CONVERTING THE CO OR SPRING TRAFFIC.
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Rival Claims of the Detachable Top and Al Ventilation Discussed—Future Dem Body—The Questions of Weight, Cost and acilities for Conversion en Route.
AREMOVABLE top is fitted to a coach body so as to convert it into a saloon or bus, making it more suitable for winter use or evening work. The conversion must be made in the garage, and the equipment should include a Cape-cart hoodfor attachment to the body when used as an open vehicle.
The fitting of a detachable top is a means of solving the problem of designing a passenger-carrying body which can be used all the year round. Those who prefer it are evidently not convinced that the types offered, which are convertible during the journey, meet their requirements. Many tops are made, however, for mounting on existing open bodywork, which is a more economical procedure than attempting to convert the coach into an all-weather body.
The Advantages of the Detachable Top.
The top, having a fixed framework, may be designed with a domed roof and top back panel so that a better appearance is obtained than is possible with a superstructure which folds down. AS' the top lifts fiona the elbow line, the open body is free from any f olding pillar• tops or glass frame guides. The finish at this point may be practically the same as in a coach body, with any style of upward curved and rounded hind elbow rail required. The back panel being solid, this part of the body may have large glass windows, such as are impossible in a folding hood. Although, as a general rule, the operation of the side windows is not so simple a matter as in the all-weather body, the ventilation may be increased by fitting hinged frames in the roof.
Another advantage of the removable top is that the solution of the problem of lighting the vehicle is f acilitated, but, on the other hand, those types of all-weather bodies having a partly fixed roof offer similar means for wiring and the 'attachment of lamps.
With regard to the question of weight, it is possible to construct a top so that it is no heavier than an all-weather body of the same size. The reduction of 'weight is decided by the thickness of the framing used mid it also depends upon whether the roof is boarded pr covered with fabric, whilst the number and size 'of windows used is an important factor. As an open body when fitted with a hood it weighs less than an all-weather body, but this is because side curtains are fitted instead of drop glass windows. A top, when fastened in position for a five or six months' winter season, retains its smart appearance longer than a folding headwork, but thecost of maintenance depends, on the types of fittings used pind the care taken of the top when not in use. A himilar remark applies to the Cape-cart hood, an ;item which is more likely to depreciate in value because of almost inevitable neglect and misuse rather than of ordinary wear and tear.
Notto be Regarded as a Cheap Job.
' The cost of a removable top, including the hood and permanent portion of the body, is quite as much as, and is often more than, the price of an allweather coach with the same seating capacity. The top is not a job which can be built cheaply, because much labour must be expended on making it to fit accurately on the lower portion. There is also insufficient demand for it to justify the designing of jigs in order that large quantities could be turned out at an attractive figure. The cost of the top, however, may be regarded as well worth the outlay when it is to be adapted to an existing open vehicle as a means of increasing its annual mileage. This is a more practical proposition than attempting to convert the body into an allweather body by scrapping the hood and fitting a. new mechanism and glass windows. The top can be designed more satisfactorily when it is made as part of a new complete body. Probably, _more tops are made in this way than those which are e32 fitted to existing coaches, but, in course of time, this type will become more popular, especially if the i all-weather body . continues to be improved n efficiency without any undue corresponding increase in price. Built at the same time with a new coach, both parts can be modified as required to ensure rigidity and easy working of the doors and windows, and to secure a neat junction line and fastenings combined with ready removal. For a new job, the elbow line of the lower portion is made fiat and designed with a good width on the top of 1 ins. to 1 ins. to ensure a good foundation for the top. It is usual to • curve the elbow line upwards at the back end, as is shown in one of our illustrations, but it adds to the cost of production and increases the difficulty of accurate fitting. As all the seat ends, including all the upholstery at this point, are kept clear of the top surface of the body side, the same idea should be extended to the. hind seat. This seat has the conventionally shaped corners, which are recessed the thickness of the body side, whilst the elbow line is continued straight round, as our other illustration shows, and forms an ideal surface for the top to rest upon. A new body, which is to he provided with a top, would not be designed with a side door to each row of seats, unless specially ordered, because each additional door has to be made in halves and increases the cost and weight and liability to rattle. The front side-entrance body with a central gangway is the ideal pattern to which a top may be fitted. In a new body the windscreen may be mounted so that the top half of the front doors is easily fitted. The best arrangement is for the screen stanchions to be replaced by wooden pillars or metal ones of rectangular section directly in line with the hinge line of the door. Another difficulty can be avoided by constructing the body with little or no side sweep or contraction until the line of the windscreen is passed.
When fitting a top to an old body the position of the upholstery is often a factor in increasing the cost. Many bodies have a stuffed roll brought over on to the body side and occasionally along the tops of the doors as well. The door trimming may be modified along the top, but it is usually impossible to alter the trimming wortc where the back and side squabs meet without spoiling or entailing retrimming. The top should also be designed with the main object in view of disturbing the upholstery as little as, possible, because it must always be remembered that the body has to look well as an open car as well as a neat job when the top is in position. The headroom in a coach, measuring from the floor to under the stick of the hood when erected, varies from 5 ft. to 5 ft. 6 ins., whereas in a bus body this is from 5 ft. 10 ins. to 6 ft. 2 ins. When designing the top it is necessary, therefore, to decide whether i the headroom of this s to be the same as the hood or whether a filling-up piece is to be provided to fit on top of the screen to make up the difference. If this filling-up piece is used it should be glazed so as to add to the natural lighting of the body, and• if the glass is made to hinge or slide it provides a valuable means of adding to the ventilation. This item is more necessary when the coach has a central gangway than when the body has a separate entrance to each row of seats. Each side door must have a corresponding hinged and glazed frame above it, and usually the space between consists of a fixed window, with panels at the rounded hind corners and one or a pair of back lights.
Keeping the Detached Top in Shape.
The top may be quite a satisfactory structure when it is in use, but it must also be made so that it will retain its shape after it has been hung up for several months from the garage roof. The chief weakness of the top is due to the fact that it is not tied together across the bottom. There is no reason why a light rail should not be framed across the front so as to butt against the bottom of the screen, while cross strainers could be made to screw on to the bottom side rails of the top.
The top is made in. to in. wider each side than the lower portion, and is either bedded right down on the elbow rail or supported so that there is about * in. clearance before painting. The joint is hidden by screwing on a moulding to the bottom rail of the top, which projects downwards, say, i in., or a piece of door plate is used having the advantage that no screw heads are visible. A moulding is sometimes screwed on to the fixed elbow flush with its top edge, but this is apt to give a.somewhat heavy appearance at the waist line owing to the double width of moulding.
The top is held to the permanent portion either by an inside or outside fastening. The inside one makes the neater job, while the outside one is' easier to manipulate. An inside fastening consists of a plate, screwed screwed to the bottom rail of the detachable top, the vertical arm of which engages with the projecting portion of a staple plate screwed to the elbow.
A simple form of outside fixing for a top which is fitted to a coach having the ordinary pattern of extension hood fitting is to make use of the hood irons by cutting slots in the rail of the top so that it engages with them.
Drop Windows and Their Concealment.
Drop windows can be fitted to a removable top i which s being fitted to a new body. The bottom rail of the top is then made up as an outer fence rail and an inner garnish rail between which the glass drops. The windows are operated by an ordinary: glass string or strap, or, if a. mechanical device is used, this should be one which can be accommodated in the lower portion of the body, such as a lazy tongs, or lifting arm, or a self-contained adjustable window frame (the new Strachan and 13rown pattern, for example). The coach part of the body is designed with a suitably restricted turnunder, so that the glass falls without having to use an undue thickness of timber. As the bottom rail of the top adds to the depth of the body side, there is no difficulty in arranging for the window to drop its full depth. When the top is taken off,'the glass frames are removed also. The top of the casing is concealed by means of a. polished wood or covered finisher screwed into position.
Drop windows may also be provided to a partition framed in behind the driving seat. This type of ventilation adds to the expense and makes the body somewhat heavier, while the fastenings, which hold the top in position, can only be placed where there are pillars or no window openings. The drop window, however, is one which always impresses the average passenger, and on a fine day affords the maximum of ventilation, whilst the body has a spacious and inviting appearance. The halves of the doors may either be hinged in line so that they may be rigidly fastened together, or they may have different hinge lines, with an arrangement to compensate for the differential Movement between the two parts. The first is the better, but is not always possible when building a top to existing coachwork because the overhang above the elbow brings the top hinge line too far forward. It may sometimes be worth while rehanging the doors below with longer hinges. Each half of the door should have its own lock or catch, but it is a decided drawback if each half has to be operated separately, whilst it is generally unsatisfactory to attempt to mace the lock of the lower half hold the upper, portion as well. As a complete new job, the coach, with detachable top, is a rival of the all-weather body and, since it is quite as expensive, it will only gain in popularity, because the owner considers it unnecessary to carry a set of glass windows in summer-time, and prefers for winter work a fixed superstructure.
It is just A question of individual choice, and the all-weather body has not been on the market long enough for one to form any definite conclusion as to which type will ultimately prevail. We venture to prophesy, however, that in another fiye years the body which can be converted en route, and has a set of windows which can be used to keep out the rain or act as dust or wind screens, will be preferred. But, as an addition to an existing body, there is plenty of scope, because the top adds to the value of the vehicle, even during the season, for, if the weather forecast is unfavourable, the top can be mounted instead of the hood. It is not unknown for a trip to be postponed because it is raining heavily at the time advertised for departure, but the up-todate coach proprietor should equip himself so that he can always run to schedule and never disappoint the passengers. He should make a stiong point of this on his posters and other announcements arid, if so inclined, may quote the old proverb, " For a morning rain leave not your journey."