No Willys restoration can be complete without an original canvas top.
Most of these original tops have long since rotted away and thankfully there are
a handful of manufacturers that are recreating these tops. The first thing
you need to find is all the rods, bows, and door hardware, but original sets are
rare. Beachwood Canvas can supply you with everything you need for the
original top, but be prepared to spend about $900 for the the rods, bows, and
doors alone, then throw on another $1400 for a complete 7 piece top. I
opted for a reproduction 2A bow set from Walcks for $250, and door frames from
Beachwood for $350. The 2A bow set will require some modification as you
will see below. My top was made by New Life Resources and cost $750
delivered. Total cost for my top setup was $1350.
The bow set
from Walcks included the front and rear bows, the front spreader, and the
door opening rods. |
Overall the
kit is okay for the price. It's cheap Philippine steel, but still
looks good and is well made. |
The front
spreader fits just like the original |
The bow bends
are correct |
The overhead
bows are correctly notched to fit into a pin (see right) to prevent them
from twisting |
This pin
inside the side bows accepts a notch to prevent the frame from twisting |
This bracket
on the bow just behind the seat will need to be removed and a new tab welded
at the black line above it. |
The 2A's top
had the door handles on the vertical door jam and not the door. This
needs to be cut off. |
The brackets
that attach the horizontal door rod to the 2A windshield frame are cut
off... |
Rods are
fabricated to extend them... |
And they are
welded on. |
My 3A was
missing the windshield brackets that the horizontal door rods attach to.
I fabricated some new ones out of some plate steel. To put a bend in
them to fit the curve of the windshield, I place it in a jig in a vice... |
An this gives
me the correct bend. |
Here's the
mock up before everything gets painted. You can see the extended door
rods that got threaded, and the fabricated bracket. |
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The door
frames were from Beachwood and are well made. |
Here's one
door without the latch, and one with. The doors will be covered in
canvas, then the door latches are installed. |
The door
frames are sent off to New Life Resources to get covered in canvas.
Make sure you paint the bare metal frames before sending them in. |
The striker
and door latch are installed after the canvas. Everything is coated in
several coats of black Rustoleum. |
The front
half of the 7 piece top slides in through the channel on the front of the
windshield. |
Once over the
framework, the vertical door rods are installed. |
The top wraps
around the horizontal door rods and is secured. |
In the days
before turn signals, drivers would unzip this opening to stick out their arm
for hand signals! |
The doors
slide in the channels. |
The top is
secured by footman loops mounted on the wheelwells. To complete the
halfcab, the rear window section mounts in the opening. |
The rear top
section zips to the front.... |
...and wraps
around the rear hoop and gets secured. |
The rear
window section |
The rear
window section attaches to the back roof section and is secured at the
bottom using the footman loops |
The side
window sections zip in and are folded around the back and secured |
The rear roof
section is held down with four of these straps |
The top fits
a little loose, but will tighten up over time. |
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