Coupe Roof Bows

TommyCoupe

TommyCoupe

Senior Member
I installed a brand new wood kit in my coupe, but the top cross bows seem to sit too low in the recessed holes in the support piece.

Should I be shimming under the top bows so that the top of the bows are smooth with the sides, or does the top material take up some of this space ?

I'm not really sure why the counterbored holes that the bows sit in would be drilled so deep.

Tommy-
 
312_zps7508ce52.jpg


this is a pic of my tudor
 
I put the anti-rattle strips on top of mine, and then shimmed them so they were flush (including the thickness of the strip).
 
Those pictures look just like mine. Maybe it's not the recessed hole, but the bow that isn't right.
It seems to me that the top surface of the bow would be even with the top of the support.

Tommy-
 
I recently completed my first top installation on my 30' coupe. I did a lot of homework prior to starting this and inspected completed cars for ideas. Not a lot of insight into the actual starting surface.

Mine had new top wood and my concept was that any base variations would be reflected in the subsequent layers. This required shimming the top bows to fit flush at the outside of each bow and then block sanding the wood all around to remove ALL variations. I even found that I needed to tap the metal rear joints of the top to level the metal.

My top ended up being 5 layers thick. Each layer "softens" the imperfections of the previous layer or base but do not proceed without providing the best surface you can for the next layer.

The first layer was "warm and natural" quilt batting for a smooth anti-rattle surface. This is easy to work with and reflects any problems that you missed. Simply remove the staples and correct as necessary.

I feel the base preparation and trim installation are the most important aspects to a nice finished top.

Best of luck, Jerry
 
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