MTFCA Forum

The top on my 1914 touring is in pretty good shape but the pads are shot. Some parts suppliers carry the pads. The pads are attached under the top material, as I understand it. I really don’t want to remove the top to install the pads. Is there another way?

Thanks in advance.

You will need to carefully pull the tacks and lay the top aside. The pads are used to align the bows and need to be tacked on front and back first. Then the straps are tacked inside and the center bows in place. When all the bows are aligned properly, then the cotton is laid in place and the canvas hand stitched in place on top and the pads and straps are trimmed to fit. Next the top can be placed and tacked. I would suggest that you measure the distance from each bow to the next bow before you remove the top. Because even if it is not exactly according to specifications, you will need the same dimensions as the existing top so the top material which has already been trimmed to fit, will also fit after the new pads are in place.
Norm

If you remove just enough tacks to insert a new pad and you do one bow at a time, it should be possible. Definitely would take 2 people. The straps are the most important part for holding the top in place and you are not changing those.