Cool Carson Top Kustom Pics ....

The pics of when Kurt first got the car shows that but has anyone anyshere seen pics of the car in its original Kustom configuration?

 

Only thing I have is this one and the once that have been in the magazines.
As far as I know this car was never painted before. It wore nothing but its original Caddy paint and primer on top of that. Might be a reason why it was not much photographed... I don think Kurt has any photos of it either.

 

I know that I just wasn't sure some of the others did they way they were talking about bags and rarely seeing a stance like it has on Kustoms built these days.

I wonder if Harry's origianl customer ran out of money and that is why it was never painted. Seems a shame as it is a beautiful car.

 

Aaaaaah so it was never a finished car! Now I get it!...and how do we know it was a Harry Westergard car ?

 

According to Riksters site a number of older guys like Dick Bertolluci ID'ed it as a Westergard build.

 

Oh yeah...plus its got the painted headlight buckets....just like Mel Falconers rig.

 

Actually, Id say he failed miserably on the Carson top. The idea of a carson top is to give a convertible style top a closer profile to a nicely chopped steel roof. The carson top is supposed to rid the top of the bows that really ruin the lines of the profile of a convertible. This guy simply re-created a bowed style ragtop, in a removable top. And the final result? The same nasty lines a rag top gives a car.

 

I don think this guy failed miserably....
You are right this is not a "Carson" top, and perhaps should not be shown in the thread. But since this top was created by the same guy who restored the Ralph Jilek Valley Custom Carson top. My guess is that this style of top was created by its owners request. Who wanted a removable top resembling a regular convertible top...
The workmanship on it is fantastic. And Tom has proven in the past that he knows how to create a real good looking Carson Style top.

 

I see this is going strictly towards classic more than classic style ....
This here should be more on topic, its from sweden or close, if im wrong im sure Rickster will point that out.
I dont know what that "line" on top of the rear glass is, but except for that this is an overall beautiful car w7 a nice top.
The last few pics where snatched from an yesterdays thread about this years Lead Parking near Vasteras in Sweden.
No credit taken for any of the above pics anyway.

 

What Rik said. As far as the car above, any problems with the top are dictated by the formation of the cowl. Anything with a Carson top that didnt start life as a convert dont cut it unless they start out with a hardtop, making the car appear exactly like a real convert.

 

Rik, dont get me wrong, the car looks to be done very nicely. However if that was supposed to be a Carson top....well, it isnt a Carson (style) top, as you stated.

Imagine of the car DID have a real Carson style top....

 

Can anybody tell me exactly what material to use for my top ? It seems that Haartz stayfast no longer comes in bright white , who has done one recently and what did you use ? My car is at the shop right now , the 60 year old top looks like it has "Pinpoint" on it , should I just use that again ? THANKS !

 

its been about 8 years and i still haven't upholstered mine.

 

Small world , I worked on Vineland , just S. of Burbank for about 18 years and use to see you hauling ass down the street almost everyday in that chingon ranfla !

 

Hey Mike, saw your car at the roadster show and it looked great!! The good news on material availability is that tops on that green merc as well as the Jilek car were recent jobs. The material is out there, the question is where? Get ahold of Tom would be the best bet I think. Can't wait to see your car with the top done.
D.

 

I very much appreciate the kind words from you , I remember you being at the shop the day I got my Zephyr about 8 years ago . I will try to call Tom today . Thank you

 

It looks upholstered. Is it painted fiberglass? Or....
And it is a beautiful car!

 

thanks! i still drive down vineland everyday on my way home from work.

 

thanks its actually made out of metal and its painted with off white paint that i rolled on with a roller

 

CALIFORNIA TOPS - Beginning about 1916, open touring cars could be fitted with rigid tops, open or with removable windows on the sides, for use in cooler seasons. Different makers had their own names for this feature, but because the concept was popularized by the coachbuilding firm Walter Murphy Company in Pasadena, CA, theirs and others came to be known as California Tops. Makers of these accessories pitched the idea that the California Top could be used in the cooler months of the year, while it could be replaced by a traditional folding soft-top in the warmer months. Some car makers offered these as an option with their touring cars. Many aftermarket producers of California Tops finished them with coated-fabric roofcovers for enhanced styling, typically using artificial leather for the covering. Given some of the styling trends of the time, artificial leather styles with a Spanish Print effect were popular in this application.
http://www.haartz.com/en/consumer_info/glossary/glossary.asp

 

I believe your statement regarding carson tops is completely correct. If the goal was to achieve carson top look is was a failure. this doesn't denegrate the quality of the vehicle in any way. Custom is Custom. We are probably into a semantic exercise. One guy's carson isn't everyone's carson. Most younger guys or old guys who really where not into cars in the old days have no idea what carson top was all about. You might be interested to know that their was an actual technical term for the look. We called it "hungry horse or hungry wolf syndrome." Ribs showing!! Carry on. Tinguy

 

Here's what I've found out in case anybody is interested : Stayfast no longer comes in "hot rod white" or "bone" , now it is "oyster" which is a little too off white for me (not terrible , whiter than "bone" but still off a shade or two) .
After speaking with Tom Sewell a couple times (I can't believe what a nice guy he is and helpful as can be ) I think I might just use white "pinpoint" , like he did on the black 38 (I believe the owner's name is Kent Kozera) shown earlier in this thread with the FOLDING , not "Carson" top by the way . That material is a vinyl not cloth , looks great , comes in bright white and is way more stain resistant , cleanable etc. Tom said it's been around forever and that's the way to go if he can't find me any surplus "hot rod white" stayfast . Tom said go with pinpoint if your actually going to drive the car (god forbid!) in case a bird nails you , or you get a greasy fingerprint on it , with stayfast it would be a bitch to get uniformly clean .
Sorry if this is too much information and Thanks for the schooling to Mr. Tom Sewell

 

where do they sell white pinpoint?

 

I was at Acme auto headliner in Long Beach this morning and they had it in a few different shades of white : 800)288-6078 , no retail walk ins , will call it or have them ups it . Any problem let me know .

 

No more cool carsons? Have to admit that Mike Ohmans Koppar-gold chevy from sweden, has one of the nicest carsontops that been built in the last 20 years or so.

 

Here is one that I like. I think it looks better when he runs it with wide whites but still very clean ride!

 

This picture is one of only a couple of my Dad before WW2 in L.A. with his Ford with a real Carson Top

 

Nope, no more "cool" ones, just my P.O.S.!!!







I think I deserve the award for "failed miserably", but I made it myself and it was my first!

 

at least you know its bad....but at least you gave it a try, cant nail everything on a first try

 

KEEP'em comom' Gang.............
Need Photos of 1950 to 1953 small Caddy,,,,,,,,,,,,,Yea I Know, they did;nt make one..............
But that NEVER STOPPED US BEFORE, Now did it ?

Good Posts, Thanks
smoke'