Re: Convertable top for caribbean 55

Posted by ewrecks On 2015/3/13 8:59:53

Walt- We are pretty much in the same boat. There appears to be several suppliers of tops for the 55 Caribbean - as mentioned in this post- but no one who can supply one with the liner. You are even farther away from Art's than I am.
The top material for the 55 is vinyl. The material for the liner has to be thin and used to cover the pads and line the inside of the top. Attachment of the liner seems to be the issue. Keppich sewed the material into top and by her explanation this made the top difficult to stretch. She said that when they did the installations at her facility, they always had 4-6 people pulling to get the right fit. That would boost the cost.
The rear window of every car I have seen- including the Howard Hughes/ Jean Peters car with 1700 miles- have been vinyl with a zipper. I do not know if Packard ever offered a glass window in a frame, but I would guess it was a replacement. If it fits well, it might be a good idea to save it for pattern since several upholsterers I have talked to about the top have said that the zippered arrangement used by Packard makes getting a smooth install around the rear window difficult.
We may be stuck with a top without a liner or finding someone like Art's closer to home.
Since my car, unlike show cars, will seldom have the top up and will never be exposed to rain, I might be able to keep the unlined top down and hidden by the boot. It will be a lot cheaper since a top from Hirsch which purportedly fits well sells for under $500..
Maybe some upholster will take up the gap created by Keppich retirement but with less than 800 cars produced over 2 years- and far fewer still existing-- I doubt it.