rare that a chopped '51 Merc hard top.
The Jalopy Journal
