MTFCA Forum

I have a 1923 Pick UP that started life as a Touring Car. The back seat was cut off and a bed was put on. I want to maintain the Pick Up configuration and put a top on. There aren’t any places to attach top irons on the seat. Do I need to fabricate something? Can I use a standard Roadster top? I would appreciate any suggestions.

I didn't know any better, so I forged ahead and bought roadster irons, sockets, bows, and a Classtique one-man roadster top kit for my 1924 cut-off touring. I had to modify (break) one arm on each of the rear brackets that the top saddle irons screw into so that they would sit in the corners correctly. I replaced the broken-off arm with a flexible piece of strapping that could be twisted as needed. I then used a long rod between the installed brackets to mark where on the inside of the body to drill the holes for the saddle irons.

Here are some pictures, it all turned out fine in the end. Due to the five picture limit per post, I will add a second post with more pictures.

Here are some more pictures from the roadster upholstery and top installation on my 1924 cut-off touring (now a pickup). The car came to me with a Cartouche upholstery kit for a roadster, it fit the front seat of the touring just fine. If it had been up to me, I would have bought a Classtique upholstery kit for the front seat of a touring, it probably would have fit event better. One tip - buy some extra cotton batting to supplement what comes with the kit, it will allow you to add more fullness to the upholstery pleats.

The seat back springs on touring cars just sit on the sheet metal from the factory, but I decided to fabricate up some wood support slats like the roadsters came with.

I will add one more post to show the installation of the top, it was my first attempt and it went fine. I did use a pneumatic upholstery stapler.

Here is the third of three posts showing the installation of the Classtique one-man roadster top. One thing I would have done differently - I would have installed the rear curtain a half inch higher so that I wouldn't have to stretch the rear portion of the upper top so much to meet the rear curtain notches at the corners.

Here are a few photos of the finished car with the top complete and custom side curtains (from Classtique) installed. You can see a few wrinkles from having to stretch the top so much at the rear corners to meet the notch in the rear curtain. Still, not bad for a first attempt IMO.

Thanks Mark for posting the photos. I have collected the body top irons to do just the same thing on my 25 cut down.

Wow Mark that was great just what I needed to start my new project. Thanks

Mark

that really IS a nice job of it. It never occured to me what one would have to go through to make a cut-off have a top. Well done.

I did exactly the same thing, also on a 23 (low wall). Best I can tell the front seat of a touring and a roadster are identical but for the ledges on the side for the rear doors. We got roadster top hardware and installed it and it all worked perfectly.

Handy hint if you're old and feeble: The pneumatic stapler is a must. You can guess how I know this.