Build A Carson Top
A trip to the hardware store yielded a couple of rolls of 1/2-inch-square hardware cloth, a crisscross mesh of wire that’s soldered at every intersection. This stuff is much stiffer than regular old chicken or rabbit wire. Guildner laid it across the top and began tying it to the skeleton with baling wire. Every compound curve in the top, like at the rear corners, required cutting a slot in the wire and overlapping it so it would follow the contour. Another option is using separate pieces for each panel that has compound curves. At the leading edge of the top, Guildner stapled the mesh into the wood header. Once the wire was installed and all of the ends were twisted and tucked, it was off to the upholstery shop where the outside of the top will have a layer of burlap webbing hog ringed to it, followed by cotton padding, which can be layered to adjust any abnormalities in the top. That’s followed by a layer of 1/2-inch-thick soft foam padding, and finally, the top material of your choice: vinyl, canvas, leopard, kangaroo—use your imagination. The upholstery shop can also fabricate a rear window opening similar to a convertible top window.
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