1962 Buick 4 Door Convertible in PA.

[60FlatTop]

About 25 years ago, over the Christmas holidays, I removed the roof from a red 1962 Electra 6 window 4 door hardtop. I drove it topless to a local restaurant for coffee on New Years Day.

A 1962 Olds convertible windshield frame was grafted on and the stainless trim made it look pretty convincing. The car had a gray interior and I fabricated a padded boot to cover the package tray. The car had been my wife's daily driver and was getting rusty. I figured the next owner would be the junkyard where the Olds had been sitting.

I drove the car for two summers and sold it to a friend. He, in turn, sold it to a collector that I believe lived in western Pennsylvania.

In the ceiling of my garage are the interior trim, the parts I was using to fabricate the dual cowl assembly, and the left over boot material.

When I drove the car very few people took it as anything but a factory job. A friend of mine's son looked it over real good one day and stood back starting a very serious conversation about the model. When I said "Yep, a lot of people don't even know I cut the roof off.", he stuttered a bit and changed the subject.

The post about the 1942 Imperial lop job reminded me of it. Has anyone in PA seen it? I'd sure like to get a couple of pictures or stop by and visit it this summer.

The sun is shining and I NEED a road trip!

Bernie

[Guest my3buicks]

Western PA guy here and have been going to car shows all over Western PA for 35 years and have never run into it.

[buick5563]

Do you have a link to the Imperial, for those of us who never venture away from the Buick side?

[60FlatTop]

Here is the Chrysler Imperial: http://forums.aaca.org/f158/1942-chrysler-crown-imperial-8-passenger-387579.html

I've done this sort of thing a few times over the past five decades. The idea that this car is going to the junkyard after I play with it has always been my first thought. I think I have sold all but one to a new owner.

It's funny, Bohman & Schwartz, Fleetwood, Brewster, and others did this stuff with quite primitive tools. Lap joints, dripping solder, wood blocks got covered up with leather and enamel. If I do it with a heli-arc, plasma cutter, and the great tools a hobbyist has in their home shop today and I'm a hack. I saw what they did and I know who they are.

My 1948 Packard Derham Continental is in the design stages today. I touched a couple of its curves today.

Winter! Couped up too long!

Bernie

Bernie

[JohnD1956]

It has been a long winter Bernie. It's amazing how fast that can change though. Anyway, thanks for that link to the Chrysler discussion. It is an interesting car. To me mostly because I wonder how the frames hold up when a roof is cut off.

There is a fellow in my area who drives a 66 Skylark convertible to a local cruise in regularly. Once I asked him how the frame was and he told me "rotted". But that did not matter cause over a decade ago he swapped to a hardtop frame. Said he never has had a problem with door sag or anything else. The car still looks straight too. So just how over built were those convertible frames?

[60FlatTop]

The Chrysler Imperial has a pillar support integrated into the back seat. A lot of the 1930's jobs had that or a cast pillar post. Bronze does a good job, or aluminum.

Two concepts helped make the '62 hold up successfully; the X-frame and added body structure for the X-frame. And my attitude, I didn't care if it folded up.... so it didn't. Next time I do one I will probably use the integrated seat method. Over the years I have spent more money on these kind of projects and started with better cars so I have to compensate for the attitude component.

My Electra conversible is holding up very well at 29 years old. The doors close nicely and they are quite heavy, no cowl shudder, or odd handling.

I have been eyeing the "94 to '96 Roadmasters. There are a couple of styling ques to the 1939 Roadmasters that I think could be captured in the latter version. The high squared deck lid could be raised and a 1971 Stutz style split windshield could help the existing extreme angle.

My small collection might be in transition to personal one-offs.

Back on topic, that '62 went to a collector who specialized in ;62's as I remember and may have ended up on display in an open air museum. I'll see if I can scan a couple of pictures with the roof on it. I do remember taking it to a car show about 1990 and it started to rain. I sought shelter in a friend's 1957 Ford convertible with the top up. I might as well have sat in the topless one!

Bernie

Edited March 14, 2015 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[John]

The Chrysler parade car reminds me of a 41 Dodge from college years. Four of us chipped in $10 each for initial purchase which included having the seller cut the top off. Another $10 each for license plates and the uninsured motorist fund, and we were on the road.

While the open car seemed like a fine idea in September, come December we were having second thoughts. The issue was resolved when it broke down on a road trip to a neighboring state and was abandoned on the side of the road.

Surely someone rescued this classic and it will eventually show up on ebay!