Register now to get rid of these ads!

Another "Carson" top Tech - Removable top!

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Anderson, Jun 1, 2009.

  1. Anderson
    Joined: Jan 27, 2003
    Posts: 7,560

    Anderson
    Member

    Carson, for lack of a better term.

    This is how I did it in two evenings. I was kinda in a hurry so I didn't take tons of pictures, but you should be able to see what I'm talking about.

    For the top bows (I only had two) I just used 1/2" EMT. Made the corners with the usual tubing bender....the cast kind with a big handle you put your foot on. That, and my knee. I did put a slight radius in them across the top so it wouldn't be totally flat. I also used the EMT for the spine running from the center of the windshield to the rear bow.

    [​IMG]

    For the rest, I used 1/2" square tubing. Bent it with my slip roll actually, not rolling it through but using the rollers to wedge the pieces in and bend down on. Lots of checking side to side to get the symmetry right. Because my windshield has a peak at the top, I used the single piece down the center to the rear top bow. But I didn't continue that all the way to the bottom piece of tubing because I was going to have a window there. So I used a piece of the 1/2" square tube on either side of the window area instead.

    On my body, I kept the stock style top mounting tabs on the top of the quarters. I made some plates from 1/4" steel plate so they could be drilled and tapped for mounting, and so I could weld my top bows to.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Barely visible in the above picture are the tabs I welded int the front corners of the top. They were for mounting, though at this point I hadn't figured out what I was going to do with them. I didn't want to use a latch of any kind because I didn't want to drill or weld anything to the windshield frame. So I threaded a piece of 1/4" rod at one end, sticking it through the tab with a nut to secure it, while the other end hooks to the sheetmetal at the corner of the dash. As is, it's temporary but I will end up making a prettier version of this same thing when I finish it out.

    You can also see how the mirror is mounted. It's a peep mirror meant to mount to the top of a door, I cut the bracket off, drilled and tapped what was left, and mounted it through the tubing. Between the mirror and window, visibility didn't suffer at all.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Here's a very fuzzy picture of the rear mounting.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Then I took it to someone who knew what they were doing to have it covered. Came out pretty well.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    I used some 1/4" wide adhesive backed weatherstripping along the front edge of the top against the windshield frame, and the rear edge against the top of the back panel. Sealed it up very well.

    It worked pretty well....at least better than nothing through the monsoon on the way to Austin this year. I might do side curtains, but probably not. It also really changes the look of the car, I haven't really taken it off for much since the show. Takes about 1 minute or two to install or take off, is lightweight too.

    I suppose thats it!
     
  2. flt-blk
    Joined: Jun 25, 2002
    Posts: 4,941

    flt-blk
    Member
    from IL

    Good Tech
    You're lucky to have an upholstry guy in your backyard.
     
  3. pasadenahotrod
    Joined: Feb 13, 2007
    Posts: 11,772

    pasadenahotrod
    Member
    from Texas

    Great job.
    "Carson" is the generic term for the padded and smooth tops which usually are lined inside and are non-folding and specfic for the Carson Top Shop tops which gave the genre the name.
    So no, yours is not a "Carson" anymore than is the top we made for the Track Car.

    Your holddown for the top is similar to what we used on the Track Car top we just finished last month. The top has a wood header. We drilled a hole in the header, sleeved it and use a modified battery holddown J-bolt on each side with the tip of the J in the sleeved hole and the straight shank dropping down through a tab welded to the rearview mirror brackets and tightening with a wingnut. Works great and like yours is almost invisible.
     
    Last edited: Jun 1, 2009
  4. striper
    Joined: Mar 22, 2005
    Posts: 4,498

    striper
    Member

    This car just keeps getting better. I might make one of them myself since it's so easy ;)

    Pete
     
  5. MarkX
    Joined: Apr 8, 2003
    Posts: 1,232

    MarkX
    Member
    from ...TX

    Eric, nice job..............
     
    pecker head likes this.
  6. Crease
    Joined: May 7, 2002
    Posts: 2,878

    Crease
    Member

    Very clean look!
     
    pecker head likes this.
  7. Anderson
    Joined: Jan 27, 2003
    Posts: 7,560

    Anderson
    Member

    Thanks!

    Yeah, I know it's not a "carson" top....but didn't know what else to call it that explains it in one word. So....it's a one piece non-permanently fixed lift off vinyl covered top.
     
    pecker head likes this.
  8. revkev6
    Joined: Jun 13, 2006
    Posts: 3,350

    revkev6
    Member
    from ma

    not dissing the top as it looks pretty good, but I think it would have looked even better if you had used wire mesh over the frame before you put the top material on. the material gets a bit of a starved horse look with the "skin" drawn over the "bones"

    here's mine before the wire mesh was added
     

    Attached Files:

  9. 30roadster
    Joined: Aug 19, 2003
    Posts: 1,793

    30roadster
    Member

    nice job...great tech! ... Your sir are a surgeon with that tube bender!
     
  10. chaddilac
    Joined: Mar 21, 2006
    Posts: 14,071

    chaddilac
    Member

    wow! that just looks great!! Nice job eric!
     
  11. TomH
    Joined: Oct 21, 2003
    Posts: 1,253

    TomH
    Member

    I like it.

    Is the top material held on with glue to the top irons?? Nothing else??
     
  12. Anderson
    Joined: Jan 27, 2003
    Posts: 7,560

    Anderson
    Member

    Yup, weatherstrip type adhesive. The material is wrapped around three sides of the tubing on the edges so it's pretty strong. There is only glue on the rear top bow, not the rest. There are rivets in the front corners and the lower corners behind the door to keep the material from pulling away. It's just cheap vinyl, but is holding up pretty well.

    Keep in mind the top has about 8 hours in it total, so there are things that could have been done differently but it turned out well for what it is.
     
    pecker head likes this.
  13. I really like that top- have you decided as to whether or not you're going to put a bed on the back (one more vote for yes)?
     
    nunattax likes this.
  14. Anderson
    Joined: Jan 27, 2003
    Posts: 7,560

    Anderson
    Member

    Yep, started working on it last weekend but didn't get very far.
     
  15. allstarderrick
    Joined: Jul 23, 2007
    Posts: 603

    allstarderrick
    Member

    Looks great, I like it.
     
  16. 00 MACK
    Joined: May 10, 2004
    Posts: 3,680

    00 MACK
    Member

    Now theres a top with some personality.
     
  17. gas pumper
    Joined: Aug 13, 2007
    Posts: 2,960

    gas pumper
    Member

    That's what I like. Simple solutions, well thought out and well done.

    Bring a bottle of Rain-X with you on the Showdown trip. I can guarantee rain that week. Haven't failed yet. :)

    Frank
     
  18. beaulieu
    Joined: Mar 24, 2007
    Posts: 362

    beaulieu
    Member
    from So Cal

    I like it , simple and light ,

    Any idea what it weighs ?

    Beaulieu
     
  19. sixdogs
    Joined: Oct 11, 2007
    Posts: 635

    sixdogs
    BANNED
    from C

    Very cool. Perfect.
     
  20. InPrimer
    Joined: Mar 10, 2003
    Posts: 778

    InPrimer
    Member

    That car is just "so right" gotta hand it to ya.....
     
  21. G V Gordon
    Joined: Oct 29, 2002
    Posts: 5,724

    G V Gordon
    Member
    from Enid OK

    This came at a perfect time Eric, I have been toying with doing a light, easily removable top for the touring. Gave me some ideas for sure. thanks.
     
  22. zimm
    Joined: Jan 22, 2006
    Posts: 802

    zimm
    Member
    from iowa

    that car is just perfect and the top is more prefect
     
  23. temper_mental
    Joined: Oct 22, 2006
    Posts: 2,717

    temper_mental
    Member
    from Texas

    Great job! That top looks like it will help keep the sun burn down in our Texas heat.
     
  24. bubbletopbuick
    Joined: Mar 30, 2007
    Posts: 107

    bubbletopbuick
    Member
    from Indy

  25. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 35,967

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    That's a great tech article that may help solve many of the "how am I going to do that?" questions that rod and custom folks have sitting out in the garage looking at a car without a top and long road trips on the plans.

    It provides the basics to take and run with and expand on and will probably be put into many folks subscribed threads for future reference.

    Well done and it looked like it got a serious workout and test on the way to Austin.
     
  26. Retro Jim
    Joined: May 27, 2007
    Posts: 3,853

    Retro Jim
    Member

    That top really turned out great ! I like the nice clean smooth look that the top give the car ! I have a 37 Ply p/u that I have been toying with the idea of cutting the top off and doing something like what you did so I can remove and enjoy the drive . I was thinking of a fold down but the cost will be much higher than a fixed top that is removable .
    I think I will have to kinda borrow some of your idea and apply to my truck .
    How well does the material hold up to the wind as you drive at 60 mph or so ? What kind of material did you use ?
    Thank for the great idea for the top ! :D
     
  27. Anderson
    Joined: Jan 27, 2003
    Posts: 7,560

    Anderson
    Member

    It is just a cheap vinyl, something you can pick up at the fabric store. I didn't buy it myself, it's something we had laying around at work. We did have some black vinyl that was more satin, no gloss at all. But there wasn't enough to do the whole top, and I think this looks ok anyway.

    I was expecting the material to stretch a little bit more after being in the sun but it hasn't really so far. Driving down the road, if you put your hand up to the top you can feel the material popping up and down a lot, but it doesn't make noise and I haven't noticed it trying to pull away from the skeleton any. The rear window is some convertible type clear plastic. It's a little wavy but not horrible. Between Dallas and the Check Stop, one of my hold-down hooks for the front came loose and the top tried to lift. It was easy enough to grab a hold of it and hang on until we stopped for gas. Turns out I just didn't have the nut tight enough.
     

    Attached Files:

    pecker head and kidcampbell71 like this.
  28. CruZer
    Joined: Jan 24, 2003
    Posts: 1,934

    CruZer
    Member

    If you decide to do side curtains, let me know and I'll take some pix of mine for you to get some ideas from. I had an uphosterer make mine so I could velcro them to the top bow around the window opening and snap them to the inside of the door top. You'd be surprised how much more comfortable the car is on a cold morning with them.
    Glenn.
     
  29. kwoodyh
    Joined: Apr 11, 2006
    Posts: 641

    kwoodyh
    Member

    Awesome little ride! Good job on the top, thanks for the post!
     
  30. nitrohonkey
    Joined: Jan 19, 2009
    Posts: 1,332

    nitrohonkey
    Member

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.