Bikini top, Best Top

[Hedgehog]

Frustrated - After my straps popped from sun abuse ... again! I stopped by the Jeep place to pick up another one. Remember this the desert southwest where the sun is violent in it's hatred for man made products. First I found that you can't get then in white anymore. So, no big deal they were available in cinnamon, looks tan to me. Now I find out that the early tops are only available in black, Best top dropped all other colors. Are there any other top manufacturers that I don't know about?

I've got two tops in the garage, a black one and a tan one. The tops are in decent condition, unfortunately the straps are shot. I guess I'll have to find an upholstery shop that can sew on new straps.

 

[mdeluca]

I'd go with the upholstery shop. Webbing is cheap and they should be able to sew the new ones on in minutes.... course, they won't charge in minutes.

I've got a commercial leather sewing machine and know that there are mil-spec webbing suppliers all over the net. Some webbing is more tolerant of the sun than others. You can also get thread that is impervious to the sun (Tenara and Profilen). You can get the thread at sailrite.com. They supply sunbrella, webbing and thread to the marine industry. I'd call them.

It might be worth acquiring the thread and webbing yourself and bringing it to the upholstery shop. At least you will know that you've got the right materials for your environment.

 

[Hedgehog]

Was planning on bringing in the webbing, the thread is new to me.

I know I was whining, about having popped straps. The real point was supposed to be that Best top is dropping color selection for at least the older CJ's. Like Henry Ford said about the Model T, "you can have it in any color you want, as long as it's black." ...... With all the paint left over after WWI, I'm surprised it wasn't green. That's why the early Harley's were Olive Drab.

 

[Lumpy Grits]

Is there a Joann's fabric store near you?
They will have nylon/polyester webbing and polyester thread. That has work very well for me.
LG

 

[Hedgehog]

We have Millers Surplus, they have many kinds of webbing, buckles and all sorts of other interesting stuff. I can't help but think that local upholstery shops don't have the type of thread that would be appropriate for the desert. But now I know what to ask as far as the thread they use is concerned.

 

[Lumpy Grits]

I have also had very good luck with the waxed thread used for leather-work.
LG

 

[Belizean]

I'd go with the upholstery shop. Webbing is cheap and they should be able to sew the new ones on in minutes.... course, they won't charge in minutes.

I've got a commercial leather sewing machine and know that there are mil-spec webbing suppliers all over the net. Some webbing is more tolerant of the sun than others. You can also get thread that is impervious to the sun (Tenara and Profilen). You can get the thread at sailrite.com. They supply sunbrella, webbing and thread to the marine industry. I'd call them.

It might be worth acquiring the thread and webbing yourself and bringing it to the upholstery shop. At least you will know that you've got the right materials for your environment.

Hedge what mdeluca said, I would do. I've found a pretty good and reasonable guy and he did one of mine once and then I got some of those YJ 1/2 doors and never found a good door swing out door limit strap. Found some strap my F I L had laying around and showed the guy what I wanted and provided the length and for 15 dollars got just what I wanted, 2 limit straps the length I wanted

 

[Torxhead]

Some of that repair stuff you can do on your own there Hedge. I use some light nylon fishing string with a needle and one of those things that protect your finger from getting pierced.

 

[Belizean]

Sailors palm protector? I have one if needed ����

 

[Lumpy Grits]

one of those things that protect your finger from getting pierced.

It's called a Thimble-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thimble

I have used a sewing palm like this for decades.
https://www.amazon.com/Tandy-Leather-Handed-Sewing-3944-00/dp/B0036M6SAK



LG

 

[Hedgehog]

yes I know I could sew the thing myself. My thimble has been used a bunch and I have a "sewing awl" that has stitched a bunch of stuff together. But I have done enough of it to know that I can't trust the quality of my sewing. Especially on something that is under the stress of a top strap. A minute on a heavy duty sewing machine will get the job done

I wrote it before and obviously didn't do it well. The main point of the thread is that there are fewer choices in top colors than we had just last summer. Where there was a time where you could get white, tan, blue, black and I'm sure other colors we are now down to any color we want, "As long as it's black."

 

[Lumpy Grits]

It is a shame that there are so few color choices for our CJ's.
I would love to have an OEM color Levi (Edition) blue top, and b'top for mine.
LG

 

[Belizean]

It is a shame that there are so few color choices for our CJ's.
I would love to have an OEM color Levi (Edition) blue top, and b'top for mine.
LG

Guess I was lucky I got a Silver Jeep. Pretty great color IMHO and black seats, tops, and tires with white wheels look great my black bumpers also.

 

[Hedgehog]

Black looks fine, one of my tops are black. It is amazing how hot it is under black top. The Cinnamon one is far cooler. Yes, I know we are talking about a bikini top. I wouldn't have considered there would be any real difference, well by golly there is a big difference in the heat coming off the top.

Now I know it wouldn't take a lot of skill for a local vehicle upholsterer to reproduce in about any color you could want. It's just frustrating to loose a common product like a bikini top.

 

[Belizean]

Yeah it can get pretty hot down here also. Guess I just never considered getting a different color. Even back in 84 there weren't many colors to chose from for a bikini top.

 

[Lumpy Grits]

The fact that our CJ's haven't been made in 30+ yrs. We're lucky to find any soft tops.
LG

 

[Hedgehog]

Lumpy - True enough.

Belizean - I think there are different kinds of heat. Yours is certainly intense with the humidity. Ours is hot and dry, which I don't generally mind at all. But the sun has an edge that really hits a black surface hard. Even something as thin and breezy as a bikini top. The heat mostly hits you when not moving. In '84 I was running my first CJ5 , back then it was easy to find a white top, by far my preferred color. Of course they were still making CJ's back then. Come to think of it, that CJ was a '80 with the new windshield the same as the CJ's that were still being produced.

 

[Belizean]

The fact that our CJ's haven't been made in 30+ yrs. We're lucky to find any soft tops.
LG

LG you are right it is getting harder to find tops and they are getting more expensive. Probably 20 years since I bought my only replacement and they have more than doubled I believe. Since I rarely use it and it pretty much stays rolled up and stored, it's In good condition. If I was smart I would buy up another and store before they are all gone or are a ridiculous price

 

[Belizean]

Lumpy - True enough.

Belizean - I think there are different kinds of heat. Yours is certainly intense with the humidity. Ours is hot and dry, which I don't generally mind at all. But the sun has an edge that really hits a black surface hard. Even something as thin and breezy as a bikini top. The heat mostly hits you when not moving. In '84 I was running my first CJ5 , back then it was easy to find a white top, by far my preferred color. Of course they were still making CJ's back then. Come to think of it, that CJ was a '80 with the new windshield the same as the CJ's that were still being produced.

Hedge you are quite right. Dry oven heat where you are and sauna heat down here. When it gets over 115 degrees in that oven heat that is hot in that sun.