Canvas for tops

[Marc Roberts]

I have a couple of early cars, including a 1914 T Runabout, that have old deteriorated tops made of plain black canvas. I had a chance to get a Juki industrial sewing machine from an upholstey shop that went out of business, and now I am thinking making my own tops and accessories. I don't think I would make curtains, as I don't think I would ever use them. What weight of canvas would be appropriate? Are there patterns or drawings available for the top and a top boot for the early Model T? One of the cars (non-Ford) has canvas splash aprons. Would the tops and accessories all use the same weight of material?

[Erik Johnson]

To the best of my knowledge, there are no patterns for the tops and top boots, unless the Benson Center has the factory drawings and someone in the hobby has copies. You'd need to use an original top for patterns.

1914 roadsters and tourings came from the factory with a leatherette (artificial leather) top. For all practical purposes, it was oilcloth with a shallow, pebble grain finish.

The closest material available today is Haartz turf grain vinyl. If you want to make a top from scratch, you can purchase it by the yard from Classtique (Model T upholstery and top kit manufacturer).

https://www.classtiqueupholstery.com/in ... yard-goods

Two years ago, I installed a new top on my father's 1917 touring. We did it from scratch, not a kit, and used Haartz turf grain vinyl that we purchased from Classtique. (My dad bought the car in 1949 from the original family and made and installed a new top in 1951, using the original factory top as a pattern. Back then, there was no leatherette top material available so he installed canvas convertible top material, which actually has a thin layer of rubber between two layers of canvas.)

[Kerry]

Mine is made from an old tent, army green that is now very faded.

[Charlie B in N.J.]

I really like that tent material idea. I’m betting the price was right too.

[Allan]

I have five T's with canvas tops.The canvas made today has a percentage of polyester in the weave. This makes it stronger and lowers the amount of shrinkage when it gets wet. Do not get this confused with the square grid of fibres in ripstop type fabrics. It looks just like canvas used to look on our colonial bodied cars.

The colour most suited to T's is light sand. This is a fawn colour rather than army green.

Allan from down under.

[Humblej]

Marc, since you ask what type of canvas you need, you are probably biting off more than you can chew. A runabout top may look straightforward, but it is actually a complicated thing. The top itself is made of an assembly of 5 different parts, and the rear curtain assembly is made up of 7 parts including the plastic window and window trimming. What goes under the top includes padding made up of a cotton covering, cotton padding, and jute webbing, then there are the web straps, the bow wrap, the front windbreak, hidem welting, and metal ends for the welting. The geometry of the top irons and bows is critical to a good looking top installation. Installing a commercially available top is a big job, doing an entire top from scratch AND the installation is almost a bridge too far, at least for most restorers. A quality pre-made top from Classtique may seem expensive, but they had to make the patterns from Ford drawings and original examples, hand cut and sew to make up the parts of the kit with correct quality materials which are not inexpensive, and I dont think they are getting rich doing it. From what you describe you do not have an original Ford top to use as a pattern and the odds the top bows are in the right geometry and the rear window is the right size and in the right location is doubtful, you will be reverse engineering the wrong top. Some people have done it. I would encourage you to search older posts on top installation and see what others have gone thru, how they did it, and what materials they used.

Good luck with your project, whatever you end up doing please post progress and pictures.

[rickd]

Take a look at "One Who Collects" on youtube. Not the same era as your car but he makes the interior and top for a 25 Runabout and installs them. Might give you some ideas on what it takes to make your top. I found it useful for handling an upholstery kit for one of my cars.

[Marc Roberts]

Good advice. I think I'll build some time making some things like top boots and tool bags and see how it goes before I dive into a larger project.

[Original Smith]

Forget canvas! Classtique uses the almost correct Ford type material.