Back in the early days, the tops of closed automobiles used fabric inserts because it was easier for automakers to manufacture them this way. As time progressed the soft top slowly disappeared from production vehicles by the end of the 1930s. Rodders from the earliest days have always tried to incorporate elements of "late-model" cars into their hot rods, and filling the soft top was a natural upgrade.
Just like everything else in rodding where "what's old is new again," returning to the look of an original soft-top insert is something many early car owners have been considering. Thanks to the adaptability of the Juliano's Interior Products top insert kit this isn't as hard as you might think. The same kit they offer for original open tops can also be used on vehicles whose tops have already been filled (with a smooth top).
Among the many reasons an owner might want to return to a soft-top style insert is a filled roof that has begun to show its age and may have developed cracks where the filled insert was joined to the original sheetmetal. This was the case with the '32 Ford Victoria used in the installation story, but just about any vehicle can benefit from the addition of a Juliano's top insert.
As you follow along with this installation, remember that the same steps are used on a vehicle still sporting the factory hole in the roof as well as those that have already been filled. Either way we have a definite "soft spot" for soft tops.
