Thread: Top for my roadster

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Originally Posted by HiboyGal

Yes I drove a cabriolet Deuce and did not like the fact that the top prevented me from having decent visibility to my sides. I would favor a style that is more "open", like yours. I saw a for sale add in paper picturing an original HF roadster with a top that was quite open on the sides but the bow was not showing. Regretably I don't know who made that top. I did save the classified showing the photo of that roadster for sale (which was picture with that cool top on). Maybe I'll just call the seller and ask . It could also mean that this was a hard top, not a folding one.

One thing you can do when starting from scratch is to get the top irons mounted then install the oak bows by wrapping them with masking tape in the location you think you want them.
The masking tape makes it easy to slide the bows up and down on the irons so you can get an idea of how the top's lines will flow.

Once the oak bows are on, run several lengths of masking tape from rear cockpit rail to windshield header.
Covering half of the top will be sufficient because it's the side view you're checking out.

The side view of my 31 with masking tape that mimics the hood line will give you a good idea.
The tape will be fairly straight, but in this pic the grille shell came back a touch which allowed slack in the tape.

Once you're happy with the top's lines, install the oak bows with stainless sheet metal screws - with phillips heads.

I made a point to drive my 32 around for a few days after I'd decided where the oak bows should go.
Wrapping a little black electricians tape over the masking tape adds some strength and the masking tape prevents the black stick-um from transferring to the oak bows.
It was educational to have the top irons on and see how things like entry and exit worked out.
You'll find you have to do a slightly different maneuver when getting in or out of the car as compared to what you do when the top is off.