Flip Top Box

Gritsngumbo · Post by **Gritsngumbo** » August 28, 2009, 9:54 pm

We were discussing the 58-59 Ford Retractable Hardtops the other day (after hijacking a guys post who had just bought a B Model Mack. I just ran across this one on CL and thought I would post it to show the youngsters on the site what one looked like (if they hadn't seen one).
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/1326535393.html

ezernut9mm · Post by **ezernut9mm** » August 28, 2009, 10:12 pm

i wish i had a better pic, but this one shows up at local shows from time to time:

Gritsngumbo · Post by **Gritsngumbo** » August 28, 2009, 10:21 pm

That one is nice! I had forgotten they had them in 57 also.

dotcentral · Post by **dotcentral** » August 28, 2009, 10:26 pm

Everytime I see one of those, I think of that cheesy 80's movie Ford Fairlane with Andrew Dice Clay. I think his was a 57, but not 100% on that. It gets blown up at the end, I hope it was a bondo-ed up hardtop in that scene.

Edit to say, I googled Ford Fairlane, andrew dice clay, car explosion. Supposedly it was a fiberglss mock up. http://www.mutantreviewers.com/rford.html see the section "Intermission", so apparently they had a stunt car.

1961 slickwilly · Post by **1961 slickwilly** » August 29, 2009, 12:48 am

i've seen them they pop up from time to time at our local ford dealership they have a ford fun for all every april 14 or 15 and ford or ford powered can enter i've only seen one of them old glass top cars cant remeber what they are or what year butsome one knows what i'm talking about

fmartin_gila · Post by **fmartin_gila** » August 29, 2009, 9:12 am

We have two of them here in town, one 57 and one 58.

Fred

Johnny Canuck · Post by **Johnny Canuck** » August 29, 2009, 9:30 am

1961 slickwilly wrote:they have a ford fun for all every april 14 or 15 and ford or ford powered can enter

Wow! What a concept!

they have a mini-Barret Jackson type auction near here every Memorial day and I almost always go up to the auction to see what is going thru.
I have probably seen at least a half dozen retractables go thru there over the years. They always fetch a healthy buck too. Amazing to watch. I would imagine a nightmare to maintain.

Gritsngumbo · Post by **Gritsngumbo** » August 29, 2009, 11:17 am

1961 slickwilly wrote:i've seen them they pop up from time to time at our local ford dealership they have a ford fun for all every april 14 or 15 and ford or ford powered can enter i've only seen one of them old glass top cars cant remeber what they are or what year butsome one knows what i'm talking about

Pun intended?

1961 slickwilly · Post by **1961 slickwilly** » August 29, 2009, 12:37 pm

not intended i didnt even think of that while i was typeing htat

Johnny Canuck · Post by **Johnny Canuck** » August 30, 2009, 12:02 am

and right on cue I saw a glass top Crown Vic today, the '55 version of a Skyliner

jimbeamalki · Post by **jimbeamalki** » August 30, 2009, 10:22 am

I have an article from a model magazine that said the '57 Ford Retractable roof had 10 relays, 10 limit switches, 4 lock motors, 3 drive motors, and over 600 feet of wire---bet it's a lot of fun trying to repair one of those!

Fordman · Post by **Fordman** » August 30, 2009, 11:26 pm

like this starliner?

Truckfarmer2 · Post by **Truckfarmer2** » August 31, 2009, 11:00 pm

My son was selling new Chryslers and they were bragging about the convertible hardtop Sebring and Eric asked them "What's the big deal? Ford did that over 50 years ago!" Guess I ruined him by exposing him at so many car shows.

Michelle · Post by **Michelle** » August 31, 2009, 11:15 pm

The top operation is very similar to the Thunderbird convertibles and the Lincoln four door convertibles. While both the Bird and the Lincoln had a rag top, the operation was similar. I have did a number of top repairs on both the Birds and Lincolns before for friends. The 57, 58, and 59 retractables had two electric motors and screw latches to lock and unlock the top from the header bow, and to lock and unlock the truck. Another electric motor to raise and lower the deck lid, and yet another electric motor the raise and lower the top. The folding section of the top had a piece of linkage attached the rear part of the top to fold the front section of the top under the main top assembly as the top went down. On the Birds and the Lincolns the system used more hydraulics. The Birds used one hydraulic pump to operate both the deck lid and the top, while the Lincoln used two pumps, one to open and close the deck lid and one to raise and lower the top. They too used electric motors to lock and unlock the trunk and the top from the header bow. Relays and limit switches were the order of the day for all the cars. The Linclons even used relays for the rear window operations. There was a clearance problem when opening the rear door with the both the window and the top up. Lincoln had a system that would drop the window by about three inches when you actuated the door handle to open the door. When you closed the door the window would go back up once the door was shut good. BTW the Ford repair manual refers to the operation of the top going down as the top retract cycle and when it is going up it is called the top erect cycle. I had once finished repairing a Bird top for a friend and when the top started going up he said "my car is having an erection." A play on words of sorts.

Johnny Canuck · Post by **Johnny Canuck** » September 1, 2009, 8:15 am

Erection? that's when they vote in Japan, right?