General roof insert question.

[Dodgy6]

Since roof inserts seem to be the flavour of the week, I've been wondering why these old cars were build this way with an insert rather than a solid one piece metal roof.

- Was it something to do with problems in the manufacturing process that they couldn't find a way to make a body shell with a solid roof?

- Was it just the fasion of the time?

- Was it "manufacturing cost" related and cheaper to make with the insert?

Anyone have a theory or know for sure?

Ross.:confused:

[1936 D2]

Two cents worth here... This is what I was told in the past.

The top pieces were very large for stampings. The metallurgy at the time could not make the stamping dies strong enough to last for a production run so smaller pieces had to be designed. There were also problems getting the sheet metal to stamp well with all the compound curves that were being designed into the pieces. So they tried to make parts that were flatter. By 1936/7 they had improved the ability to make these larger dies and finally the tops were larger single stampings for 1937.

Another note: The tops were cloth up through 1935 which was a throwback to earlier design days. Then in keeping with the "all metal car" idea, they were able to make the steel "insert top" used on the 1936 - all except the Seven Passenger Sedan (also known as the Limo) model which continued with the cloth top through 1936.

[Ian_Greenlaw]

That's what I found out in the past too.

[jpage]

Besides the inability to manufacture large steel stampings I believe some auto manufactures believed that the insert tops lightened the car's weight and reduced body drumming! It was ,I'm sure ,cheaper too!

[Guest DodgeKCL]

General Motors threw several million dollars at US Steel and asked them to make dies large enough to press out complete steel roofs. In 1935 GM put the 1st all steel roofs in the industry on their cars and called them 'Turret Tops'. Military reference? Other manufacturers who still had to put on the composite inserts said in their ads that the steel roofs were noisey and drummed. Which possibly was true but they all changed over eventually.

[Dodgy6]

Great info guys. Sounds like it was mostly manufacuring practicality decision then.

Where's John Keiser on this? He was delivering his Grandfather's lumber to Dodge main to make these inserts back in '31 wasn't he? I heard he liked the the look of those new DH6's so much that he bought one straight off the line!

[1936 D2]

On the "drumming" thought, the first year of the "all steel insert top" - on the 1936 - I found the car had a bunch of special asphalt paper sealed to the insides of the doors, the trunk lid, and the insert top. The top was also rubber isolated from the rest of the body. Because of that, they were able to use the steel insert top for the radio antenna. There is a wire leading from it down the driver's (left) side windshield "A" pillar and behind the dash. There are wood support ribs that run laterally under the top. These are isolated from the top metal with a jute padding. Hence, the whole thing is well thought out and well constructed to prevent any booming or drumming noises from the larger expanses of sheet metal in the "Dodge All Steel Body".