Extremely Rare 1929 Marmon Roadster top Project Part One

[NDAV8R]

Here is a little (I thought) project I took on in July for a buddy of mine. It is a 1929 Marmon Model 68 Roadster. This was my first attempt in sewing and installing a roadster top.
Here it is in my friend's barn. It is in original condition with a few repairs or touch ups, but the top was redone in the 50s or 60s...

Marking off before tearing it apart...

Had to remove a billion tacks...

Had to repair the oak bows...

Setting up and sewing the bow pads...

Bows recovered and Pads installed...

Fitting the rear window panel using Stainless Steel staples. When I talked to the President of the Marmon Auto club about installing period correct fasteners, he thought that this was the only 1929 Model 68 Roadster in existance...

Since the old pieces were so rotten, and the high cost of the new top material, I patterned on some trial canvas material first...

Stretching and Stapling the front down...

Laying out for the back trim piece...

CONTINUED ON NEXT POST (PART TWO) http://www.upholster.com/upholstery-forum/index.php?topic=14195.msg115940#msg115940

[NDAV8R]

I tried to find reference pictures of this model and Google, Bing and the other search engines came up with just this one.  there are a lot of Marmon sedans out there but no 29 model 68 roadsters. The owner never new how rare this one was until I tried to find any info on it. He did thank me for that!

[kodydog]

"The owner didn't know how rare." Just out of curiosity what did he pay for the roadster before restoration?

[NDAV8R]

He purchased this car close to a couple of years ago. He and the seller had no idea of its rarity. He never did tell me the exact price, but the clues he gave me it was close to or above 30 grand. Now that it is known how rare it is, how can you put a price on it??  Someone should be able to get an idea.  The owner doesn't really care right now.
Gale.

[Darren Henry]

it is in my friend's barn

That is some scmanssy barn. Some of us here work in shops that aren't nice.

Maybe that explains how it can be in such excellent shape for it's age and being original. Several years ago my uncle bought a 1926 ( ish) Buick opera coupe from a museum in or around Michigan that had been redone once and he had to completely restore it again when he got it back to B.C.

[NDAV8R]

Only the first picture is of the barn... the rest is in my tiny, barely have room to move, shop.