Well I thought I'd start a separate build thread for this instead of adding this to my L.S.O. build. This will be a layman's account of how to build a simple convertible top with basic knowledge gained from watching many, many videos from the net, and a picture in my fuzzy mind. This top will be built more along the marine style tops that I have had on my boats.
During my L.S.O. build I had decided that in order for Wifey and I to enjoy the 7 in Sunny Alberta's ever changing weather environment, I should look at adding a convertible top to the build. Having made that decision I had fabricated the windshield stanchions from 1/4" material to be able to handle the strain of a convertible top in tension. I also welded on 1/4" posts on top of the stanchions to hold a headboard ( hey if it was good enough for Henry Ford, it's good enough for me).
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I then ran across an industrial sewing machine during the build that would do the trick for sewing the top. Add that to the list of Locost tools.
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Once the L.S.O. build was completed, wifey and drove it for a year. We then decided it would be great to get a motorhome and car trailer to travel the world with our 7. This led me to construct a tonneau cokpit cover for the 7 so that the interior would stay dry while trailering the car. This gave me my first introduction to sewing. Watching lots of video's on the net, made some mistakes, learnt a bunch, but overall was happy with the results.
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Then during on of our trips, we realised that if we ran into a hail storm the bonnet would be toast, so I sewed up a padded "hail guard" for the bonnet.
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So now I am at the point where I feel confident that I should be able to construct a convertible top for the 7 with a few simple goals.
1 - Simple construction
2 - Pleasing to the eye
3 - Quick (and easy) to deploy
4 - Fold up storage on the car
With all this in mind, this is not a top we expect to travel 100 miles in heavy rain, but something that will keep us dry in the event of unexpected rain to get us back to the campsite or hotel.
I will post as many pics as I can, so on with the build!