soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

Has anyone replaced or repaired the soft center section of the roof. In my case, a 35 Tudor sedan. I found a couple pinholes when replacing the headliner. If possible, I'd like to just paint it with some kind of sealant, but I will replace the whole thing if that's what is needed. Any ideas on some kind of sealing paint or guidance on how to replace it, (marine vinyl I assume) would be helpful.

Re: soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

If you are seeing pin holes now the insert is getting tired and worn. Instead of looking for some type of sealer use that money towards new material for the insert. Lipstick on a pig is still a pig.

Re: soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

You will eventually have to replace the top, but with that said top dressing was a tried and true fix for worn and dingy tops back in the day. It depends on how you use or show your car wether or not to use a coating. I see black rubber in spray or brush form on TV ads all the time. Just do a good job of masking things if you decide to use something on the top.

Re: soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

If you don't already have a copy, consider purchasing a copy of the 1935-1936 Ford Book from the Early Ford V8 Club of America at www.earlyfordv8.org. The on-line store has a books section and the price is very reasonable.
I think the book has some information on the construction of the insert top.

Re: soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

I just replaced the insert on our ‘35 Coupe using a Model A kit from these guys.

https://www.classtiqueupholstery.com...are-yard-goods

Helpful owner, needed to figure out which A kit to get as they don’t offer anything for the V8s. Getting the thicker vinyl tucked in is a chore.

Re: soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

"If you don't already have a copy, consider purchasing a copy of the 1935-1936 Ford Book from the Early Ford V8 Club of America at www.earlyfordv8.org. The on-line store has a books section and the price is very reasonable."



I have the book but have not found anything regarding construction of or really even speaking to the soft center. Maybe I just missed it.

Re: soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

"I just replaced the insert on our ‘35 Coupe using a Model A kit from these guys."

Wow, They do have a lot of material. Now to find some guidance on how to go about replacing int.

Thanks

Re: soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

By luck the A kit that I ordered had enough material for exactly two inserts.

Re: soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

"By luck the A kit that I ordered had enough material for exactly two inserts."

If it had enough for two 5 window coupes, it should be enough for one Tudor sedan. You didn't happen to take pics of the project, did you?

Re: soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

If it may be of any help at all, here's me and my friend fitting the roof kit on my 32 sedan. Not 100% correct but does generate plenty of positive comments from people that have seen it.

https://youtu.be/8V_uW4qAJxY

Re: soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

If it may be of any help at all, here's me and my friend fitting the roof kit on my 32 sedan. Not 100% correct but does generate plenty of positive comments from people that have seen it.


That looks great. A real nice job. Lots of information too. Thank you.

Re: soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

Here’s before and after results. Not happy about the wrinkles but it was 105F when I finished so I hope that they smooth out. Getting the thick vinyl in plus the liners was a pain.

Re: soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...4&d=1756171468

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...5&d=1756171468

Re: soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

"Here’s before and after results. Not happy about the wrinkles but it was 105F when I finished so I hope that they smooth out. Getting the thick vinyl in plus the liners was a pain."




Not a bad job at all. What is that trim around the outside ede? Is there a name for it? Did it come in the kit?

Re: soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

Here’s what I used from Dennis Carpenter.

Re: soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

Here's some instructions from a Ford service bulletin, and a colored cross section of the weather strip in place in the top groove.

Re: soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

That cross- section shows the padding and inner liner stopping at the edge of the opening. I opted to extend the bottom two layers to the inner edge of the channel. That way the top stays supported uniformly. Vaseline and a short stubby screwdriver worked best, though for the last half I didn’t bother with the Vaseline as it made it harder to grip the vinyl.

Re: soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...9&d=1756264682
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...0&d=1756264682
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...1&d=1756264682

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...2&d=1756264682

Re: soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

I opted to not use any caulk;

-It doesn't rain very often in Arizona.
-The 3M caulk strips that I ordered glued themselves together before I could use them.
-It was a major PITA getting the old stripping out.
-I wouldn't be able to R&R the stripping if I made mistake, which I did a few times.

Re: soft center section of steel foof cars.
 

I did the one on our 35 Sedan Delivery several years back......Another helpful hint is to let your new top material sit in the sun for awhile and let it get hot and soft.....ALSO do your installation in the sun to help keep your material pliable. It will help and be much smoother/tighter than what you see in post #12. You will most likely need to do a little custom fitting/cutting in the corners, you can work on those and figure out what and how you need to fit them with the 3/4 inch rubber seal sections that you cut and use to help hold it in place while you install the new rubber seal. once installed you will likely still see a "little" wrinkling at the corners BUT once in the shade/garage and it cools, those will shrink out!!!!
I know its an "obvious thing BUT I put a tab of blue masking tape at each end with a line in the middle and i put a matching blue tape tab with a line on the front and rear opening on the top to make sure its centered both on the top and in the opening....ALSO make sure OR don' t forget have the grain running front to rear in all the excitement.

A good small to medium soft blow rubber mallet "might" be of some help, also start stretching and exercising your fingers!!!!