Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hey guys,

Just wondering if anyone had any tips in regards to making your own softtop?? The one I have now is well on its way out, the zippers are splitting from the canvas and the clear bits are no longer clear.

I noticed that Daz has made a single cab softop in his members thread and was hoping he could share his technique and tips for the rest of us. I think I've seen posts mentioning possum hunter as someone else on here who's made them too..

I could use the existing soft top as a template.
therefore I would just need:
- Length of canvas (lenght and width of current one)
- Clear bits for windows (how to you make these? Mine looks like its pressed/crhimped to the canvas?)
- Snaps (to afix to tub.. duh)
- Marine Zippers (marine shops?)
- Thread to stitch it all up?

What else am I missing? Would a normal sewing machine do for stitching it up? Would I do this by hand?

Any other pointers guys?

Cheers

you will need a big industrial sewing machine to stick the canvas as a normaly one wont have the guts to do it

shorty_f0rty wrote:Hey guys,

Just wondering if anyone had any tips in regards to making your own softtop?? The one I have now is well on its way out, the zippers are splitting from the canvas and the clear bits are no longer clear.

I noticed that Daz has made a single cab softop in his members thread and was hoping he could share his technique and tips for the rest of us. I think I've seen posts mentioning possum hunter as someone else on here who's made them too..

I could use the existing soft top as a template.
therefore I would just need:
- Length of canvas (lenght and width of current one) i'd chop up your existing one, alter it to the way you want, i.e. fast back style or what ever and take a template off it.
- Clear bits for windows (how to you make these? Mine looks like its pressed/crhimped to the canvas?) auto trimmers and sail makers stock the window material, its about $60 a meter, roll width is 1.6 meters-
Snaps (to afix to tub.. duh) press studs are the best bet, get a trimmer to put some females studs on the soft top then rivet the male ones onto the body of the car
- Marine Zippers (marine shops?) yep
- Thread to stitch it all up? you need v138 thread, super heavy duty and uv resistant
What else am I missing? Would a normal sewing machine do for stitching it up? Would I do this by hand? wouldn'tuse a domestic machine

Any other pointers guys?

Cheers

i'm a sailmaker in sydney and the cheapest and best way to do it is to work work how much canvas you need. buy it from a sailmaker, it cost about $30 per meter and roll width is 2meters.
cut it out using your template and take it back to them to sew it up.

just my 2 cents

cheers joel

Daz can`t surf the net at work anymore (because of other dickheads) so he want be on here much now but will be from time to time. So pm him and he will reply when he is on.

hey that sounds a winner doing it like that.

or chase the states. they are cheaper over thre but a full top is still a bit exxy.

Just had a look at the members thread at dazas 40 that soft top looks hot
might pm him on a cost n freight on makin one up

certainly makes his ride look phatt