Evening star., 1919-03-09
CARS TRIMMINGS
FOR DOING OVER
Best Fabrics for Tops and
Interiors Are the
Cheapest.
NEW MATERIALS OFFERED

|
has come to be sort of basic stand
ard in automobile bodies and tops,
SO that a car of this years vintage
does not look greatly different from
| one built two or three years ago.
except as regards the shabbiness of
its finish. This works out to the
! advantage of the car owner, in that
| he can, as need arises. renew top
| and curtains or any other part of
the upper works and have practically
new vehicle AS far as the body
goes, it is simply question of send
ing it to the paint shop and having
| it rehnished in whatever color or
colors one fancies. For the top, the
| problem is a little more complex.
| because there are a number of Diff
ferent materials that may be used
and it may be of interest to the car
owner to review the possibilities
along this line.
Best Materials Cheapest.
In the first place, the car owner
should know that the best materials
that can be put into the top anu
| the best workmanship will make the
| total cost only slightly above that
of poor material and unskilled lapof.
Indeed, for the man who possesses
little skill in mechanics, 1t Is pos
sible to get top covering alreAay
cut to fit the framework of the TOP
that is fitted on his car and himseiI
put it on. But the problem IN ettner
case comes down to the material TO
be used.
/ For the service to be demanded of
it, the top material must not spot
or stain easily, it must not FADE read.
lily and it must be easy to clean. VI
course, it must shed water.
Il As to the Tops.
The teps used in the early days were
either of leather, which serves very
WE'LL but lis expensive, or of heavy
waterproofed duck. This latter ma
terial has many drawbacks and is not
generally used today. because we have
that serve the purpose better, with
out adding greatly to the cost,
OF the cloth top materials, mohair
is perhaps the most popular. This
and 1t sheds water well. 1t has the
disadvantage Of fading rather badly
/ and absorbs grease and dust. Fre-
| Guent folding gradually wrinkles TINS
material, and in some cases 1t is also
subject to shrinking. This latter con-
/ diton is a serious failing. because it
means that the top is going to be
| pulled out of shape. the curtains be-
| come too small to fit the fasteners
| that are intended to hold them IN
place and the result is not pleasing.
The leather top of other days is not
much used now. for the simple reaaon
| that the cost In prohihitive, Also
leather is not altogether adapted to
| resisting the changes of temperature
| to which the top is subjected. The
| leather loses its resiliency and tends
| 10 crack under the constant folding
and creasing.
/ Features of New Materials.
Within the last few years number
of materials have been developed,
with smooth surface, which dirt
and dust cannot penetrate and which
4 grease does not stain. These are the
1 type commonly referred to as imita-
tion leather. They really partake
more of the nature of oiicIoth. They
arc smooth surfaced, glossy. with the
surface grained to resemble feathers
Of various sort There is rubber or q
similar compound in their coating,
which makes them waterproof. BY
tho nature of their compromising they
! are flexible. so that the creasing and
/ folding necessary do not wear them
out nor cause them to crack as real
leather does. These materials do not
fade, so that 1T takes longer for them
to become shabby.
i It is a good idea when the Job of
doing over the top is under way to
have an envelope made for housing
Il the top when it is down. This will
naturally be of the same material as
the top itself. and the leather tmita-
tions spoken of before are particular
/ ly useful here, as the top cover is cer-
tain to get more or less mud and
grease on it.
i In cases where the top is of Spring
/ field" type. that is to say. permanent.
I it requires refnishing after a Ger,
tain amount of service, just as the
| ordinary cape tops do. This may be
done in one of the leather limitations;
| in fact, it usually Is.
Doing Over Upholstery.