Re: 5699 parts questions

Posted by Leeedy On 2023/11/22 22:12:52
Quote:

Packard Filip wrote:
I am about to acquire a "project in progress" Caribbean Convertible '56. I want to know whether anyone knows about the availability of the following parts as they're from what I know so far, the hardest to find. They are nowhere to be found with the car, and I doubt I can find these here in Sweden.

First off is 469453, the solid bow which the windshield is attached to, parts book refers to it as "upper" under "rim - finishing outside". I expect this one to be quite hard to find, but I have the option of either milling or casting a new one here in Sweden. I assume the part is originally cast in zamac as the other cast trim pieces. I know that casting/milling it in brass or bronze will change the weight of it, but not by how much. Maybe best to use zamac if possible.

Then, the other two parts I've in mind so far are the dual carburetors which are both missing. So that'd be parts no. 6489090 & 6489091. Fully restored ones are not necessary but appreciated too, as long as they exist in a passably restorable form. Doubt I can find these here, and I have no clue what happened to them when the car was imported 25-30 years ago, or whether they even existed on the car then.

If anyone has these or knows where I could find them, I'd appreciate knowing it. There are also more parts to follow, however I do not know which are hard to get as of yet.


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You are describing what In the convertible business in the USA would be commonly known as a "header bow."

On Caribbeans this component is made of an alloy one step or two up from Kirksite. You will certainly want to avoid going to the extreme of casting or milling such a component. And even if you did perform such a casting or milling, you really don't want to change the metal.

Weight and balance here are extremely critical (aside from mating two dissimilar metals). Anything that would upset the weight and balance could be disastrous to the power top mechanism and overall operation. Plus you would need to fabricate not merely the header bow, but also the tack strip retainer, tack strip, seal, and latches. That's a lot!

You are better off looking for existing parts. There are indeed parts around, but it will take a lot of looking.

Good luck.

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