The Official 356Talk Forum

I started a thread in the main discussion area looking for the strips but am getting no replies so I thought I would ask here as the Pre-A cars use them also. I am replacing the top on an early 57 T-1 cabriolet. This car has a wood strip at the rear cowl to nail the top to. As I recall all cab's whose top nailed to the body had 3 aluminum nail strips, one at the windshield, one above the rear window, and one at the rear cowl. In the previous top install the aluminum strips attached were 10 mm wide, but in doing some research I believe 12mm is the correct width. This seems to be correct as when the trim gets drilled in the rear for the tenax snaps to attach through, they will sit better on a wider strip. A wider strip will also make hiding the tacks at the rear easier. Along with the top from Autos International they sent a strip of fabric "hide-em" like is used in British cars. That would work to hide the tacks, but to me it is not what Porsche would have used in the early 50's. Even Vw's were still using the aluminum strips.

So my question is: what is the source for the correct 12mm wide tack strip. And also what is the consensus on the number of strips? The parts manual I have shows the top having 3 strips in the diagram. The current offering being sold for the strip above the rear window is what is used on the later cabs and is a flat profile aluminum, and the one I removed is a half round profile.

I believe the Pre-A's lengths may be different and of course the windshield area would have the "v", but I am sure the strips would come straight and need to be molded to the car and also trimmed to length and re-polished. Any help finding these would be much appreciated.

Jim,
call me I may have a source
973-580-0026

Jim Karaba wrote:And also what is the consensus on the number of strips? The parts manual I have shows the top having 3 strips in the diagram. The current offering being sold for the strip above the rear window is what is used on the later cabs and is a flat profile aluminum, and the one I removed is a half round profile.

According to the '57 parts manual the front trim strip was no longer installed beginning with cab #150001 ('58 T2 built in '57). The rear wood tack strip was discontinued with the same chassis no. and evidently the rear trim was then discontinued also. The middle strip (above the rear window) changed from the original style to the wider flat strip you describe - I suspect with the T2 body. My '58 T2 has the larger rear window and a wide, flat chrome over brass strip.

Calling Tom Scott
.. are you out there?

Tom had some fantastic photos of an unrestored pre a cab with original top.

Jim,
Some pictures of how we nailed the material to the top bow on a pre-a, not an easy task to find the previous holes when using the original wood bow.
Then you have to make sure that the tacks are going to line up under the deco strip. And you have to reset the nails that are in the back of the deco without bending them.
Not an easy task, some top guys mark the canvas top and use a jewelers drill to make set holes.

Thanks to all who are responding. I believe I have a lead on the trim pieces. I now believe that the 10mm would be correct for my year. I think sometime around 1953 they switched from the 12mm to the 10mm strips. It was probably a cost cutting and time saver measure because it seems the 12mm strips were chrome plated brass and would have been very labor intensive to fit and install. Now the next thing to try and source is the tenax studs for the rear that are mounted through the strip. The ones I used last time had a hex head and they looked to bulky for the narrow 10mm trim. In pictures sent to me by Spencer Harris I have seen that they used tenax studs that only had a small round base instead of the hex and it sat much better on the trim.
Thanks again to all and if anyone has more pictures for reference, please post them. The more bits of info the more accurate we can be.

Jim, The 12mm strips on the pre-a were aluminum, at least in '53. I restored my originals so am sure of the material. I believe you said you had 10mm strips on your car so you may want to consider restoring them rather than getting new strips with the finishing involved. Did you get the email I sent regarding the 10mm strips?
Alan

Alan,
Yes I did get your email and thanks for the offer. I ended up buying another set. Interesting to know that they also had 12mm aluminum trims. Either way it seems sometime in 53 they switched over to the 10mm trims. The set that was on the car previously was also reproductions so it is not worth the time to try and restore them, I still can't seem to throw them out though.
Jim

Here is the choice for Tenax studs

plus the choice for alum extrusions that Reutter probably used -- unlikely that strips for this purpose would be made of brass and then chrome plated -- plating would crack when bent. Or, if bent in advance, they would be very difficult to plate afterward.

German source for these kinds of things is: http://www.medidentaschramm.de/

Alan Hall wrote:Jim, The 12mm strips on the pre-a were aluminum, at least in '53. I restored my originals so am sure of the material. I believe you said you had 10mm strips on your car so you may want to consider restoring them rather than getting new strips with the finishing involved. Did you get the email I sent regarding the 10mm strips?
Alan

Alan,
Do the original Tenax fasteners on your '53 have the hexagonal base or the round base like Ned's fifty-five?

Round. Away from the car right now but I think I posted a photo of the strip that showed the area in question in a prior discussion of strip width.

Alan Hall wrote:Round. Away from the car right now but I think I posted a photo of the strip that showed the area in question in a prior discussion of strip width.

You're correct. I have your photo with the digital caliper, but I never focused on the Tenax. Thanks.

Here's the version I came up with today. Pretty close I think and should work just fine. I will pre drill the hole and use the hex head stud first to make threads in the hole then remove it and use some soft jaw pliers to put the round version in with a dab of wood glue to lubricate the threads and help hold it in long term.

They look terrific, Jim!