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Hi guys, I'm replacing the vinyl insert on my 1932 902 5 passenger sedan. I've prepped the wood bows and have gathered the vinyl and padding and aluminum molding. I'm able to install most of the parts with the exception of the aluminum molding.
This roof requires the molding to fit in 4 rounded corners, but I can't seem to find a way to get the molding bent to fit the roof of my car. Is there a part I didn't get for the corners? Every bender I take the molding to says I can't bend it, that it would split or collaps.
Surely someone has to have replaced the aluminum molding on these cars in the past 80 plus years. Any suggestions to where I go for help? Thanks in advance.

Hi Curtisbuck: I certainly sympathize with your situation, I've been through this job twice, once on my own 1934 sedan and once when I helped with an installation on a 33 coupe. But I don't think I can be of much help as we knew in advance that the molding including the curved sections was not available so we very carefully and successfully removed the old molding and reused it, reputtied the screw holes after installing, and then painted the molding. Even today I'm not aware of that exact material being available but someone else may have more current information, or perhaps some techniques for forming an alternative material into a suitable shape.

BTW, the material isn't "vinyl", it's rubberized cotton duck or canvas-like fabric with a grain pattern.

Is it just a L-shaped moulding? If so, perhaps you could use a shrinker/stretcher on it to shape it into a 90 degree radius.
If the horizontal leg faces outward, you would use at stretcher, if inward, a shrinker. I guess it really depends on how tight the radius is.

Kev, at least in 1934 its more like a triple-beaded molding and the curves are gentle, sharper in front than rear at least on the sedans. Radii of the curves are probably (from memory) in the range of 3-5 inches. Making it from an extruded thermoplastic which can be heated and curved has been talked about before, though I'm not aware of any material like that available.

Perhaps Curtis will post a picture of the profile of the original molding, if not I'll try to take a photo tomorrow.

Thanks for your thoughts guys. I bought the car with only chicken wire on the bows. No rubber cloth, moldings nor anything else. So I'm starting from scratch.
I've tried a stretcher and the outside edge splits. ...and the inside buckles.

It may have to be annealed so you can work it.

Annealing Aluminium

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxhdFsrzSmY

Thanks for the info on heating the aluminum. I'll try it. There was also you tube videos on bending the aluminum. I don't know why the shops couldn't do it. Perhaps they know something I don't.
I take it there is no one out there that has done this before?

Gee I used to have a chunk of original stuff. I was dealing with an original V-12 where they had replaced the insert and it was leaking. So I looked at a junkyard V-12 to see how Packard built it. The molding was pre-drilled and the system had the water draining through under the molding, with some kind of tar impregnated sealing paper to stop the water from creeping under the Pantasote. All the sealer was under the Pantasote and there was a raised contour to prevent backing up. Along with cotton padding over the chicken wire and cross beams.

I couldn't do anything with the case because they put sealer under the molding and the water was backing up rather than draining away. I suppose I could have ripped the whole thing apart, but the original Packard lacquer paint was going bad because of the weather and the car shouldn't have been driven in the rain anyway. I told him he shouldn't even wash it with a hose because water was getting under the paint.

Maybe you can find a chunk of original stuff. However, there are a lot of cars running around with that Easy Tack convertible top moulding rather than the original super duper Packard stuff. It works because the water is supposed to drain through the molding. And anybody shorter than a giraffe isn't going to give a hoot.

Get a short length of flexible conduit (Like the electrical conduit found in houses) with an inside diameter a little greater than your aluminum strip. You might be able to slide the strip inside the conduit and bend both of them together.

The conduit should help in preventing the strip from collapsing on its self. Then of course you may need to cut the conduit off in order to get the strip out.

I those for my '32, but they need a lot of TLC before they go back on the car. It took me about 30 hours to straighten and install the gutters on my car.