Hi, I´m just about to start working on a new project, it´s a 27´roadster. Just because it rains quite a little bit too often I´m thinking of a removable hardtop. Has anyone some pics of Hot Rods with Carson or other style removable tops or any tech articles on how to build one? I thougt of a rubber seal on the bottom and quick fasteners like they are used on the vw 181 "thing". Greetz FloW.
I'm thinking on somewhat similar lines for my '31 "A" Brookville cause it rains a lot here in GA also! I bought a car someone else started and failed to complete, complete with a polished stainless top frame, but no cloth. Model "A"s have no place for the top to fold down into, so when folded it sits up on top of the deck at the rear like the bustle women wore way back when. To me it looks just about as ridiculous too! So far Im still at work on the car and haven't even done any measuring on the top. But my preliminary plans are to make the frame rigid in the "up" position, then have a top shop or upholstery guy stitch up a top to fit that will fasten down similar to the original, plus side curtains. Make it where you can easily set the top on or off according to the weather, but without folding it. I suppose you could do the same fabbing up a frame. But you'd need to figure on an interior lining similar to a headliner, whereas I plan to leave all that shiney polished SS exposed! I plan on giving mine the external appearance of a reular folding top in the up position rather than the padded look of a Carson top. Seems I remember from way back a magazine article about Carson top contruction and they were built on a conduit frame with chicken wire webbing covered with cotton batting for padding. Then covered with top material. Dave
not a roadster top but there is some very useful info here http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/howto/86421/index.html
When I first saw the sport coupe DE SOTO owns I heard it was sort of a survivor and originally had a carson style top. But from what he has said here and there I think that car is too chopped and channeled for him to really fit in it. But I think the sport coupe/removable top idea is cool.
BigO has a 30 Sport coupe started that's chopped 8" and is going to run a Carson Hartz Stayfast cloth top. I think it could be cool as long as the rest of the car is really low key. Late 40's style you know?
I think I got a little book at home with a tech article about doing just this. I'll look for it this weekend and scan it if anyone is interested.
anyone have a pic of that canvas and dope covered top at the pileup?(the stuff they used to make airplanes out of back before metal sheets were used) that thing was wicked if i remember right!
here ya go...i think this is just what you might be looking for.... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=367339 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=240611
Gibbons made fiberglas lift off tops for many roadster and cabriolet models. A guy I know bought a used one from a '34 Ford roadster and modified it to fit on the '34 RPU he is building. He cut it to size and then glassed it back together and had it covered with HARTZZ cloth. I heard of building one for a '29 RPU from a wheelbarrow but I have never seen it done. For fastening it,I've seen lunchbox latches used in the back and bolts thru the wooden front header piece into the windsheild stantions (sp?) I have a Gibbons '34 roadster with the fiberglas top and it bolts to the windsheild stantions in front and one button head bolt thru the top and body support on each side in the back.
got access to any english car parts? how about an Austin Healy roof like this one from a 67-76 model: Just a little snip snip to fit around a chop if need be. I havent started working on mine yet but its an exact fit.
Here is that article from June 1961 Rodding & Restyling Vol. 8 #4. Similar to the top from the post above.
I´m not sure but I think I´m gonna go for a roof looking kind of this way. I like them because they dont look like convertibles, just more like a coupe.
Totally off topic, searched google for Carson top hot rods and came up with my former sport coupe (the dark red with the fiberglass lift off roof) originally built by so what speed shop in Pa. Just curious if anyone here knows the whereabouts of the car now, I sold it prior to deploying to Afghanistan in 2010 in Virginia
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