MTFCA Forum

I am trying to obtain a set of top irons for my 26/27 touring. I have located a set, but they look different than another set i saw. Any ideas what i am missing? or are there different variations of the one man top for the improved touring?

Looks like the top one is just missing the wood.
The tricky part is going to get the curved wood past the back big rivet.

The curved can be made with a lot of patience. I believe the cross wood can be purchased.

Jonah, the rusty ones are 23-25 one man top irons. The ones in primer are 26-27 touring. You can tell by the curve of the irons at the socket where they fasten to the car top prop bracket.

It looks like mine. I used straight wood for the part in between the two sides. You can get it in a kit from the vendors, or if you are handy with wood, you can make your own. Most important thing is the length. Especially the front bow. The ends must fit exactly between the clamps which attach it to the windshield posts.
Then for the curved pieces I used packaged oak veneer which comes in a roll at Dixeline or other lumber/hardware store. The veneer has dried glue which, when heated will stick. I formed it layer by layer and used a hair drier to heat it to stick. That part of the wood is mainly to hold tacks for the pads and ends of the top. The pads and cloth straps will keep the distance between the bows. Most important to get the back bow the correct height from the back of the body. Not from the ground, but from the body. And also the the straps will pull the bows tight between front and back. Then comes placing the top!
Norm

Humblej wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 02, 2022 10:37 am

Jonah, the rusty ones are 23-25 one man top irons. The ones in primer are 26-27 touring. You can tell by the curve of the irons at the socket where they fasten to the car top prop bracket.

I second. The 26-7 have more monkey motion bars to the 23-25

This curvature identifies the irons as 26/27.

Thank you all so much for your help! Now that I have acertained that the rusty ones are not 26 27 touring one-man top iron's, I'll continue my search. thank you!

Also,I didn't know that and made one man top irons before 1926!

Jerry VanOoteghem wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 02, 2022 12:12 pm

This curvature identifies the irons as 26/27.

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You are correct, but relying on this curved end only could bite you coming across an earlier bow set that has been "modified"
Note there is more mechanism(bars) on a 26-7 touring set.

Your statement is the way to identify roadster irons, in that, the 23-27 bows look & work the same except for the bent end.(Front bow is manually lifted from a fork to a pin tab on the second bow.(like the 23-25 touring #2 to #3 bow)
The working mechanism is totally different in the touring irons between 23-25 & 26-27.

I got my top bow wood for my 26/7 Touring from these guys. The make the kit with everything already bent along with the rivets.