Make Your Own Soft Top (12/2021) Ref Md Juan Tub Build

Thanks
I'll definitely take a look. Given the amount of effort this is going to get. I want to stack the deck in my favor towards getting a great product!!
(Like that name popupportal

 

I went back and re-read the JPET "Build your own canvas top" post on TheCJ2aPage website to check out his half-cab back. And I re-discovered that he also made both framed and frameless doors. So, I now have a few more pieces to prototype before I start cutting canvas.

Over the weekend I cut and sewed the half-cab back. When I tried to install it I found it 5-1/2" too narrow and about 1" short. So I'm going to patch in a few pieces to correct it before I post any pictures. I have a Rough and Tumble (not authentic for 1969) back seat which folds down and forward flat against the front seats. I want to also enclose/cover the folded rear seat with the half-cab back... at least I think I do. I'm going to cut it to fit either way (folded/unfolded) but it impacts where I locate the footman loops... so I'll try it both ways.

Then I'm going to install the door edge channel so it can hold the forward side upper edge as I prototype the frame and frameless doors.

I dug my son's 25 year old forge out of the shed so I can fire it up to prep (heat) the door frames for re-bending. Wish me luck and keep the fire department on standby...



I finally ordered binding webbing, Common Sense twist style fasteners, a punch for the fasteners, and buckles for the tie down straps. I tried the recommended Trivantage site, but they are a wholesale only outlet. I'm dragging my feet on strap tips; not sure which style & hoping for a better deal than I've seen so far.

 

Just read up on your project...pretty awesome!
Im not sure what your Singer has for a pulley on the servo motor...I had an old Pfaff machine that was fast as hell, i took the pulley to a machine shop and had it turned down / shorter belt and alot more control.
There are often adjustments on the clutch arm to help regulate speed.
hopefully im not just blathering a bunch of stuff you already know...
if you want to get super crazy... you could go with a set up like this
Singer 111W155 speed reducer pulley for sewing Heavy Leather - YouTube

 

Thanks for your note. I acquired my Singer 111 from a brother who was scaling down his car/boat upholstery shop. I learned the basics sewing my own CJ5 seat upholstery under his eye. He could control his machine to make 1-2-3, whatever, stitches and stop, needle "up" to clear the fabric... And he does it without a servo motor or pulley changes. On a good day I can sew straight even stitches with good starts and stops but I'm still mighty rough on rounded corners...

I did not know I could affect speed via the clutch arms, so that will get a good look right away!!

Probably my biggest problem is "fabric management". I'm ALWAYS getting in my own way. I'll have a seam overlap perfectly laid, the needle offset exactly where I want it, a great controlled start... and then a pin will catch, or the heaviest part of the fabric will fall over the edge of the table, or I'll catch it on the neck of the machine. These pieces can get a bit large and stiff and heavy. I think fabric management is 80% of my battle.

Mostly, I need practice and patience.

 

Yesterday and today I added width and height to my half-cab back, and I used a cardboard pattern to trace and cut out a basic frameless door. The dog wouldn't let me continue, so after her walk I'll mount the cab back and take a few pictures. The door needs reinforcement and a rope bead to insert into the (still not installed) windshield side door channel.

 

After walking the dog (Ginny Weasley, ...the witch):



I'm looking forward to getting a new knee... but, I got the half-cab back installed with duct tape and started a list of 3rd round changes I'll need to make:



I made my extra width & height patches blue on brown to show what I changes I already did. So what still needs changing?
Well, I cut clearance holes for the roll bar diagonals at the height they intersect their vertical members. But they penetrate the cab back much further down (duh).

And the upper edge curve was designed to fit the original bows which have a smaller diameter corner turn than I could reproduce with a tubing bender, so they need to be trimmed flatter.

And the attachment flaps reach around the bows and are cut to clear the raised edge of the tub. Making the cab rear taller makes the edges not clear the tub edge... snip, snip, snip...

And maybe clearance semi circles are needed for the four horizontal roof support conduit pieces which tie my two bows together. Ideally those support pieces and the rear bow should be removed when dressing my Jeep in a half-cab, but that's not as easy as it sounds because of the Maker conduit connectors I used.

I'm not loving the way it looks covering my folded rear seat... too puffed out for my taste. Although tie down straps and a vinyl window would help stiffen it a bit. And I would like to be able to leave the seat in there. I'll try to make it work with and without the rear seat installed.

I could have gotten along just fine without the extra inch of height, but it will likely shrink smaller anyway. And it's also about an inch too wide now. Making it wider shifted some of the strap reinforcement out of position, so I need to clean that up.

I should probably re-make the half-cab back from scratch. 'Time to buy another HF tarp!!

I didn't make any real progress on the frameless door, so nothing to report on that.

 

Last night I folded over all the extra fabric I deliberately left all around my frameless door edges. That will make the entire edge stiffer and also provide reinforcement for the attachment points at the windshield, cowling, and overhead horizontal door jamb. I also have to sew in a length of small diameter rope into the door cloth's windshield edge appropriate for the width of the channel. I'll have to experiment with that to get the best size rope. And I want to try out sewing in several strong magnets acrose the bottom door edge, to hold the it against the tub at the threshold.



And, I have not yet read how JPET "latched" the frameless door, so I need to do some reading.

I couldn't try out my frameless door prototype until I installed the windshield door edge retaining channel, which I just finished this evening. I attached the door edge channel with sheet metal screws, but I don't feel very good about that :/ Sheet metal screws just seem wrong on a vehicle... I'll need to buy some bolts long enough to penetrate to the outside of the windshield frame.



Changing subjects over to the hinged and framed doors... I also just picked and installed one of the three hinge styles I have available. I know I have to do some door frame bending anyway, so I can make any of the three work. I went with the plain vanilla flat hinges with no offset.

I had to take the Jeep out today (to a doggie play date because of my bad knee), so I removed all my prototype soft top sections. Naturally, while inside the building we got a surprise rain shower which soaked everything. And naturally, the shower kept up all the way home. (The dog was VERY unhappy.) Next time I'm leaving the HF tarp prototype on the car and I don't care who sees me! Anyway, I'll have to put everything back on before trying out the door.

I also decided to repair and not remake the half-cab back panel. I'll also try that out again as soon as the top goes back on.

 

I'm not a fan of sheet metal screws either. I got a fairly cheap but well rated Rivet Nut tool off Amazon and love it:






The only disadvantage is the rivet nuts stand proud 25 thou or so from the surface. For something you want to be water tight, you'd need to fill that gap with a gasket, Mortite, RTV, or something.

 

Oh, I like those
Maybe not for this, but I'd like to own one and figure out later where to use it
Amazon $60
HF $50 but much less capable

 

In-between packing for a trip, I fooled around with the door frame a bit. I found I could just step on the curves to flatten or increase them; no heat required. And the hinge post positions surrendered to a vice and series of taps with a hammer. I also reshaped the latch to fit around my vertical conduit door frame.



So, once the hinge well is repaired, I should have a functioning door frame.

 

Just a quick apology for the photo quality... My new phone has an insanely high resolution (lots and lots of pixels) and every photo it creates has a too large file which BeamingPix rejects. I have to keep cropping my photos, sometimes 3 times, and I end up with a barely useful shot. I’m reading to find out how to reduce the original photo resolution, but no luck so far :/

 

There’s an app for that. Reduce pixels app. Easy and free.

 

You are doing beautiful work. The door frame looks mighty tight to the curve of the body. Should a bit more room be allowed for material, so it doesn't bind?

 

If you read the JPET post on theCJ2aPage.com he shows you that you can do a canvas top on a "normal" sewing machine; industrial machine not required. And for someone who is OK with "authentic looking" JPET used a lighter gage canvas (because of the lightweight sewing machine) which only an expert could tell from the original heavier canvas.

 

Thanks for the comment.

The door frame bottom includes a long hinge pin which fits in a “well” in the forward door threshold. The well base is a stamped “cup” with tabs spot welded to the vertical tub wall under the door threshold. The height of that cup limits the insertion depth of the door frame’s hinge pin.

Unfortunately a few of the spot welds of my MD Juan tub were weak and failed, including those attaching my door hinge bottom well. So when inserted into my tub, my door frame drops lower than intended. I’ve stalled in re-welding the cup, (1) because it will spoil my paint, (2) I have to drive it to my brother’s garage to access his spot welder (and it’s still a bit cold and rainy in Pittsburgh most days). Once the cup is back where it belongs, the frame will sit higher and provide clearance for the flap at the base of the door

 

Thanks for your suggestion.

I certainly would have paid attention to the link you included if I had not been so far down the road. I think I’m ok with the way it ended up so far... but if I’m ever going to “fix” it, I won’t get a better chance... hmmm...

 

I finished correcting all the problems I found on my prototype and put it on the Jeep a final (?) time before cutting canvas. Here's what it looks like:

 

Looks great! I'm really impressed with this project so far. Can't wait to see it in canvas.

 

Are you going to cut plastic windows and make sure they work on the tarp prototype?

 

I also posted these photos on TheCJ2aPage. com, JPET's "Make your own canvas top" post (source of the top's patterns) with a few questions and I'm hoping for an answer. Then I'll pull the trigger !