Back in the early days, the tops of closed automobiles used fabric inserts because it was easier for automakers to manufacture them this way. As time progressed the soft top slowly disappeared from production vehicles by the end of the 1930s. Rodders from the earliest days have always tried to incorporate elements of "late-model" cars into their hot rods, and filling the soft top was a natural upgrade.
Just like everything else in rodding where "what's old is new again," returning to the look of an original soft-top insert is something many early car owners have been considering. Thanks to the adaptability of the Juliano's Interior Products top insert kit this isn't as hard as you might think. The same kit they offer for original open tops can also be used on vehicles whose tops have already been filled (with a smooth top).
Among the many reasons an owner might want to return to a soft-top style insert is a filled roof that has begun to show its age and may have developed cracks where the filled insert was joined to the original sheetmetal. This was the case with the '32 Ford Victoria used in the installation story, but just about any vehicle can benefit from the addition of a Juliano's top insert.
As you follow along with this installation, remember that the same steps are used on a vehicle still sporting the factory hole in the roof as well as those that have already been filled. Either way we have a definite "soft spot" for soft tops.
The starting point of this...
The starting point of this project was a '32 Ford Victoria with a filled roof. Despite very good workmanship, the top had developed a few hairline cracks along the welded seam that is now over 20 years old. The owner has removed many of the "slick" elements from his original '80s build and wanted to return to the original look of a cloth soft-top insert.
To achieve an appearance closest...
To achieve an appearance closest to original we measured an original insert and then transferred those measurements to the filled roof adding a half-inch to the outside diameter to stay clear of the welded seam.
Using templates taken from...
Using templates taken from the original insert, the corners were transferred to the Vicky's roof.
Before attaching it to the...
Before attaching it to the top, 1/8-inch holes were drilled in the supplied tack strip in 2-inch increments.
Shaping the tack strips began...
Shaping the tack strips began by matching the contour of the roof sides to the long aluminum pieces. Although we didn't, you might want to use some masking tape along here to protect the paint.
The opposite tack strip was...
The opposite tack strip was shaped to mirror the contour of the first formed tack strip.
The corners were shaped by...
The corners were shaped by hand to match the original corners laid out on the roof.
Before drilling into the roof,...
Before drilling into the roof, a depth limiter was added to the drill bit to prevent damage to the installed headliner.
Working around the roof the...
Working around the roof the tack strip was drilled in 2-inch increments and riveted to the top.
Once the tack rail was completely...
Once the tack rail was completely attached, a 1/8-inch hole needed to be drilled between each pair of rivets around the entire top (1-inch increments).
We then applied a light coat...
We then applied a light coat of contact cement and attached the supplied foam to the top. The excess padding was trimmed to the inside edge of the tack strip. Once this was done we had to drill out the rivets and remove the tack strip.
For the next step we had to...
For the next step we had to build a simple frame from 2x4-inch lumber and then stretch and staple the vinyl supplied in the kit to the frame with the topside of the material against the wood frame.
The vinyl-covered 2x4-inch...
The vinyl-covered 2x4-inch frame was centered and lowered over the top. The weight of the frame evenly removed the creases in the vinyl without stretching it too tightly.
After the center reference...
After the center reference hole was located using an ice pick, the tack strip was matched to the corresponding hole.
We re-installed the tack strip...
We re-installed the tack strip on top of the vinyl and padding with aluminum pop-rivets in 1-inch increments.
Once the tack strip was fully...
Once the tack strip was fully attached we carefully trimmed the vinyl to the outside of the tack rail, being careful not to scratch the paint.
We rolled the Vicky out in...
We rolled the Vicky out in the sun for a few hours to make the vinyl edge trim more pliable, and then it easily snapped to the aluminum tack strip. The seam on this installation is almost invisible after careful trimming.
The finished product makes...
The finished product makes a night-and-day difference in the timeless look of the car.