Looking for a damaged or unusable canvas cab top

[Kaiserjeeps]

I can post pics OK. It is a bit of a circus with two different computers, but I seem to post my share.
I just picked up some #11 blades for my exacto knife. I was wondering about what you suggested. I will give it a try. The seam rippers I kept breaking grew tiring. I had also thought it might be helpful to have another top to compare parts with. The gent from AU had a nice offer but the shipping and costs would probably make that unrealistic. I sent a PM to DaveJ and see he has been on, but no reply. Eightydueces top is definitely workable, it does have a fair share of repairs, but I would like to now compare two panels if I could. The material eightyduece sent is stellar. I would like to not have any waste if I can help it.
When the time comes. I will be able to move ahead no problems...
However, if anyone has another top they can part with, I'll pay shipping...

I will give the knife a try.

[DAVEJ]

Originally Posted by Kaiserjeeps

I sent you a PM DaveJ.. Did you get it?

Yes, and no.

Sent you a pm

[Kaiserjeeps]

Thanks for the PM DaveJ. Looks like I have what I need to make a top. So I don't need another one now. Thought I was going to be able to resume work on the top panel separation today. But had a project come up for a neighbor that I must do first. He is wheelchair bound and asked me to try and design some soft chains for his chair. Just when I thought I was catching up with everything.

[Kaiserjeeps]

Originally Posted by k8icu

If I have a heavy long seam to rip I use an razor knife (box cutter, utility knife) and slowly cut the threads while pulling the one part away from the other exposing the threads so I don't cut (in my case) the leather. This makes things go quicker than trying to pop each stitch.
Looking forward to your pics once you get a puter that will allow you to post pics.

I had an hour to kill tonight. I tried the exacto knife and was amazed at how fast it was. I released easily a couple hundred stitches in a fraction of the time with less effort than with a seam ripper. K8icu, thanks for the awesome suggestion. It sure worked!

[k8icu]

You're welcome. Don't forget to factor in your seam allowance when you make the patterns. Nothing worse than stitching it all up and finding it "shrunk" or "grew" because your seams were too big or too small.

[Kaiserjeeps]

I will do that. Thank you. I am thinking about the project every day now. How to what when. Seam ripping panels out shows me their true size. I need to make drawings too. One of the things I fall short on.

[Kaiserjeeps]

Well I finally was able to make some progress here. I had wrapped up most of the cab repair and have been really eager to get after this. I have the opportunity to use the most modern high performance material available today in this project. Thanks to a specific member here () I can hopefully make good things happen. A tool is only as good as it's operator. I have blown a lot of dust off my sewing hat. I hope to do this justice. Oddly I just made a clutch part for my sewing machine on my lathe. The clutch was releasing with hardly any strain and I found the problem. And fixed it.

And I have had some PM's asking for measurements. As much as I would like to help, I can't. There is so much detail despite looking like a simple soft top, I could never put it on paper for someone to make and fit. You will see why shortly. It would take me a month to come up with a set of plans. That is not in the cards here. So please don't ask. I will show everything I do and why. But I urge people to fork out the bucks for a new top, put it on, and enjoy it. I am not that smart. I want to try and make one. I beat myself with my own stick. I must like it.

So first off using the method recommended by K8icu I burned through each seam with an exacto knife. I'd still be out there separating seams if it were not for that suggestion. Reverse engineering...

This is the "gather and seam" by the side above the doors. An inside picture from underneath. It must be opened, measured, and mapped. And transferred to the pattern. The white cut stitching is from a patch someone put on the top to try and save it from dry rot. They did a fine job as it took awhile to undo.





This is what K8icu mentioned about a top shrinking or growing by not getting the overlaps and seams right. When I cut my pattern, I need the extra to fold back and make the finished edge. The finished size and the pattern size are very different. NOTE the pencil lines in the fold from the person who made this top new.



A view from the top side. Not sewing in this feature would make it very loose not fit correctly. Noisy in the wind ect.



Trying to document everything for later when I am scratching my head on the detail.



Next is a fabric transfer to a paper pattern. Then on to a 1/8 thick masonite board. Why the paper first when I could just trace the canvas? Fold over the panel and see how much the canvas has moved or stretched. In some cases it is huge and edges don't match at all. By drawing a trace on paper, you can trace the length out, and roughly where the lines are, but that only really helps find the center fold. Trace out a good acceptable pattern, then cut it carefully out on the lines, then fold it at the center line and trace the same good pattern on the other half. Then cut it out. This will true up the pattern and make the top much more accurate.

Continued for the 8 picture limit below.

[Kaiserjeeps]

The fold over and tracing the one half over the other. This is the front windsheild panel that has the rope sewn in to hold this panel in the groove on the windsheild frame.



Checking the rear panel edge. I ended up seam ripping all of it out and unfolding the big flap at the bottom and doing this over for the over all panel check. But you get the idea.



Then once I think I have a good paper pattern, transfer it to a wood panel. I will make a top, check the accuracy of the wood, then if it is good, seal it with minwax wood hardener to preserve it. Then I have the wood pattern forever. I have done this very thing with FSJ firewall pad sets etc. They store well sealed.

BTW, these tops were hand made. I am finding hand cut edges and pencil lines everywhere. Not much has changed since back then.




I still need to paper map the top panel then transfer it to wood. There is a ways to go yet before needles hit material. More soon

[eightydeuce]

Very impressive, and I totally understand urging people to buy one and not taking on this monumental task. As "simple" as top this may seem, the guy that made my top did it without a pattern and took him and took him about 35 hours. Luckily, I cashed in on a couple of favors he owed me so I paid the lowest price possible...free.

[Kaiserjeeps]

I can believe it on the hours. No pattern.... Wow I guess I am pretty fortunate. If I could count the Jeep products I have reverse engineered to date. Some day if things go right, I will spend all my time making stuff and offering it all up. Mostly full size civi stuff though. So, what are you going to do with two tops.