1932 Ford Carson Top Install - The Return of the Carson Top: Part 1

The exactness of the jig, mounted on the "splash," allows Steve to consistently complete the basic platform for the top.

He notched the rear of the side window frame to fit flush against the body. Using the original panel tab, he made up an aluminum box tube to fit over it, and then he used an aircraft ball pin that attaches from inside to lock the top on the tab. Steve built on that structure to weld on the window frame and the rear-most top bow. "The top would never flip," he said. "There's a rail around the back, so in the unlikely event one front fastener came loose, the top can't move."

Next, the window frame was clamped to the jig. "That holds the window parallel to the body," he said. "It's critical that the line doesn't go uphill there. It's the exact same height from the back of the door to the top of the window opening, so the line remains parallel to the door top throughout its length."

Steve made each bow separately, and they are all slightly different to give the top its unique progressive shape.

Here's the top as first assembled, but without the rearmost section and rear window frame.

Steve then began to create the quarter pieces to make up the rear window opening, and started the character line, which follows the bodyline perfectly. It looks deep from the side because Steve's framework runs further down into the body than the old Houser design. "That way," he said, "it looks organically as though it's part of the car, rather than sitting up on top of it."

You can see the front oak header bow (Steve makes these; he has to modify it, so there's no sense in using a re-pop of the original) and the groove in the rearmost bow Steve will fill with laminated birch for tacking. "Glen Houser used snaps in the body to hold the rear of the top securely, Steve said, "but I don't." When Steve's top is removed, the only visual points are the stock tabs on the quarter-panel, and a few holes in the upper part of the windshield posts. There are no snaps in the body. "People want the look of this top, but with no evidence showing after it's removed," he said. "My top never actually touches the body, so it can't scuff the paint during construction or wear the paint off over time."

Notice the little tabs on the jig to ensure each bow's spacing is perfect.

"The top frame is a nice rigid piece," Steve said. "Then there's 3/8th aluminum solid rod that goes between the tubes and solidifies all the bows." (This top doesn't fold, remember?) "When he put the webbing on to the top, I have to reef (pull the material, like a sail on a sailboat) really hard, and if those bars weren't there, the rear bow would move toward the windshield and lift the rear quarter piece off the body."

Steve patterned a past-tech DuVall windshield, so he can do one of those. Note that the DuVall fits between the stock '32 windshield posts (which would be removed) so it changes the entire shape of the window opening.

Looking forward, you can see there's a loft in the center and a bow to the outside. Each one is different to account for the "natural" shape of this top when it's covered with fabric.

The completed top frame was then mounted on the car. All the rough fabrication work took place on the jig, and then the frame was mounted on the car for a fit check so there was no chance of any damage to the roadster during construction.