Ford Blitz Restoration/Rebuild

Mike K · #1 25-09-16, 13:42

You know this already. Before you do any sewing , throw the canvas over the washing line outside, give it a good soaking and let the sun dry it , it will shrink about 1" - 2" all round .

Private_collector · #2 25-09-16, 20:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

You know this already. Before you do any sewing , throw the canvas over the washing line outside, give it a good soaking and let the sun dry it , it will shrink about 1" - 2" all round .

Thanks Mike! I didn't know that. A very important piece of info to know.
If weather is fine next weekend, I'll give it a good hosing!
Might go back and visit the disposals store again this week, and see if the bigger tarps by same manufactrer may have wider single panels, so I can avoid the join down middle of the roof.

Private_collector · #3 09-10-16, 11:13

I'm about half way through the canvas curtain for rear window of my green truck.
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Main part is finished, and the roll-up tabs on back are attached. The steel bar fits the bottom pocket OK. What isn't OK is my sewing. I sew like I weld. Terribly. Took second attempts on two stitch runs, both of which had to be unpicked stitch by stitch. It's a good incentive to get it right first time from then on!
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Speaking of dodgy. Look at how straight the top steel piece isn't! It is original, and the joining of two short pieces is obvious. They had to elongate some holes to make it fit the piece behind it. Classic WW2 bodge, to 'keep em rolling'. The two tabs seen above photo are not attached yet. The canvas I used was very coarse and looks right. It did stretch in certain ways, and once that was anticipated I had a better time of working with it. Freys very easily though, so I was grateful that the plans for this piece (supplied by a good friend and fellow MLU chap) called for mostly double layer seams, one way or another.
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The metal plates that sandwich the diagonal canvas tabs are painted and drying. I may place them next weekend, but will also be attending some duties in readiness for travelling to Bandiana early the following week.

Incidentally, I do believe I may have wasted my money on an industrial sewing machine, because this entire job was done on my Wifes standard duty Janome tabletop machine. There were seven layers of canvas in places, and her machine just chugged away without missing a beat. Can't imagine ever needing to sew eight or more layers in one place, so the Janome might get the job of stitching the sunshine roof cover in a few weeks time!

Private_collector · #4 11-10-16, 13:06

Courtesy of unsatisfactory results first time, a new pair of the corner tabs for my rear window curtain were made this evening.
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The first ones I made, like the originals, had a single fold hem only (see left side, following photo). I fully expected real problems with that at some point, and besides, they looked REALLY horrible when folded back to expose underside. Yuck! The one on right hand side of same photo is my second type.
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The side view (right hand photo above) illustrates the increased thickness of second attempt. These are basically two like the first ones, sewn back to back and with diagonal stitching for added strength.
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After a brief search, I found the eyelets I had bought some time ago for this specific job. They will also be used for the canvas part of the sunshine cab roof.

I urgently need to see what the springs look like that pull the corner tabs down and laterally, holding the canvas curtain taut and stopping any flapping around. I have the right angle brackets that hold the other end of the spring to rear cab panel, but have never (so far as I know) seen an example of the springs themselves. If you have a photo of these, I would be most grateful to see it.

Mike K · #5 11-10-16, 13:30

Neat sewing there Tony

These are original WW2 examples of sewing, a GMH side curtain I have. The sewing is pretty crappy

Private_collector · #6 16-10-16, 11:48

Crappy alright, Mike. Mine isn't really much better, when you look closely.
Guess that makes my sewing standard 'authentic WW2 quality'. With quality being the little used word to describe something quite shite.

Starting last night, I had a bit more play with canvas and my Wifes sewing machine. Some weeks ago I bought a second hand bookshelf to store my current battalion of R C tanks, and last evening I started making a canvas roll-up front cover, designed to keep the dust off the contents. In the process, I experimented with a range of techniques and processes, conceived mainly to show me what things I can get away with. Oh boy, I sure made some discoveries. Not all were positive experiences. I previously mentioned that my Wifes little sewing machine can sew 7 layers of canvas without problems. Add another layer, and I did get problems. Lots of em. Eight layers was just too much for it to handle, and this was made quite clear when I started hearing some very strange pings and clunks. The crescendo was when I managed to shatter a needle, but fortunately my Wife was outside at the time and I quickly replaced the remains with a fresh one, before any lasting damage was sustained.........to me.
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The cover is approx 3ft wide by 6ft in length. I wanted to try sewing in a length of rope at the top, just to see if it would work. It did, but not to satisfaction. Once I'm using my industrial machine it should be heaps better result, because I have bought correct piping foot for this technique. On my Wifes machine last night, things went badly. I couldn't get close enough to the rope for a good result. Still, at least I know what went wrong.
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To seal the cover I have sewn some Velcro down each side. If you are planning to do this, unless you have an industrial machine, sew the 'fluffy' Velcro piece, NOT the other half with the hard plastic hooks. It's really annoying to sew, and will catch your thread occasionally. I thoutht I would be smart, and used an extremely strong thread. It sounded like a good idea, but is entirely wasted on a standard domestic machine. The thread required adjustable tension increased to limit available, or the sewing looked loose. Problem was, although the thread was super strong, it did start to shear away when travelling through the needle eye. This occured even when speed was low. Once again, probably more an issue Bourne out of my choice of machine, not the thread itself. When I went back to using standard duty thread, things actually went better overall. Go figure! I would want that strong thread when I make the sunshine roof cover thougj.

I did get a little better at making seams straight, though I am still not pleased, and am continuing to improve pining in a way that keeps material in place. One by one the pins are removed as the material moves through the machine. I guess what I'm saying is simply, practice man, practice. Ironically, that's the same piece of advice a Sydney local once gave me when I was lost and asked him how I could get to the opera house! Now that I think of it, he MAY have misunderstood what I meant.

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Oh, and I'm also hoping to purchase this Land Rover Defender from my inlaws estate. It will come up nicely in camo green.

Mike K · #7 16-10-16, 13:29

Your mention of your RC tank collection reminded me of this mornings offering on TV , Combat dealers .

The short wide chap , the boss , was browsing at Kevin Wheatcrofts collection and he bought a small scale model of a WW2 German tank ..cost 4.5K pounds. The model is a genuine prototype built at the factory for the designers/engineers as a concept . He also showed us a 1939 Mercedes , one of a small batch made for Hitler's own fleet , Wheatcroft said the car is worth around 8 million pounds . Armour plated floor, 4 inch thick windscreen and other special things like a supercharged 7 litre engine . Racks for sub machine guns and other delights .