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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.

I would reach out to Gerry at Packards Southwest

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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.

Thanks for your reply Leeedy. I think my description of the part was poorly worded though, I didn't mean the chromed bow that goes on the convertible top itself. I meant the top part of the windshield frame at the front of the car, the part that the convertible top attaches to.

I believe that part to be cast in Zamac/Kirksite originally. I am hesitant to recast it in a different material too of course, it'd change the weight distribution of the car but not sure to what degree. I think it will be challenging to find that particular part.

Filip,

Although Leeedy didn't have any luck contacting the seller of a '56 Caribbean in this thread maybe you'll have better luck?

If its fairly complete this car might provide many of the parts you are seeking, especially if it has the 2 x 4bbl manifold, carburettors and air cleaner. There are only 2 photos in the ad that, I can see, so I don't know if these parts are still on the car.

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No problem... I perfectly understood your reference. A casting is a casting. And what you refer to is known in the North American convertible business as a "header bow." Again... a header bow for a 1956 Caribbean involves several pieces:
• the bow itself
• a trim retainer
• a tack strip
• a weatherstrip retainer
• a weatherstrip
• a pair of latches

As a retired Lead Engineer for a car corporation for North America, and as someone who has owned well over 100 convertibles... and a shop where we replaced tops, I assure you that I know these tops. I have also designed tops and developed convertibles at the OEM level. I know convertibles In every possible way. Very, very well. Especially for the Caribbean.

When you say "chrome bow that goes on the convertible top itself" you must be be referencing the stainless steel trim covering on the main rear bow, not the front bow. There was no bright trim on the front bow of a 1956 Caribbean convertible top. Only on the rear bow.

And this original stainless trim today is usually missing as well. It is comprised of a U-shaped retainer channel that attaches directing to the exterior of the rear bow. This channel was then covered with a bright stainless steel trim finisher with a screw on each end.

A lot of modern-day trim shops toss these pieces and substitute trim-shop short-cuts like a thing called a "wire-on" or worse... a thing called a "hidem." Bad ideas for a Caribbean top.

There was also a stainless trim strip at the rear beltline location, where the fabric attached to the body. Again, these pieces are often thrown away by modern trim shops that do not understand these parts are urgently required.

As for differences in vehicle weight distribution... this is not critical, especially with Torsion-Level suspension. But weight distribution on the convertible top itself is very sensitive. The power mechanism was designed to lower and raise only so much weight. And a heavy header bow can totally change the center-of-gravity which can alter the require folding specs.

Whole topstack frames or just header bows are indeed around. You just have to look. One was on eBay some time back. And another was loose in the recent auction that took place in New York state. There is another in Ohio. These are not impossible components to find. Just depends on patience and how much you want to spend. Never be in a hurry on such things. Take your time, look around diligently and eventually you will have success.

Thanks for the reply, Leeedy. I do not think we are talking about the same part though. The part is not attached to the moving part of the convertible top, it's the part which the rear view mirror and the sun visors are attached to. I think from reading what you've said so far, that the header bow must be what clips onto it when the top is raised.

I'm sorry for the mix-up in parts discussed, it'd be easier if I had a photo to use but I took no photo of the one my friend has shown me.

Nevertheless, your words are very insightful when it comes to the Caribbean's convertible top. This car will be my first convertible thus far, so there's plenty for me to learn.

I still do not know how complete the top itself is, I know the "frame" of it is still there, and I have some of the original top left which has been taken off before I got involved.

I'd be happy to show you some of the photos I have of the car as it looks at the moment. I am also purchasing it from the current owner of 1001, so I have some up-to-date photos of that too. Can do this over email if you wish.

I will definitely take my time with searching for all the different parts for the car, as I accept it won't be a short-term project seeing as most of the car is in bits and pieces.

No affiliation.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/175968215807?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=fwHH9JgKR7W&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=72aC8WfnQjq&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

We have 2 Carbs

One NOS carb that has been rebuilt and one used one also just rebuilt. Private message sent.

Charod Marshall
Kanter Auto Products

I have two complete convertible top racks for your Caribbean, 520-336-0057 Tucson Packard