Custom Soft Top

[Claude]

Originally Posted by seanmcs

Just
wondering about the integrity of the body if the lid is chopped off.
Must need some reinforcement.

Sean

Having owned a 405DH for a while and sunk a fortune in the first stage of its restoration, I can assure you that the Bristol is remarkably strong. According to my restoration man in Connecticut, the butcher marks from Abbott suggest the car was built as a 405 saloon by a welder who belongs in the welding hall of fame, and then chopped by a sloppy blacksmith to become a drophead. He showed me the chop work, and it was primitive. Effective, but primitive. There also was no extra support bracing installed in the bodywork.

Keep in mind, the Bristol has a full chassis that provides all the structural integrity, unlike modern monocoque bodies that rely on the body to hold together. In fact, if you examine the car you will find that the body is held on outriggers... in the 405DH the spans were timber. The strength of the car is in the massive steel underneath.

Claude