Canvas top question?

Wayne64 · Post by **Wayne64** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 1:34 pm

Please excuse the possible wrong terminology but my old trashed canvas top doesn't look right. The cupped angled pieces above the door actually are above the rear bow. I held a straight edge on the sides and the bow is 1-1/2" lower. My new top is on order and is the rear bow adjustable? Of course if I can raise the bow I will not get it into the garage but I can live with that if the top drains off.

knattrass · Post by **knattrass** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 3:38 am

Wayne - we have the same problem, that bow is about 2" hard into the garage door header which requires the bow to be removed to get the truck into the garage. In planning our purchase, we keep reading that they "fit in the garage" - just not all on one piece. There is no adjustment in the bow that we see. Keith

Nickathome · Post by **Nickathome** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 3:51 am

Yeah, your bow should be above the tops of the doors. Maybe someone at some time in the past cut the bow down just for the reason of fitting into the garage.

Best way to get a truck that's too tall into and out of a garage without much hassle is to air down the tires. Its a pain to constantly have to air down then air up, but its better than the alternative of removing the top every time you have to go in and out.

I lucked out in that my truck just fits heightwise into my garage, and I mean just fits. I have about 3/4 inch of clearance above the top bow when driving through the doorway. I have to raise the garage door above the frame via a clothes pole in order to get the truck in and out, but thats a minor inconvenience only.

Post by **Cal_Gary** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 4:48 am

I agree-it sounds like someone hacked off the ends for clearance. You may need to measure and tack the added length back in, to get the top to sit right. Those bows are hard to come by-it took two years before I was able to land one and get rid of the deuce cage that mine came with....
Gary

Wayne64 · Post by **Wayne64** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 6:30 am

Thanks Guy's, So if the bow was shortened height wise I wont have a problem welding pieces on to get it back to stock. Now what I need is either what the bows leg should measure, or do I just make sure the top of the bow is above the angle of the side rails so my new canvas will fit?

Post by **Cal_Gary** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 3:00 pm

You want the bow to be the right height or the new top will "shrink to fit" and won't look right. I can measure my bow tonight and post in the morning, if someone else will also do the same to ensure my numbers are accurate?
Gary

mike_l · Post by **mike_l** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 4:36 am

My bow's arch tops out about 6 1/2" above the bolt holes for the door's horizontal "cupped angled pieces." So, from the two holes at the top of the vertical post to the top of the arch in my bow is about 6 1/2".

Cal_Gary, is that what you come up with? My bow is laying on the floor right now and I measured with a T square so it might be a little different if measured on the truck.

My truck just fits through my door with the top on also, about 2" clearance.

Lifer · Post by **Lifer** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 5:18 am

A standard garage door is 7' high, but the edge of the door always stops below the curve in the crack, leaving you an effective clearance of about 6' 9". I cannot walk through it without ducking my head! When I put my truck in the garage, I shoved the door up beyond the curve and held it in place with a C-clamp on the track. This allowed the top of the windshield to just ease through the door. It would never have made it with the top bow in place. I'm not sure what the overall cab height is with the top on, but I'm guessing somewhere in the 7'6" range.

Post by **Cal_Gary** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 5:52 am

Good morning! I measured mine as installed, as follows:

Sitting 90 degrees in the driver's seat (facing due left) I measured from the bottom end of the bow to the top edge of the support track clamp-that is 5 and 3/16ths inches. The bow starts to bend backward at the 5 and 3/4 mark (just above the track clamp). Finally, from the top apex of the bow, dead center in the cab it is 27 inches even, from the top of the bow down to the top edge of my cab.
Gary

Wayne64 · Post by **Wayne64** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 11:24 am

Thank you Gents, I can't check today as it's raining and I'm using a tarp at present. I'll start with that 27" measurement and work from there checking out the rest of what was supplied.

Nickathome · Post by **Nickathome** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 3:10 pm

If I remember right, when I measured the height of my truck at the top bow, it came in somewhere around 82 inches, which is about right, since the door frame openning in the garage is about 84in. I have a rubber seal that hangs down a little over an inch, which gives me the 3/4in of clearance. I guess without the rubber seal in place, I'd have close to 2 inches of clearance.

Wayne64 · Post by **Wayne64** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 7:23 am

I had a break in the rain and measured my top bow from the top of the cab to the top of the bow. Result 25", which kind of goes with the difference that a simple straight edge showed along the side rails. I did see back behind the B-pillar upright that the bow has what looks like a number of pieces that makes up the assembly. mine has 5 pieces of round tubing that makes up the bow. I can see 3 pieces but 5?? Are there any pictures around of the bow pieces?

Nickathome · Post by **Nickathome** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 8:19 am

Wayne64 wrote:I had a break in the rain and measured my top bow from the top of the cab to the top of the bow. Result 25", which kind of goes with the difference that a simple straight edge showed along the side rails. I did see back behind the B-pillar upright that the bow has what looks like a number of pieces that makes up the assembly. mine has 5 pieces of round tubing that makes up the bow. I can see 3 pieces but 5?? Are there any pictures around of the bow pieces?

Not sure I understand how you come up with 5 pieces to make up the bow? Granted I haven't taken a hard look at mine in a while, but strictly from memory I envision the two uprights which to my recollection has one piece of tube running inside the rear door frame piece, which ends as a sort of pointed tip to which the bow end fits on. The other side being the same, with the horizontal bow piece fitting over these. So in my mind's eye I am coming up with 3 pieces not 5.

BTw - 25" from top of cab to top of the bow seems way short to me.

Wayne64 · Post by **Wayne64** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 11:46 am

Nickathome wrote:
Wayne64 wrote:I had a break in the rain and measured my top bow from the top of the cab to the top of the bow. Result 25", which kind of goes with the difference that a simple straight edge showed along the side rails. I did see back behind the B-pillar upright that the bow has what looks like a number of pieces that makes up the assembly. mine has 5 pieces of round tubing that makes up the bow. I can see 3 pieces but 5?? Are there any pictures around of the bow pieces?
Not sure I understand how you come up with 5 pieces to make up the bow? Granted I haven't taken a hard look at mine in a while, but strictly from memory I envision the two uprights which to my recollection has one piece of tube running inside the rear door frame piece, which ends as a sort of pointed tip to which the bow end fits on. The other side being the same, with the horizontal bow piece fitting over these. So in my mind's eye I am coming up with 3 pieces not 5.

BTw - 25" from top of cab to top of the bow seems way short to me.

Actually what I thought should be there. I have the two uprights then there is around a 5" piece of straight tubing on each. The bow is slipping into the 5" pieces. Very strange as to why and I'll have to wait till I get the new canvas to figure out and take photos of the mess.

Post by **Cal_Gary** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 12:05 pm

Sorry Wayne-somebody has hacked yours, then added those short tubes to try to compensate. You should have the two stakes, each with a support track with the three stovebolts/clamps attaching the track to the stakes. The main bow fits down over the tapered top ends of the stakes and rests on the top edges of the stake-the outer edges of the stakes and the bow ends are the exact same diameter. There is no "short tube" needed to mate these together if your bow is unaltered.

Sorry I have no pictures.
Gary

Canvas top question?

Canvas top question?

Bow

Garage door