1917 Touring top and side curtains

[Guest trap442w30]

I'm trying to find out if my top is original or if its from the early 1950's.  The top looks like a canvas material with a black coating on the outside, the side curtains look like a canvas with extremely brittle yellowish thin plastic like little windows.  The rods slide into a tapered bracket on the door and the other end is made to slide into a pocket on the back of the curtains.  The top has a beveled glass window, there are two heavy straps that have a light angle that are anchored to the back with acorn nuts....the rest is the half turn clasps, most screwed in place, some in the front windshield are riveted.  The seats are original and appear to have burlap over the springs covered in hair with the leather on top.  The top sides of the back seats appear to add a layer of straw between the burlap and the body.  The parts book lists the top and side curtain materials as either dridek, mohair or khaki.  I'm also wondering what the rest of the side curtains would have looked like.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[studeq]

The Studebaker National Museum has a '17 Series 18 Six like yours with approx. 3500 miles on the odometer. I am attaching two images of the car as it looked just prior to being donated. Believe the top is original. Incidentally I have a NOS set of side curtains for a teens Studebaker. 

[Guest trap442w30]

Those are cool, but I don't see the pockets for the rods that go in the door.  Are those for an earlier year? 

I went to look at the one in the museum, if the mileage is right, its lived a hard life.  My odometer reads 74 miles and the title says actual mileage, but it also has all the tour dash plaques saying it completed all those 726 mile Tucson to Grand Canyon tours.  There were some things I liked with the museum one.  like the front bumper...it looked to be spring loaded.  What I didn't like about it was the one piece pan under the engine.  I think mine had a three piece one, but I only have the ones on each side.  I also didn't like the Corning headlights, but they were a matching pair and were offered by Studebaker that year.  The lighting in the basement of the museum isn't the greatest.  Next time I go I'll bring more light.

[trimacar]

The windows in the side curtains were made of a material called Isinglass, which was an early form of clear plastic - you'll have people tell you it was mica, but it wasn't.

 

Now, my two cents on your top.  You ask, is it original, or is it a later installation.  Our perceptions of "original" can be thwarted by time.  I once looked at a wonderful 1910 Peerless, which appeared to be a slightly worn original, perfect patina for an early, original car.  Turns out it was restored in the early 50's and toured heavily, thus the patina.

 

My opinion is that it's not a 100 year old top, nor original to the car from the factory, and I'll give you my two reasons for that thinking.

 

First, I've seen a number of original early tops, and as a rule, they've shrunk considerably over the 100 or so years.  The base material is a cotton, woven, fabric, and thus shrinks.  Your top has numerous wrinkles, and I just don't think they'd be there, or at least be as numerous, on an original top.

 

Second, the pads and straps are a different color material than the inside lining of the top.  This would be very unusual in a factory top, as these pieces were usually fabricated using matching top material, both for strength and esthetics.

 

I believe that your top was put on in the 40's or 50's, when that material was still available.  Just my opinion....

 

Nice car, by the way...