Re: Roof insert

Posted by Owen_Dyneto On 2014/7/28 10:56:17

Availability of steel sheet in a suitable size may have been a factor but another and perhaps more important factor is the cost factor. Using 1934 as an example, there were at least 6 different roof sizes and for some the total production was only 200-300 cars and less than 4000 closed cars in total production, so how can you possibly amortize the cost of dies successfully across such a limited production even if some 32 and 33 models, also very low production, shared the same or similar roof? Also consider that during the depression, labor to weld/solder panels was extremely cheap and making expensive investment in presses and stamping dies was not in the cards except for very high volume manufacturers.

Senior bodied Packards (Super Eights, Twelves) continued with wood body construction thru 1938 for the Super Eight and 1939 for the Twelve and those still had roof inserts. For the higher volume "production cars" (juniors) roof inserts were gone by 1938, perhaps 1937.

Were they prone to leak? Only as they aged and exposure to the elements and sunlight gradually took their toll on the material. I doubt many owners bothered to use the materials sold to help prolong their lifespan. My 34 still had it's original insert when I bought it in 1963; it didn't leak as you might define by a stream of water but portions of the headliner became damp in a heavy rain. I redid the insert about 1975 - dry as a bone since though it doesn't see a lot of harsh exposure to the elements. By far the biggest problem with roof inserts is that if leaks are allowed to continue long enough, the supporting wood structure will be destroyed and replacing that is a HUGE cost to do properly - often enough to put you upside down in a closed car unless it's a custom body or very rare model.