Making a Roadster Top for 1933-34 Fords

Put a Lid On It

It’s ironic but probably the best accessory a roadster can have is a well-crafted top. More than useful—especially if you live in a place with unpredictable weather—a top can help define the look of a car.

Our pal Chris Swenson drives quite a bit, especially for a guy hooked on Flatheads and banjo axles. He lives in Spokane, Washington, and while Eastern Washington doesn’t get the rain that the west side does, weather patterns often flip from punishing sun to flash thunderstorms. He also ventures out to places like Bonneville where the sun gets even more intense. It didn’t take long for him to realize that a top would make a useful component to his skin, and his marriage.

He consulted Paul Reichlin at Cedardale Auto Upholstery in Mount Vernon, Washington. He’s a hell of a trimmer; to submit a car for any kind of job means benefitting from four decades of experience, one reason his client base extends well beyond the Northwest. He’s also an avid historian, so to submit a car that’s intended to represent a bygone era is to benefit from his obsession with old magazines, photos, and survivors. He has a soft spot for history.

Reichlin based the roadster’s top loosely on a speedster design popular in the late ’40s to very early ’50s. It’s a period when larger prewar cars like the Model 40 evolved from quasi-race cars into more civilized street rods (yes, the term really did exist at the midpoint of the last century). The emphasis on comfort works out perfectly for Swenson, who measures well above 6 feet tall. He can’t fit under a true speedster-type top.

Believe it or not but this is a no-cut top that actually folds as Ford intended. It also reduces the top’s crown through its middle bow, something very critical to a top’s proportions. The profile changed by merely drilling new mounting holes and notching the middle bow so it can drop over the irons more. It does require adding a bit of meat to an area to prevent the irons from overextending but it’s a minor change that could be undone with a few strokes of a grinder.

He used pinpoint-grain vinyl, a material that debuted about the time of the build style and earned an avid following for its ease of maintenance. Pay particular note to the edge details; the seam a bit more than an inch inboard of the edge fastens a thin doubling panel to the perimeter. But more than reinforce the edge, it prevents the side from looking too plain and shabby. Finally, Reichlin finished the top edge with a flap made popular by legendary trimmer Bob Lee. Rather than conceal the seam at the rearmost bow with just a strip of “hidem,” he dressed up the edge with a narrow flap that overhangs the upright panel with the rear window. The flap is entirely optional and because it represents late-’40s/early-’50s design it’s probably not all that appropriate for a more contemporary car.

This is not necessarily an entry-level job. The work isn’t impossible for a first-timer but it requires a bit of background knowledge of various construction methods that we can’t show in an article of this scope. And considering the cost of pinpoint vinyl and its reluctance to stretch, it’s probably a good idea to work up some experience with less-expensive materials before committing.

But it does address some of the more difficult components of a top, particularly how to preserve its operation when chopped and most importantly, how to make it look super sharp. In fact it’s that last part that creates a bit of a problem: it’s such a defining feature of the car that it’s almost a shame to lower it!

Rather than cut the irons, Paul Reichlin merely drilled holes further from the ends. These weren’t made willy-nilly; rather, they’re the product of much mock-up with clamps.Altering the irons made them over extend. Reichlin solved that by welding tabs to the tops of the forward irons. They serve as stops for the rear irons and prevent the irons from flopping forward.The center bow creates a high crown and dropping the bows only exaggerated the profile. So Reichlin notched the ends so it can sit an inch lower.The lower hole was where the T-nut originally went. He drilled the new hole upward by the amount he wanted the bow to come down.A top profile means nothing if it makes the car uncomfortable. Reichlin tested the fit numerous times, basically approximating where Swenson’s head would sit. Note that he brought the rear bow down, which also moved it back a touch. That maintains the somewhat formal look and preserves headroom.These webbing strips prevent the irons from flopping forward. They also preserve the shape of the top around the back corner and over the side window and even keep the top from flapping. They’re a good idea for any top. Also note that he made the rearmost panel. It’s a simple shape that doesn’t necessarily bear description. It has a zipper across the top so Swenson can remove it for ventilation.The topping starts with the center panel. He made it overhang the front and rear bows to make the panel easy to tension. He stapled the header bow first then pulled the topping tight and stapled it to the main bow.The side panels followed. He cut them long enough to overlap the tulip panel and header bow by a few inches. Because the rear of the panel dictates how the panel orients, he started stapling there. Note the black triangle in the lower left corner.Then Reichlin stretched the side panels tight to the front and stapled them to the header bow. The black triangle in the previous photo is actually the vinyl’s canvas backing. If it lays flat on the tulip and quarter-panels it’ll pucker and bunch around the side of the top. And that’s no good.After stapling the side panels, Reichlin slit the overhanging vinyl to relieve the tension. The panel then splays out and lays flat around the sides.Satisfied with the top’s new orientation, Reichlin pulled the lower edge of the side panel down from the corner of the main bow. Try numerous places from which to pull, for pulling from the wrong spot causes the topping to bunch in the back or the side. Basically he needed to match the top’s radius centerline with the quarter-panel’s radius centerline. He pinned the side to the body with a Common Sense snap.Reichlin attached the side panel to the quarter-panel in a few more spots to make the panel conform to the body. Attaching the side panel to the quarter-panel makes the topping bunch just behind the staples in the bow. He relieved that pucker by slicing just behind the staples, giving the topping plenty of overhang so the staples won’t rip out the sides.Finally he stapled the side panel to the bow. If the topping’s radius matches the quarter-panel’s radius, the side panel will lay with as few wrinkles as possible.Once Reichlin made the side panel fit as tight as possible, he stapled it together with the top panel at the header bow.With the top mocked up, Reichlin cut out the windows. He actually set the shape on cardboard to check before cutting and indexes it with consistent pieces on the body, in this case the beltline and the side-curtain snaps. Once satisfied with the shape, he used the template to mark the window opening shape.The topping needs to come off for sewing but it needs to go back together exactly as it was on the car. Reichlin marked the fit both lengthwise and by a few widthwise hash marks.The centersection overlaps the sides but it has to fold over to create a nice edge. He folded the entire edge a 1/2 inch and made sure that he accounted for the difference between the line and the new edge. He also sewed reinforcements around the top’s perimeter.The forward edge tends to curl under the header bow. Reichlin reinforces the area with a strip of stiff, clear vinyl sheet. It resists bending in a compound curve so it tends to force the edge straight.It’s near impossible to make a top that won’t wrinkle without building a padded (non-folding) top. But heat, especially when delivered with steam, can relax the vinyl to a very small degree. He uses a simple garment steamer with a rag over the end.Once the corners lay flat, Reichlin stapled the top panel to the rear bow. Once again, carefully staple a straight line along the bow’s centerline to make it easy to hide, an especially critical component if you don’t intend to run the Bob Lee–style flap.The characteristic Bob Lee flap serves a mechanical function: it hides things like zippers for removable windows. Reichlin cut out a strip about 2-1/2 inches wide that spanned the rear bow. He stapled it a few places on the right.He trimmed the left side to the shape he liked then folded it over itself so it served as a template for the right side. Once he cut that side he removed the strip for finishing.Reichlin finished the top and flap’s edges with 1-1/4-inch one-edge turned binding strip. It simply wraps around the edge so the folded edge faces outward and then gets sewn along that edge. The black panel is the backside of the rear flap.Before he stapled the flap in place, Reichlin marked where it overlapped the rear panel and plotted the lines for the rear window. We don’t show its installation but it’s a simple mail-slot window.This underscores the importance of a straight staple line. A strip of “hidem” welt conceals the strip. For those not familiar, it’s a welting with flaps on either side that fold over to conceal staples or tacks in the middle. It’s only about 5/8-inch wide so thoughtful stapling really pays off. It’s a standard upholstery material, as is the metal end tip. Another strip of “hidem” conceals the staples across the header bow.The finished product speaks for itself; the reinforced edge and rear flap all working toward a classic postwar theme. Note how the webbing on the bows gives the topsides a crisp, formal shape.