Last month we published a short pictorial titled “Auto Upholstery in the Early 1900s“. It proved so popular among our readers, that we decided to do a bit more digging to see if we could uncover even more photos of our industry’s storied past.
We did, in fact, find three additional photos that we happily share with you below.
Trimmers hard at work at a carriage upholstery shop in Carlisle, PA – circa 1902.
Factory machinists sewing automobile upholstery in Melbourne, Australia – 1910.
Women sewing-machine operators protesting for equal pay outside of Ford’s plant in London, England – 1968.
A film was made called “made in dagenham” which was all about women’s rights in the trim shop in the ford plant back in the days
Yes. I just recently heard of that movie and ordered it from my local library. Is it any good?
First Conv. top I installed was from Aro.
Go to the Pictorial History section.
Welcome!
Inside you will find a wide assortment of patterns for vehicles from 1927- present. These patterns are based upon countless “in house” installations as well as MILLIONS of “field” installations. Starting in the early ’50’s ARO Mfg. Co. was a consultant & supplier of parts to GENERAL MOTORS. ARO Mfg. Co. became an “OE” manufacturer for GM, FORD, CHRYSLER, & many other auto manufacturers from 1958 – 1976, & 1983-1995, manufacturing convertible tops, glass, & other items from patterns provided by the auto manufacturers.
PICTORIAL HISTORY
PRE 1961 MODELS
These are the famous ARO MFG Co. “Old Tyme” © patterns, having been the choice of professional restorers for many years. Given the life of a typical convertible top, it is likely that your vehicle has had more than a few tops installed over the years. With each installation & various installation techniques applied, frame adjustments will be necessary. All aftermarket convertible top manufacturers have their own patterns & corresponding bow heights. It may be necessary to adjust the bow height to accommodate our patterns. The “Old Tyme” patterns are correct for the original models – THEY ARE NOT MADE TO FIT FIBERGLASS or REPLICARS.
These parts require experience to be installed properly. Many of the older models have wood bows, wood tacking strips, even wooden body frame members which might have been replaced. Frequently the old tops & related items are taken off in haste & discarded, leaving no example to follow in the event of confusion during installation.
Much like restoring an old house, you can buy the best materials but get mediocre results by cutting corners or cutting something too short. ( Ever have a favorite recipe fail?) While many of our products have been successfully installed by hobbyists, for the best results we strongly recommend that these items be installed by professionals who have the tools & experience to handle problems which are likely to be encountered.
Due to the wide variety of vehicles we manufacture items for, we do not have access to installation instructions for every item. We do offer generic instructions, as well as some Factory guides that we have located and scanned over the years. We are adding to these manuals daily. Factory/Dealer service manuals are the best source for true factory specifications & will help make one aware of the requirements for a successful installation. We have a wide network of installation centers around the country who are familiar with our products should you need a reference.
Copyright © ARO 2000. All rights reserved.
Revised: January 12, 2010
A DIVISION OF PUTT GEORGI LTD.
845-778-1314 / 845-778-3968 fax
Thanks for the lead Belvedere65. There’s a wealth of knowledge on their site and the pictorial section is great.
Yeah, thanks Belvedere65! We’ll definitely include the photos in our next pictorial!
Terrific article!