Making my own top

Not satisfied with current offerings for intermediates. I have some experience sewing and its not that hard and I'm good with my hands so I'm going to make one myself. Keeping my eye out for a suitable machine. Not in a hurry.

Too bad most people are only willing to pay Omix prices for custom work or a guy might actually be able to make it worth his while to turn it into a small business.

 

I have been thinking about that myself. The sewing machines are hard to come by. I have a local shop that makes tarps for big trucks. Belongs to a friends dad.

 

actually the sewing machines are plentiful in my area. keep your eyes on leather machines and industrial machines, I had a PFAFF machine that would do real heavy stuff like leather and it was great for tarp material also. I paid $1000.00 from a local sewing machine repair shop. I traded it in and got $600 for it after many years of good use. I grew up with my father making saddles and any accessories such as gun scabards. we tackled a few boat tops and made some jeep tops and accessories for the jeeps. I don't like the quality of my Besttop on my 74 either. they don't fit like they are supposed to. I would say take a ratty top. make the changes and fittings to the jeep then take it apart and use it as a pattern for your new one.
good luck.

 

Heck, a CJ-6 Tiger Top costs nearly $900.

I'd certainly be interested in a half-top that was available in a modern design.

 

There was a guy on the CJ2a website who was sewing some things. You might want to compare notes on materials etc. Look on craigslist for industrial sewing machines and call local industrial sewing machine supply houses. In this area there seem to be a lot of machines for sale.
Tom

 

Not too interested in making them for others on any significant scale. Heck, have to make one for myself first. I work too many hours to have a hobby business. Also want to recover some original lowbacks. Mine is a Superjeep so white tops and two-tone seats would add to my 70's sex appeal.

Figure I'll start with door skins. If I can wrap the doors the rest will be easier. Doors take less material too so there is less risk if it doesnt work out. I'll make patterns in parallel with actual skins so I can repeat success or adjust for improvements. I want OEM replicas with some minor upgrades, such as velcro to attach door skins to frames (like Bestop), zip-off side and rear curtains, doubled-over vinyl around snap edge, doubled vinyl anywhere the top rides on a bow or windshield frame, maybe even foam backed vinyl for the roof piece. Also, a sloped 1/2 top would be cool.

Just need a machine that I can get my money back out of. I think I'll sell some spare stuff to come up with $ for a decent used machine.

 

To clarify, the reason I dont think this is a profitable venture is because few people will pay a premium for custom work for old Jeeps when there are so many cheap imports, Bestop being one (made in Mexico). But if there was ever a market niche where this might actually work it's ECJ5 people.

 

There is a guy I work with that made a bikini top for his scout out of his current full soft top, he just used a sewing machine that we have here at work that is used for every thing from sewing uniforms to sewing canvas C-130 seats. I would think any decent sewing machine that can use a heavy duty needle would work. I don't see that you would need a heavy duty machine to pull this off.

 

My neighbor does all kinds of custom upholstery work including my soft top. It takes a lot of hours to put something like this together, and you want to use quality material so that's expensive too. I traded off work for mine, but we figured it would be in the $1000 range. Of course if he made a pattern he could lower the price some, but even the frame and door surrounds are custom, I made those.

 

Shoe and Tarp repair shops, or any Interior Upholstery place will be able to sew up your top.

Lay it out the way you want it, and take it in... Usually doesn't cost too much to sew it up.