New rubber top for 36 coupe

Tom's36coupe

Well-known member
Any suggestions on who sells new rubber tops for a 36 5 window coupe. Working on repainting the car this winter and the body shop told me mine is in rough shape, has been leaking too. Thanks!
 
LOL they all leak even new ones,and their not rubber ,their long grain vinel with a rubber gasket around the edges. ken ct. LeBaron Bonney. ken ct.
 
there are several suppliers, Macs, LaBarron Bonney. make sure you get the proper width aluminum molding and it can be a ..... to bend. If you want to use the wire in the top as an antenna it is a good idea to make sure everything is connected properly.
 
Terry-

Enclosed is a copy of instructions that were given to me by the late Dale Sandman, several years ago. Hopefully, you find it of some use.

Tom

"Hi Tom-

LeBaron Bonney supply's top cover kits for your '35 Ford and should have instructions too.
I will assume that your vehicle already has the wooden top bows in place. If this is so then follow these instructions.

First you will need to go to the hardware store and purchase a length of chicken wire that is long enough to cover the top opening of you car. Trim this chicken wire to where it just fits inside the top's opening. Once trimmed, then use some sort of non metallic tape and tape all around the outside edge of the chicken wire so it will not ground to the car body. If your car still has its original radio antenna wires, then soldier those in place to the chicken wire at the left front side. Staple the chicken wire to the wooden top bows and make sure it lays flat and smooth on the top opening.
Now you will need some napped cotton padding to lay over the chicken wire. Trim the padding to where it fits just inside the top opening.
Next lay the black top cover material over the top and make sure you have enough excess material laying over the edges of the top opening. It is best to lay the black top material flat in the sun for a while to remove any wrinkles.

Once the top material is laid on the top opening of the car make sure it is straight. Now what I do is to take four (4) six inch long top rubber edging pieces and feed them into each corner of the top corners of the car Make sure you gently stretch the black material so as to not have any wrinkles. It is usually best to do this with two people.

Lastly, starting at the back rear of the center of the top of the top opening of the car, begin feeding in the rubber trim piece. Make sure you have enough to go around the whole opening of the the car. Slowly feed it in with a flat edged screw driver. When you get to the corners then remove the six inch corner piece and continue feeding in the edging. Continue this process until you have gone all around the top. You may want to lube the rubber trim with Vaseline to make it easier to feed in to to trough.
Once the topping is in and is smooth, then simply trim the excess black covering that is on the outside edge of the rubber trim piece and cut it off with a good sharp razor.
Hope all this made sense to you and it helps you out. Take care.
Keep V-8ing,
Dale Sandman"
 
Tom,
To do it right get the correct top material first...as the guys have
said LeBaron Bonney makes a good kit. What I do is make a 2x2 wood
frame as big as the piece of material your supplier sends you. Stretch
the material over the frame so it is taut then tack it in place. I use
the best contact cement I could find and applied it to the rail that runs
around the inside of the roof opening...the rubber molding snaps into
the recess between the rail and the roof. With the contact cement on
the rail and the underside of the top material you are ready for the
next step.
Get a couple buddies and lift the frame with the material stretched on it over the top of the car and CAREFULLY place it down onto the roof of
the car. You get one shot because the contact cement is not very for-
giving. I chose to use a soft rubber mallet to tap the material firmly onto
the rail.
After I let it set up for an hour I cut the top material away from the
frame then with due caution trimmed the material to 1/2" past the rail.
I folded the material under the rail and then installed the rubber mold-
ing.
I know there are no doubt many ways to do this job, this is the way
I do it. It's a bit complicated the first time but doing it this way insures
no wrinkles.
Finally ,it is best to do the job on a very warm day so you get the
best 'stretch'.
Charlie ny
 
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