I have a 1952 Chevy coupe and I would like to put a Carson Top on my car. I am having difficulties finding a shop to do Top. I live in Fresno Ca, does anybody know of a shop around here where I could go and get an idea on the cost of the top and if it could be done on my car?
Hey, ' sorry I can't help with a shop recomendation, but you may wanna sheck the HAMB archives on "Carson Tops" & "Gaylord Top Shop". There is a considerable amount of fabrication that goes into the building of the frame for the top, long before any padding goes into place. Most of the ones done today using dacron padding or worse yet, a gl***fibre undershell do not look like a true "Carson"! Finding someone who can build the correct frame is one issue, finding someone who can cut, sew & fit a vinyl that most closely matches the old style cloth/vinyl............another issue i!ntirely! The "Hartz" cloth used on big money drop tops is a close second to the original cloth/vinyl used, but not an exact replacement. Best of luck! " Humpty Dumpty was pushed "
sorry I cant help with a shop, since Im half way across the country....but Im doing this one for a customer at a cost of just under 3500....
Just to clarify....that doesnt include all the fab work of removing the original roof. Thats just for the Carson top. Is your car ready for the top or is it still complete??
David Martinez of Martinez Industrie is an expert on them. He does do fantastic work. Check out his Facebook for more photos. Martinez Industrie 1946 W. 144th St., Gardena, CA 90249 mcu1930@aol.com Phone: 8187307071
I had one on a beautiful '41 Mercury convertible. At that time I lived in Reno (1955) and it was getting a lot of attention. It was not uncommon to return to the parked car and find a business card under the wind shield wiper with a note making an offer to buy the car. To me the Carson Top adds a lot of character to an automobile. The work I see being done here is really innovative and a display of some top quality workmanship. Thank you for sharing with us. Normbc9 Normbc9
Here's one I'm almost done with for Acme speed shop.. And it's done the original way that Carson did their tops. Thank you Guy's for your support.. John is going to release a full story on his top build, when I give him his car back..
Thats right Dave; I will be doing a post on the build but working to many hours lately. I'll get it done soon.
Change of plans....I was going to do a start to finish post on the fabrication Dave did on the Carson (Martinez) top, but once he finished the top it looked so good that it actually made the rest of the car look bad. We have decided to have Dave paint the car and re-do the the interior. Some time around the end of the year I will do full start to finish on the work Dave is doing. It is going to be good! Thanks Dave!
The Carson on my old 33 cabriolet was structured from the wood header back across the windows to the quarter panel and around the rear with angle iron and flat strap. It also had wire fencing as the Martinez illustration shows. Bows were strap and tubing combo. Those ****ers are solid and heavy but done right are most beautiful.
I think one of the biggest challenges in adding a Carson top to a coupe ,is getting the windshield header to look right. If you can get the header to look as much like a convertibles as possible ,the front of the top will look more like an early Carson.Here is a drawing from the 1940's of the construction of a padded top.
Old gold, Your top build is just perfect. I have a friend who he and his gradson are turning a '46 Ford Fordor into a two door (one long one short) convertible sedan. They are just to the spot when they will start on the top. Will show them some of you pix for inspiration. I wish I could post pix (computer illeterate . . ) would love to thread on this build. Dave
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