what did they use/call material in soft top inserts 20s-30s

[mrpushbutton]

What did they use in the soft inserts (turret tops?) for 20s-30s closed cars? what trade name did it go by (there are probably several. I have heard "Leatherette" but what was the parlance of the day?

[Mark Shaw]

I have heard it called "Oil Cloth" mostly on GM cars and "Cobra Skin" on Fords & others.

[Rusty_OToole]

"Turret Top" was GM's name for cars that eliminated the top insert in other words a solid steel top.

For some reason "Tole Souple" sticks in my mind as a name for the top insert material but it's probably a brand name used by a certain maker.

A quick Google search for "tole souple" turned up the following:

"Large open areas were covered with chicken wire and the assembled framework was then covered in muslin, followed by a thin layer of cotton batting and finally a pigmented synthetic leather - usually a pyroxylin-coated fabric such as DuPont�s Zapon in much in the same way as the roofs of conventional bodies were covered at the time. Other brands of synthetic leather at the time were: Fabrikoid (DuPont), Drednaut (Chase), Elascofab, Meritas (Standard Textile), Rexine, and Tole Souple "

So the answer is "synthetic leather" or "artificial leather" in various brand names.

The above is from a description of the patent Waymann body, complete description here:

http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/w/weymann/weymann.htm

Further information from the same source:

"A blow sufficient to dent a steel body will leave no destructive evidence on the surface of a Weymann; because of the toughness of the fabric covering material, known as Zapon.

This material is made by uniting successive layers of lacquer paste to a tough cotton cloth, the tensile strength of which is in excess of 110 pounds to the inch. The various layers of lacquer are homogeneously knit together, forming a very thick but flexible coating. Coloring pigments are, of course, a part of the lacquer, so like solid gold or sterling the external appearance goes clear through:

DURABILITY. Notwithstanding light weight, Weymanns are in many ways more durable than heavy steel bodies. The strength of Zapon, the heavy fabric covering material, already has been mentioned. It is exceedingly strong and tough, and successfully resists ordinary bumps or shocks. If an accident does result in a torn section of fabric, a new piece may be easily substituted for a fraction of the expense necessary to replace a metal panel."

[Guest De Soto Frank]

I believe a few common terms were:

Sedan Decking

Topping

If you're looking for suitable material nowadays, try searching on "sedan decking".

[Paul Dobbin]

Good question:

I'm frequently asked if my cars tops open. When I explain that all steel tops on 4 door cars began after the mid 30's, people look as if they can't beleive it. I think it was because the big steel presses couldn't make a stamping big enough to cover the whole top and the old way old leading the seams continued. By the way my antenna is wires to that chicken wire in the soft top.

But what was that area called? How about roof insert?

[Rusty_OToole]

My understanding is that the Turret Top had to wait until the steel mills could make sheet metal wide enough to stamp out a whole roof in one piece. This was about 1934 or 35?

General Motors was the first to invest in the giant stamping presses to take advantage of the new wider material.This was on the 1935 models.

The 1936 Cord had a solid roof, welded together from 7 pieces and the seams smoothed over with lead body solder. They did not have the tooling to make the roof in one piece.

[Guest De Soto Frank]

Paul,

I think what that area is called depends a bit on the particular vintage of the car in question...

For US cars built from about 1928-29 on till the advent of the all-steel top ('35-'37 ), those that have a sheet metal "crown" between the drip rail and the "sedan decking", it would be appropriate to call the soft stuff the "roof insert"...

For 1927-ish and earlier closed cars, where the sedan decking wrapped over the edges of the roof platform, sometimes even down the rear quarters to the belt-line, it is more accurate just to refer to top as "the roof", as the entire roof is covered with the same material; there is no "insert".

I have seen a few late '20s to mid'30's sedans that were "upgraded", having their sedan-decking replaced with sheet-metal, the edges filled (somehow)... most of these don't look so hot... kind of wavy /ripply...

I rather like the look of a nicely done "insert"-type roof...