Top Bows & Doors

 

Here is a picture of the finished windshield storage clamp:

 

 

The next time I do these, I will probably cut them to length, put the radii on the ends, drill the hole and then use an alignment pin in the jig to hold them in place before I crush them.  i think that will save time.

 

Edit:  Where are you guys getting these fancy emoticons that are not in the regular menu?

My bows was measured with the original paint/rust on them.

 

Roger B

 

 

Still a little dimple but not much.

 

Sorry ladies.... this one is mine!  I'm getting my new bikini top from Cape Cod Canvas and with any luck this weekend, I'll have my own set of bows.  The spoils of having a running jeep.

 

Roger,

 

What do you think?

 

 

 

The new bow spacer looks exact as my original, with the little dimple.

 

 

Roger B

 

The white lines are the center bow taper.  The cyan lines are the upright tubing wall.  As you can see, the tubing has a 1" OD, a .75 wall thickness and a .06 wall thicknes at the very beginning which graduates to .75 in 1/4 inch distance.  The inner diameter of the upright tube for the most part is .850.  This means that the two pieces should make contact at the .850 mark.

Sean from Top Bows page 27 wrote: Upright bow walls are indeed .075" +/- .001/2.  My early dimension were based on ID, taken at the end of the tubing, where it is .880", but beyond @ 1/4" or so inward, the diameter narrows, and 1"+ deep, the walls measure .075". I missed that detail in my initial look-see.

 

I drew the taper as a linear taper from .830 to .880 over 4 inches.  Pretty close to Sean's earlier table.  I also measured the taper at 1" increments.  As Sean said, The taper is close to linear.

 

By my calculation, the taper will only fit in 2-5/16 deep before contact.  The rivet is 2-3/4 from the edge of the pipe and the notch in the center bow is 7/16-1/2 inch deep so the pipe is suposed to insert in almost, if not 3 inches.  Something don't add up.  Matt, Roger, and Steve (original bows mix of 1st & second gen) all have a .850 inside diameter with no .880 over 1/4" lead in.  This taper would only fit 2-1/16 deep on their uprights.

 

Obviously Sean's taper is what he has posted, so now I question the condition of the inner diameter of the upright bow.  In order for this taper to insert into the upright bow 3" deep, the inside diameter of the upright would have to be .682 which is .069 wall thickness.  In "Top Bows" Sean stated that his bows did make contact at the .860 mark

Sean from Top Bows page 27 wrote: Crossbars: .875" dia., fairly consistent.  The taper (mine are definitely not step-down) begins about 3.75-4" in from the end.  By the time it reaches the 2 3/4" insertion depth, it's .860" dia.  So that's why it fits the uprights w/.075" wall.

 

There has to be some relief somewhere in the upright or this could not occur.

 

I realize, Sean, that it would be near impossible to measure the inside of your upright bow like you did the outside of your taper (without hole gauges).  I'm just saying that something does not add up.

 

This problem will magnify with 14ga tubing because it is .080-.082 wall thickness.

 

OK

 

Doors.

 

Here is a picture of a 1st generation door.  Notice the lower hinge pin

 

Let's look closer:

Well would ya look at that.  I see a zipper!  As you can see by the condition of the canvas and window this canvas certainly appears original.

 

We've discovered either one of three things:

1. Either some first generation doors had zippers

2. We have found the oldest repo canvas know to man

3. Jeff does not know what he's talking about and needs to do some more research.

 

Edit:

I should note that Sean also said on page 27 of "Top Bows" that The outside diameters of his upright tubes ranged anywhere from .999 to 1.010 with a maximum of 1.011.  I assume he means that they are "egg-shapped" that much and not that some are 1.01 and some are .999 which may also mean that when round they would have an OD somewhere around 1.005.  None the less, if all 4 uprights had a concentric 1.01" outside diameter with .075 wall thickness and the 1/4" lead-in taper, the center bow would insert to a depth of 3.116 which is more like what we are looking for.  That is still a problem for me because I can't get material that is 1.01 diameter.  The stuff I have got has been probaby been within .001 of 1" dia.