Make a hardtop look like a convertible top

[dwanderson]

Looking for some tips/advise on how to make a hardtop look like a convertible top without just painting it a different color.  I like the look of some convertibles with the top up but would like it to look nice/ like a real top. Any help would be great. Thank you.

[sjordan2]

Depending on the car, you should just let your eyes analyze what you see on a real version, and invent from there.  Most convertible tops will have some indication of the frame below the fabric, which may require some very thin rod or half round, smoothed down with putty. Masking tape over all that might give you the proper texture.

[Harry P.]

Almost every convertible top looks significantly different than the steel-top version. Like Skip said, you almost always see the shape of the steel frame as the top material is stretched over it, unlike the smooth, compound-curved top of a car with a steel roof.

And remember, most convertibles (especially '50s-'60s American cars) have a narrower rear seat than the same car in hardtop version because the folding top has to fit into those wells between the rear seat and the outer sheetmetal when the top is folded.

There is really no easy way to turn a hardtop model into a "convertible" if you are looking for accuracy. It can be done, but you'll need to do a fair mount of scratchbuilding if you want it to look realistic.

1967 Impala convertible vs. coupe. Big difference...

As you can see, not only is the convertible top not smooth like the steel top, but the shape of the sides is completely different than the steel-top car. Not every car will have this much difference between convertible and coupe, but there will almost always be visible differences.

 

 

[MrObsessive]

To further expand on what Harry said, sometimes there can be significant bodywork needed to turn a hardtop into a convertible. At times, the tulip panel and rear deck have to be modified to make the car appear correct. Harry's '67 Chevy pic shows that there was a lot more done on Chevy's part to turn that fastback body into a convertible. The coupe's trunk lid is considerably shorter, and also the tulip panel is of a different shape between the two.

When I built my '58 Impala years ago, I had no 'net to rely on..........just tons of pics to gathered up from different sources to show the top-up and top down look. On the '58 is a good example in that the trunk lids and tulip panels are considerably different between hardtop and coupe.

Here's a few pics............

      

 

BTW, I fashioned my uptop from the coupe's roof.....a LOT of work, but in the 15 years since I've built this, it's held up pretty well. There would be some changes I'd make if I were to build this again today.

Hope all this helps! 

Edited September 22, 2015 by MrObsessive

[dwanderson]

It sounds like I have a lot of work ahead of me. Thank you for your help.

[Art Anderson]

Depemding on the particular car, there may well be a convertible top available, either in an existing plastic kit or as a resin casting.  Keep in mind that by the end of the 1930's, and continuing on forward into the 70's, the Big Three automakers used "body sharing" between their makes (GM called it the A, B, C body system).  So, it could well be possible, and would certainly lessen the work needed.

Art

[Harry P.]

Depemding on the particular car, there may well be a convertible top available, either in an existing plastic kit or as a resin casting.  Keep in mind that by the end of the 1930's, and continuing on forward into the 70's, the Big Three automakers used "body sharing" between their makes (GM called it the A, B, C body system).  So, it could well be possible, and would certainly lessen the work needed.

Art

Yes, Art's right... finding a suitable "donor top" would make things easier... but remember, there would probably still be differences in the rear seat/top wells on a convertible vs. a coupe. It all depends on just how accurate you want to be.

[dwanderson]

All good info gentlemen. Thank you.