Had a similar experience. I am willing to bet your "Arizona car" spent a bunch of time on the California coast. Roof rot is a dirty little secret of many California cars. Don't ask how I know. Pictures below of my go-around with roof rot. The inner structure will be ugly too; notice the torched out piece in my picture below. In my opinion, find a whole roof donor or make it a parts car. Very difficult to start patching in pieces and get it right.
That's a great looking car. IMHO hardtop to vert's never turnout looking good. Fix it and flake the roof the same color and drive the snot out of it.
My 55 Nomad from LA Cali was like that too. The moisture collects on the structure up top. They sweat bad and rust from the inside out. My 57 Pontiac sedan delivery is way worse than that. Prairie car with really nice body, but the mice got up in the roof structure. I am going to have to replace the roof on it. Good luck. I like the convert idea, but living where you do, all that moisture with a ragtop is not ideal. At any rate, you are looking at a minor setback. Keep at it. Pat
I would cut out the cancer and weld in new metal. as far as the rest just drop the headliner and take a look if those are the only areas take a wire brush clean the underside and por 15 it ,best you can do other than cutting the top off that is allot of work.
Glad to hear a chop is off the table. Not quite sure why everybody seems to think you "have to" chop early cars... Now, there is a '49 or '50 Chevy convertible mess that a guy has been hauling out to our local swaps all fall. Somebody took this poor thing and basically shortened the doors out of it(?)lengthwise, rendering it almost worth less for anything but parts. I'm pretty sure it has a complete top frame for it though sitting loose in the interior. You might at worst have to stretch it a bit back to stock length, but I kinda doubt that given the lack of skills pulling off the rest of this "project". I'm willing to bet they just flat didn't get that far as to worry about cutting the top up. I remember the price was pretty much what I would expect for just the top itself. The big problem though is I don't have any idea who the hell the guy is. I have a buddy that owns the monthly local swap and he might have a clue or phone number for him, or maybe this post might jog another Phoenix local's memory and shake loose a phone number. I will be happy to follow up on this if you think this might be of some value to you.Our next local swap is on the 6th of January, but that is also the date of our yearly britbike swap, so that is where I'll be.
Another though came to mind as I hit "post". Back in the early nineties American Rodder did an article on a '52 Buick hardtop "convertiblized" using a '65 Cadillac Convert top. It used the whole top well and trunk divider from the Cad as well. I usually run and hide when stuff like that appears, but this was done quite well and was the cover car for that issue. It belonged to Kent Kozzera, I believe. I see it still at LARS most years and it still looks good. That might be another way to go. Search that name and see if anything comes up, I'll dig and see if I can find the article if you'd like.
What "need louvers" said above. There is an early 50's Merc running around here that an acquaintance built using a late 60's Cutl*** convertible top. It looks really nice. There's nothing that says you have to use the original top, as you will have to do a bunch of cutting and welding anyway. Good luck.
I am posting my updates under my main 51 post. ***led 51 chevy - winter means times for projects.. but I have found the folding top, windshield header.. next winter the top is coming off. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=649537
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