- Thread starter
- #241
Awesome! Any feedback/criticism? How is it holding up?
making your own soft top.. because lets be honest.. you've built everything else (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter antFJ
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Awesome! Any feedback/criticism? How is it holding up?
Not really... it works great. The thoughts I have had in the past:
1) I did add some fabric underneath for sound deadening in a temporary method, and I have thought about making a more permanent solution.
2) I vaguely remember thinking I would like to zip out the sides or back instead of rolling it up and the magnetic sides that Trollhole's haI thought might be useful.
3) I have thought in the past that the rear soft top doors might be useful vs having to undo all the straps when loading.
These are nitpicky though. I really like riding in the soft top and yours works great and is high quality. This 40 has been at Mudrak's for a while though so that is why I have to try and recall any thoughts I have had about it.
Currently I have been using my hardtop FJ40 and with a baby and a toddler I havent been able to drive much lately either.
Thanks Ant!
Mike
1) I did add some fabric underneath for sound deadening in a temporary method, and I have thought about making a more permanent solution.
2) I vaguely remember thinking I would like to zip out the sides or back instead of rolling it up and the magnetic sides that Trollhole's haI thought might be useful.
3) I have thought in the past that the rear soft top doors might be useful vs having to undo all the straps when loading.
These are nitpicky though. I really like riding in the soft top and yours works great and is high quality. This 40 has been at Mudrak's for a while though so that is why I have to try and recall any thoughts I have had about it.
Currently I have been using my hardtop FJ40 and with a baby and a toddler I havent been able to drive much lately either.
Thanks Ant!
Mike
Gonna try my hand at making a soft top in the next month or so. Wish me luck 
Gonna steal alot of info from here and give it my all
Gonna steal alot of info from here and give it my all
I recently converted my table from a clutch motor to a servo. It was running faster than I could control it. It was Dad’s machine and he made boat tops for 35 years so it was second nature to sew fast. I set it to 7 stitches/inch and it ran 3 inches in just over a second. Jesus! I’m on a learning curve and I think the easiest way go about it is to just get a new top and copy it. Most of Dad’s jobs were just making copies.
Other than a walking foot as mentioned, a ‘must have‘ is a machine that will reverse so you can lock stitches. My Juki and Pfaff have it but the 1958 Singer doesn’t.
The Juki went through these 2 layers of rawhide like it wasn’t even there. My biggest obstacle is space. I don’t have room for a 8’x12’ table like he had.
Other than a walking foot as mentioned, a ‘must have‘ is a machine that will reverse so you can lock stitches. My Juki and Pfaff have it but the 1958 Singer doesn’t.
The Juki went through these 2 layers of rawhide like it wasn’t even there. My biggest obstacle is space. I don’t have room for a 8’x12’ table like he had.
JohnnyC
Long ago TLCA# 2231
Nice machines … wish I had one like it … would have made it much easier lol
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- Thread starter
- #246
Back at it! This time with new soft uppers for my doors! This is the same material as new broncos, jeeps, etc and it's over $100 per yard.
Nice color!
- Thread starter
- #248
Done except the eyelets!
I’ve had a lot of experience with old Singer walking foot machines. They’d all had smaller pulleys swapped onto them, but they were still a challenge to use for high precision work. I can see where a Servo motor would be worth its weight in gold.
If I ever get a walking foot machine I’ll be upgrading to a servo motor. For the time being I’ll just stick with the variable speed 220v motor it came with the antique Union Special sewing machine I have. It's more than 100 years old, and has no reverse, so a servo motor would be wasted on it. At 1/3 of a HP abd the ability to go super slow, it doesn't need one anyway.
Great looking top btw.
One last thought to share to all readers... One of my colleagues sewed through his finger while the machine was "off". His supervisor asked him why he hadn't shut it off before working on it... My colleague then demonstrated how, after shutting off the machine, there was enough momentum in the motor to stitch 1.5" through 3/8" Vegetable Tan leather if the pedal was depressed while the motor was spinning. So, always be extra cautious around industrial sewing machines.
If I ever get a walking foot machine I’ll be upgrading to a servo motor. For the time being I’ll just stick with the variable speed 220v motor it came with the antique Union Special sewing machine I have. It's more than 100 years old, and has no reverse, so a servo motor would be wasted on it. At 1/3 of a HP abd the ability to go super slow, it doesn't need one anyway.
Great looking top btw.
One last thought to share to all readers... One of my colleagues sewed through his finger while the machine was "off". His supervisor asked him why he hadn't shut it off before working on it...
My colleague then demonstrated how, after shutting off the machine, there was enough momentum in the motor to stitch 1.5" through 3/8" Vegetable Tan leather if the pedal was depressed while the motor was spinning. So, always be extra cautious around industrial sewing machines.
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I starting to feel like I have a sewing machine problem. A few years back I picked up this Union Special Machine from about 1908…
Great machine with a 1/3 hp variable speed motor.
Next I picked up this 1938 Singer for my sons school…
Added bonus were the original owner’s manual and a box of Singer accessories. Not too shabby for a 87 year old machine that only needed the lint buildup cleaned out of it.
As luck would have it, the school didn’t have space of an industrial machine with a clutch motor. I plan to keep it for now since it’s a beautiful machine that will sew paper thin to med/heavy material.
Then I picked up this Seiko Walking foot machine that will sew medium to heavy material:
Seiko manufactured Consew 206 machines till the ‘90s. In 2000 they started selling this same machine in North America under their own name. It’s a Japanese built walking foot machine with needle feed. If will sew through close to half an inch of heavy material. It doesn’t sew super thin material as well as the Singer. For $500 CDN, I couldn’t pass it up. Used they run about 2k and new they are about 3k.
Sold the Union Special for $200 and bought a Reliable brushless servo motor SQ-6000 with a needle positioner for $300. It’ll crawl or go crazy fast. It’s rated at 3/4hp and has a ton of torque (even at a snail’s pace).
I’d highly recommend upgrading to a servo motor with either a Reliable SQ-6000 or a Sailrite Workhorse motor. There are somewhat cheaper servo motors, but they often don’t have the same low speed torque and who knows where you can get parts if they ever fail.
It has taken 12 years to find this machine but it’s extremely well built, and parts are very reasonable. Now hopefully it won’t take another 12 to make a OEM style soft top,
Btw, I also have 2 domestic machines, 2 sergers, and an industrial blind stitch machine. Makes 7 after selling 1.
Great machine with a 1/3 hp variable speed motor.
Next I picked up this 1938 Singer for my sons school…
Added bonus were the original owner’s manual and a box of Singer accessories. Not too shabby for a 87 year old machine that only needed the lint buildup cleaned out of it.
As luck would have it, the school didn’t have space of an industrial machine with a clutch motor. I plan to keep it for now since it’s a beautiful machine that will sew paper thin to med/heavy material.
Then I picked up this Seiko Walking foot machine that will sew medium to heavy material:
Seiko manufactured Consew 206 machines till the ‘90s. In 2000 they started selling this same machine in North America under their own name. It’s a Japanese built walking foot machine with needle feed. If will sew through close to half an inch of heavy material. It doesn’t sew super thin material as well as the Singer. For $500 CDN, I couldn’t pass it up. Used they run about 2k and new they are about 3k.
Sold the Union Special for $200 and bought a Reliable brushless servo motor SQ-6000 with a needle positioner for $300. It’ll crawl or go crazy fast. It’s rated at 3/4hp and has a ton of torque (even at a snail’s pace).
I’d highly recommend upgrading to a servo motor with either a Reliable SQ-6000 or a Sailrite Workhorse motor. There are somewhat cheaper servo motors, but they often don’t have the same low speed torque and who knows where you can get parts if they ever fail.
It has taken 12 years to find this machine but it’s extremely well built, and parts are very reasonable. Now hopefully it won’t take another 12 to make a OEM style soft top,
Btw, I also have 2 domestic machines, 2 sergers, and an industrial blind stitch machine. Makes 7 after selling 1.
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I’m intrigued! I have an old Kayline Fastrack top in decent condition but will eventually need to be replaced. I have decent fabrication skills.. now you have me shopping for more “tools”.
If you search around a bit you’ll find the thread that explains how to fabricate OEM type bows…
pb4ugo
SILVER Star
If you search around a bit you’ll find the thread that explains how to fabricate OEM type bows…
And Sailrite has great how to videos on making tops and interiors along with tools and fabric. Sailrite videos are geared towards boating but its the same principle as soft tops. Check out Cechaflo on YouTube. He really good and concentrates more on upholstery and other things but is very informative on patterning and sewing techniques.
Malleus
Far west of Siegen
- Thread starter
- #255
no sorry!! the most recent one was a one off just for my truck
Coincidently a buddy just picked up a Juki (like others here he had gone through several Singers) and I have a new to me large shop that was my/our buddies HVAC shop so lots of room and several roll around 4 x 8 tables. The poor ba$
had no idea I had been scheaming a soft top build as he was buying tools and gaining skills (both master carpenters so ample layout and construction talent). He seemed surprised how ready I was! 
