Thread: Touring-type convertible top & bows

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I'm considering building what will likely be my last project, a little hot rod for my Granddaughter. She's 11 and is making sounds about wanting a little hot rod to drive when she's 16. She goes by Charlie, is not afraid of anything and is always surrounded by a gaggle of girlfriends. I've been in sales most of my adult life and have helped Charlie to sell Girl Scout cookies for the past several years. She sells between 600 and 800 boxes during the sale period. I'm thinking that she will probably be the Shuttle Commander on our first trip to Mars. If she were of age and it was 1915, she would be a flying circus wing walker.

Anyway, what I'm thinking is a 4-door (she'll want to haul as many buddies as possible) S10, Courier or Ranger 4-door body with the top cut off, leaving the entire stock windshield on the truck and side-glass in the doors. Up front, a Jaguar IFS, 1928 Model A radiator shell, 300 inch Ford inline 6 coupled to a 5-speed or 6-speed. The 4.9 block will get LS1 heads, chopped and grafted to each other as per the attached article.....This is just too neat to pass up......
https://bangshift.com/bangshift1320/...rd-inline-six/
Induction might consist of an Eaton M115 or equal positive displacement blower, sucking through an Edelbrock AVS2 800 CFM with custom tubular intake manifold. A custom 2"x 4"x 0.134" wall custom frame will be constructed on a jig.

Rear tires would be sucked right up as tight as possible to the body and still allow the rear doors to open and close, with a custom-width 8.8 Ford with 3.70/3.80 cogs and 20 gallon fuel tank mounted up close to the rear of the body. No fenders, front or rear.

What I need help with is finding a source for a convertible top, much like the old Model T touring coaches, where the top was folded at the rear of the body when not in use. Here's a photo of a '17 T Touring with the top folded back....
https://www.american-automobiles.com...1917-Ford.html

I'm also thinkin' that running boards on each side would be neat. What do you think? They should have some fenders though, huh?

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Well since your in Florida now----start looking for places that do boat canvas-----they will have what it takes to do you a top like you want-------------

Sounds like an interesting project. Lots of fabrication.

Since you are in Florida, you might want to visit a shop on the coast that deals with tops on boats. There is a lot of standardized hardware for boats that could possibly be used to fab a folding top. Also, they would have the resources to actually sew the top.

The top on the repro Healey that I'm working on was made from boat hardware.

Good luck.

Looks like Jerry beat me to the keyboard!

Tech,
You say you'd remove the top but leave the side glass in the doors which leads to leaving the upper door frames (that surround and support the side window channels) and the hinge pillar for the rear doors in place, but your '17 T picture is a Phaeton using side curtains. Are you thinking just cutting away a BIG sunroof out of the top, leaving the structure that the top of the doors fits into, or is your plan to have it look more like a Phaeton (maybe a third seat in the former bed area?) for total top down open air cruising? Maybe you have an idea for window supports and filler pieces that you didn't describe? Just trying to visualize this grand daughter dream machine with fold down top....

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

Well since your in Florida now----start looking for places that do boat canvas-----they will have what it takes to do you a top like you want-------------

Thanks Jerry, you are correct. I'm not sure if I want to do it that way or scrounge a complete electric system from a 4-door boneyard convertible, fabricating a resting plate at the rear of the truck windshield for the top lock-down and use side curtains. This thing will likely go through a dozen different iterations before it gets paint.

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Originally Posted by Hotrod46

Sounds like an interesting project. Lots of fabrication.

Yes, lots of fabrication, but that's what I have done all my life, engine swaps, clip swaps, frame swaps. There is one project that I will probably not get to because of my advanced age.....always wanted to section a '65/'66 Ford Galaxie, about 6 inches.

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Originally Posted by rspears

Tech,
You say you'd remove the top but leave the side glass in the doors which leads to leaving the upper door frames (that surround and support the side window channels) and the hinge pillar for the rear doors in place, but your '17 T picture is a Phaeton using side curtains. Are you thinking just cutting away a BIG sunroof out of the top, leaving the structure that the top of the doors fits into, or is your plan to have it look more like a Phaeton (maybe a third seat in the former bed area?) for total top down open air cruising? Maybe you have an idea for window supports and filler pieces that you didn't describe? Just trying to visualize this grand daughter dream machine with fold down top....

No, see, I had this all visualized with a folding touring top and side curtains, removing all the glass from the truck. But then, Joanie got into the mix with keeping the glass and I got swept up in her ideas. I'm sure that when I got to the actual project, I would have realized that I needed to remove the glass and use side curtains, so thanks for the reality check. We have one big advantage that they didn't have in 1917, VELCRO.

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Isn't this close to what you are thinking about?
Looks simple to modify and have new fabric installed.

vw bug convertable.jpg