Pakistan Soft Tops- Canvas or Vinyl (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter kkt
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i prefer canvas, my top from eshan is double layer vinyl
I don't recall having a choice last year. Has anyone gotten a canvas top from Ehsan?
Eshan has offered orders with fj wagons Khaki canvas for about a mouth now I had asked about this in a previous post I since changed my order to canvas . Think I will be one of the first with a canvas .... will see how it comes........JC
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pbgbottle
Forum Lifer
anybody have pics of the two materials ??
JohnnyC
Long ago TLCA# 2231
canvas
mine is not from Eshan...but it is canvas. I was looking for canvas and at the time he hadn't had any, so, I went to a military vehicle canvas manufacturer. I can tell you the difference between mine (canvas) and Kayline (Oem replacement) that i used to have. The kayline is a vinyl coated denium it rips easy and hard to sew back up, in 1 1/2 years it shrinks and the zippers break, I went through this for 9 years of replacing the top every so often. and it flaps around, and the windows hazed over within 2 years. Now my canvas is a smelly military grade canvas with thick windows that are stitched in. It has large zippers and weather quards over the zippers for winter. It had bow ties inside and large cotton webbing to draw down the rear. When they made it for me they warned me over and over NOT to drive it top down when raining because it will shrink and then you will not be able to get it back on. I thought oh great it shrinks. And ...I do notice it shrinks when wet. But even when its poring rain i can still unzip all the windows and zip them back up. I never had the windows rolled up for an extended period when wet. This is because of the coating on the canvas and the cotton material its naturally made from. I was ensured how ever it will last over 20-30 years if I care for the top by applying canvas sealer to it every year or so. That is the key to seal a canvas top. I have had the windows rolled up when it was 22 degrees outside and the rolled back with no problem unlike my kayline.
Any questions about canvas please ask
Johnny C
74 OEM Soft Top
www.localnet.com/~cirincio
mine is not from Eshan...but it is canvas. I was looking for canvas and at the time he hadn't had any, so, I went to a military vehicle canvas manufacturer. I can tell you the difference between mine (canvas) and Kayline (Oem replacement) that i used to have. The kayline is a vinyl coated denium it rips easy and hard to sew back up, in 1 1/2 years it shrinks and the zippers break, I went through this for 9 years of replacing the top every so often. and it flaps around, and the windows hazed over within 2 years. Now my canvas is a smelly military grade canvas with thick windows that are stitched in. It has large zippers and weather quards over the zippers for winter. It had bow ties inside and large cotton webbing to draw down the rear. When they made it for me they warned me over and over NOT to drive it top down when raining because it will shrink and then you will not be able to get it back on. I thought oh great it shrinks. And ...I do notice it shrinks when wet. But even when its poring rain i can still unzip all the windows and zip them back up. I never had the windows rolled up for an extended period when wet. This is because of the coating on the canvas and the cotton material its naturally made from. I was ensured how ever it will last over 20-30 years if I care for the top by applying canvas sealer to it every year or so. That is the key to seal a canvas top. I have had the windows rolled up when it was 22 degrees outside and the rolled back with no problem unlike my kayline.
Any questions about canvas please ask
Johnny C
74 OEM Soft Top
www.localnet.com/~cirincio
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Two questions:JohnnyC said:
1) What does "drive it top down" mean? If the top is "down" is it off the truck, or in the truck, or . . . ? Anyway, if this means that the top can't be used in the rain, then what's the point of having it, really?
2) Who is "they"? Whoever "they" is made you a SWEET looking canvas top.
johnny c, what did that top run you?
JohnnyC
Long ago TLCA# 2231
Mr. Toad said:
they work on military vehicles so the top get rolled up and stored in the back...if it were to get really wet when rolled up in the back it would start to shrink...thats what canvas does. for my truck they were concerned that when the sides or back were rolled up (open) That I should roll them back down (closed) or I may have that type of problem.
Johnny C
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JohnnyC
Long ago TLCA# 2231
nuclearlemon said:
My top was custom made to fit my cruiser...(65 mile an hour roll over) the door bow is about 1.4 inches lower than it is suposed to be. I am trying to find somebody with clean oem soft top bows in my area to go and have TRUE mesurments taken. Then they will be able to make them for anybody. A few minor flaws I am going to tell them about also so the next persons top will be MINT. When I say a few they are very minor...nobody would see them as flaws, but of cause me. I also have over 450 images of cruisers of all types and of oem soft tops that they looked at to make mine. They can do any window configuration also.
They are a bit pricy...They did say they would sell them to others when the time comes (a top with correct measurements) for about 700-750 shipped to your door.
Johnny C
74 fj40 TLCA #2231
PS...any type pics you need let me know...or info on the top or canvas questions...lets me know
JohnnyC
Long ago TLCA# 2231
A local company, "MVPA" they deal in preservation, and restoration of historic military vehicles canvas and upollstery.
JohnnyC
Long ago TLCA# 2231
They don't make the bows...mine were from a 1970 cruiser that I picked up from Marv like 9-10 years ago. And again Marv ...thank you...begging does work sometimes. You can get canvas made from any boat top company in your area. They aren't too bad on price as long as they have a truck to go by.
JohnnyC
Long ago TLCA# 2231
Does anybody know if eshans is treated canvas? Has anybody noticed "shrinkage" on his stuff?
Johnny C
Johnny C
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Looks sweet! Makes me change my mind about selling my bows some day....
By the way, MVPA is a military vehicle preservation association....which is really an association of all kinds of bizs and groups. I wasn't aware than any one biz was called MVPA. Are you sure they aren't just an affiliate who advertises to be part of that group?
By the way, MVPA is a military vehicle preservation association....which is really an association of all kinds of bizs and groups. I wasn't aware than any one biz was called MVPA. Are you sure they aren't just an affiliate who advertises to be part of that group?
I was wondering the same thing. I was actually at a military surplus store recently that had huge pieces of "waxed canvas", and I was thinking that it would make the best material for a soft top FJ40. I had only seen vinyl tops in the past. Waxed canvas is waterproof and doesn't shrink if the treatment is maintained. I actually have a motorcycle jacket made from it and it's so much better than leather. Tough, waterproof, more comfortable in hot weather.
I would imagine that if you had a top made from heavy canvas, you could treat it with the "wax" and it would be just as durable and weather-proof.
I would imagine that if you had a top made from heavy canvas, you could treat it with the "wax" and it would be just as durable and weather-proof.
