Making Your Own Half-Convertible Truck Cap: How Hard Could It Be?

"Andrew P. Collins" (andrewpcollins) 03/12/2015 at 15:17 • Filed to: Project Car Hell, Scouting America, International Scout

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The roof of my 1964 International Scout is pretty rough; massive dent where it connects to the hatch, which is rusted to hell. Thing weighs about as much as a modern car's frame anyway. Then I thought, why not replace it with something... lighter.

You can buy professionally made softtops for the Scout 80 for like $900... which is obviously out of the question on this build.

I've been looking around for a pickup truck style "half-cab" with no success yet, so I figure; unbolt the roof, cut it just ahead of the side glass windows, then get some canvas to replace the back half.

Just not 100% sure how to attach it. Or where to find canvas. Or how to make the cut "straight enough." Guess I'd need some kind of hoops over the back to keep the soft top in place, which shouldn't be hard to rig up (black metal gas pipes?)

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , except I don't need windows and it'll be straight-through to the cab.

Thoughts?

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Andrew P. Collins is Jalopnik's off-road and adventure guy. Shoot him an email at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! or hit him up on Twitter !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to talk trucks.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 15:21

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Just go Florida style...

Cut it, then call it a day.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 15:24

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Other than being straight-thru to the cab, what you're looking at is called a 3/4 canvas. On a Land Rover, they usually mate to the cab with a gutter like this around the back window:

Which would be equally fine for Scout use with a cut cab. Basically, you'd make an attachment sill/gutter inside the main line of the cab so it wouldn't blow off, and you'd be golden. The hoop setup looks like this:

It's even possible that an 88 canvas and hoop set could be made to fit a Scout.

EDIT: missed the note on cost. It'd be hard to get all set with this for $900, though not that far off, I think.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 15:24

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It seems like trying to make it a half-cab would be harder than just rigging something to cover the whole truck.

Andrew P. Collins > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 03/12/2015 at 15:25

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Hmm, I was thinking the opposite since leaving the fore part of the cab would mean the canvas can be a simple rectangle.

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 15:26

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Here is an instructional video by the people over at Viva La Bam in which Mr. Knoxville turns a Hummer H2 into a convertible. Kind of similar to your project with little to no soft top being added back.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 15:27

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http://www.roversnorth.com/ProductDesc.as… As a follow up. If you bent up a channel out of steel and built a frame from conduit or pipe, you'd be set.

RallyWrench > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 15:29

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Find a craft store, or a sailmaker to source suitable material & sew something up. Even an upholstery shop familiar with convertible tops. They have all kinds of great buttons & snaps to work with, plus a wide range of material. Something like this would be easy if you have measurements. For support, you could keep it cheap & use electrical conduit bent to fit.

E92M3 > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 15:31

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I think you should use the money instead to buy a used welding machine, and try to repair your stock top. Even if it's not perfect it'll be better than canvas.

crowmolly > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 15:33

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Do you want it to be fold-and-stowable?

505Turbeaux > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 15:33

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I had a woods runner scout, a 64 oddly enough that was on its last legs as far as the structure is concerned and no roof to be found. Welded the doors up and went in and out over those.

However, story done - if you want a heap of ugly in the back do it with black pipe like you said. If you have any welding skills at all you can do a lot prettier job. Make some hoops, find some way to fasten the roof to the hoops, and done. Also just make sure you grind the remaining metal from the top so it wont cut your head off or the canvas. Snaps or zippers to tidy up loose ends of the fabric and to affix to the body

Bird > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 15:36

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Do you care if it leaks? I'd say there's a couple options...

Brace the top, cut it with an angle grinder and cutoff disc. Then you need something to support the canvas. See the video below for an idea. You could probably modify the supports used for a Bimini top on a boat. They fold down, and are held in place by tension straps. Then have the canvas sewn and fitted with snaps to snap onto your half cab, and the lower body structure. An upholsterer with experience doing boat tops could probably make quick work of it. It's going to leak on top where the snaps go though.

Or you could go through a little more effort, and fabricate a flange for the top to seal into at the half cab junction to prevent it from leaking.

For a better picture, here's a boat top support folded up. It's only $55.

http://www.builtforboating.com/Carver-48-Alum…

BigBlock440 > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 15:43

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Would making it slope down like this be easier? Maybe need fewer supports, might not even have to bend anything either, just run two diagonals. It would limit your rearview visibility though.

Andrew P. Collins > Bird 03/12/2015 at 15:43

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Good suggestion! Leaking is not a major concern, this is a redneck ratbuild that I'm going to putter around the county in and maybe tow to off-road parks.

My only fear of going to a boat outfit is that they'll want just as much as the guys selling the legit softtops, but if that hoop is really only $55...

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 15:44

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Do you live near the coast? You might be able to find a sailmaker who'd be willing to do it. You just need to get them the material and a pattern to follow. When we got our Wrangler the soft top was in tatters and we had it pretty much remade by a local sailmaker. It outlasted its own frame.

Bird > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 15:48

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I bet if you did the work to make the support fit, getting the canvas sewn and snaps fitted wouldn't be too expensive.

Come to Kentucky and I bet we could convince my grandmother to let us use her industrial sewing machine to sew it up. (I don't know how to sew, but I'm sure she would help.) She made a really nice canvas tonneau cover for my 66 Chevy pickup as well as reupholstering the seat.

Andrew P. Collins > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 03/12/2015 at 15:50

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I'm close enough. Interesting idea... did they charge you a lot?

Andrew P. Collins > crowmolly 03/12/2015 at 15:50

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Doesn't have to be folding like a traditional convertible top, as long as it can be removed.

Andrew P. Collins > BigBlock440 03/12/2015 at 15:50

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Rear visibility I don't care about, not crazy about this look on the Scout though.

Andrew P. Collins > E92M3 03/12/2015 at 15:51

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Not a bad idea.

crowmolly > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 15:58

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Ever worked with fiberglass at all? Would be messy and time consuming but you *might* be able to make a lightweight shell out of fiberglass cloth. Use the existing roof structure as a rough mold. Block sand it smooth, hit it with paint and go.

Pixel > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 16:16

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Here is a scout half-cab for only $650, and it comes with an entire '67 scout for free!

http://newhaven.craigslist.org/cto/4855963113…

BigBlock440 > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 16:17

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That's fair, it might be too short to pull off the look. I've never seen one, but it seemed like it could be easier.

Andrew P. Collins > Pixel 03/12/2015 at 16:23

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I think I tried to call that guy at one point... also the post-and-pre 1965 roofs/doors are slightly different!

Andrew P. Collins > crowmolly 03/12/2015 at 16:24

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Nah I'm scared of fiberglass unless it's pre-shaped and all I have to do is bolt it in.

TylerLinner > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 16:32

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I know you're not concerned if it leaks, but I'm having thoughts. Maybe you could weld on a U channel drip rail around the back of the cut-off cab. Then snap the fabric inside the rear surface of the U. That way, when water drains off the fabric it will go straight into the drip rail and run off and out of sight. Mounting the edge of fabric inside a rail will also keep it out of the wind.

If nothing else, talk to a boat place and see what they think it'd take, money wise. Maybe they'll even give you sewing pointers.

Good luck on it!

Andrew P. Collins > TylerLinner 03/12/2015 at 16:58

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I like it!

Scurvy > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 17:22

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Check around the junk yards for a Geo Tracker, wonder how close in width the Tracker is to the old scout.. they had a very similar style of rear top bow.

russkunkel > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 17:32

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Do a pseudo paki top, but do it from the windshield back.

If you took good measurements and found the following:

1) Supplier of canvas or whatever the hell it is the make boat covers out of (I think you can get water repellent canvas for like $8-10 a yard)

2) Good industrial stitcher (you'll need some hard parts woven into the fabric likely) - i.e. Sail Maker (they may even had the product to make it

3) The pain in the ass will be making the bows to support the middle/back and sorting out how you will affix the top and lash it to the body

It's not just the fabric, the bows are the most difficult part based on what I've seen/read.

Bob Sorokanich > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 17:35

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There is no way for this project to come out looking any better than this:

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 18:30

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I don't know, I was only like 14 at the time. They key bit is, though, that a sailmaker will have the big industrial sewing machine needed to handle thick canvas. Other DIY forms of fastening it together might work but if you want thee top to last you need it professionally done.

SquirrelyWrath > Andrew P. Collins 03/12/2015 at 19:23

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Don't start hacking on sheet metal unless you are a fabricator. Leave it the way it is and just restore it. Otherwise you will just hate it and yourself every time you look at it's jagged uglyness.

Wacko > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 03/12/2015 at 22:51

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Never go full Florida

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Wacko 03/12/2015 at 23:04

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Like this guy?

He's not cutting grass.

punkgoose17 > Andrew P. Collins 03/13/2015 at 08:43

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An army surplus store is likely to have the canvas.

Partsman > Andrew P. Collins 03/13/2015 at 09:00

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you don't think you will end up with something that looks like this?

Ente Süßsauer > Andrew P. Collins 03/13/2015 at 10:10

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Not to question your talent, but whatever you make will most likely not be water tight. At that point, I'm wondering why not just go topless? It also might be worth splurging on a used top.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1961-Inter…

Or you could consult a boat cover maker. They are probably cheaper than you think, especially if you can keep it simple.

Ente Süßsauer > Andrew P. Collins 03/13/2015 at 10:12

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Slightly different is often easier to fix that completely starting from scratch. It could be as simple as cutting out the openings and fitting the stuff from your current top.

Andrew P. Collins > Ente Süßsauer 03/13/2015 at 10:13

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Good point.

Andrew P. Collins > Ente Süßsauer 03/13/2015 at 10:14

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Yeah, I've been thinking about that... by the time we mock something up, it's only going to offer marginal better protection than "nothing."

Ente Süßsauer > Andrew P. Collins 03/13/2015 at 10:18

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But I don't want to send you down the road of "I've spent XXX amount of dollars on this, and it ain't working, and now I'm left with this heap of a contraption that won't work!"

Do some research on what the differences are. Hopefully someone on BinderPlanet could take some dimensions and some pictures. Get an idea of what is going on and what your plan is before you spend money. And watch the BinderPlanet classifieds like a hawk!

Ente Süßsauer > Andrew P. Collins 03/13/2015 at 10:20

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Plus homemade tops rarely do well at anything more than 25 mph.

TwinTurbosOfJustice > Andrew P. Collins 03/13/2015 at 10:36

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Andrew, keep me posted on this...

Andrew P. Collins > TwinTurbosOfJustice 03/13/2015 at 11:11

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That yours? That one came out alright...

TwinTurbosOfJustice > Andrew P. Collins 03/13/2015 at 12:11

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Sure is. Last year the roof came off (1980), the previous owner (Fire Department) had never taken the roof off, the guy I bought it from didn't think it was removeable. It didn't take me long to find the 10 or so bolts and have at it. Since then I've been watching for options shy of the five thousand pound roof...as well as doors without window frames.

TwinTurbosOfJustice > Andrew P. Collins 03/13/2015 at 12:21

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I'm just going to go find you on social media quick.

Judd > Andrew P. Collins 04/25/2015 at 11:38

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Andrew, I found a possible donor truck/better base scout 800

http://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/cto/498551…

Andrew P. Collins > Judd 04/25/2015 at 11:42

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Yeah that’s a much better base. Out of my areas though!