All Alloy Cup progress

[squeak]

Thread tension.
Use the lightest you can achieve without the thread losing contact with the face of the cloth, try to not 'gather' the fabric. 
The top and bottom tensions should be equal so threads cross in the 'middle' between the plies, easier to see in multiple plies of thick material.   Looping at the bottom more top tension, looping at the top more bottom tension. Bobbin tension is often not easy to adjust but it does set the range of thread tension available to you.  Useful stitch length is 6 per inch. As others have said practice on scrap fabric of a similar weight but do mark out with final fabric, I NEVER make patterns and transfer to final fabric. My business was canopies with a strong interest in vintage work. Others I appreciate may have a different approach, crack on

[Mark Dymond]

You might like to consider using basting tape, a great help for the inexperienced like me, and especially useful on multiple layers if you dont have a walking foot.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Sailmakers-U...2749.l2649

[AllAlloyCup]

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Not too cold in the garage so decided to start on making paper templates for the GE Cup
Hood. Using wallpaper lining paper to make patterns. Hoping to make the top of the roof in one piece,
Plus the rear and sides in a single piece as well. May put some inner flaps on the sides to cut drafts and t allow the sidescreens to be snug( ( I live in hope!)

Planning to have a small storm flap to cover the gap between the wooden spar that sits on top of the windscreen.

Also making the hood fabric in such a way that it detaches entirely from the frame, as does the hood on my Triumph TR3A. The GE Cup frame is a bit complicated with several hinges and metal bits apart from the hood sticks and doing it this way allows the frame to fold up very small & neatly plus let’s the separate hood fabric be folded into its own storage bag.

Going to keep me busy till I get my Covid Jag!!
I’m using the same navy fabric used on the Tonneau , “as used on Silver Cross Prams”!!

Still some thread to buy and the clear plastic for a rear window, Already got all the  plastic piping for edging, the lift a dots and press studs etc

Still figuring out how to cover the sidescreen frames etc. And if my sewing machine is up to it( it is very hefty though)

Regards

Bill G

Aka AllAlloyCup

[Peter Johnson]

Bill. Glad to see you are back on the Cup Model again.

With respect to the hood to windscreen seal, on dad’s Ulster rep I added a flap of around 1” to the underside of the wooden spar where the spar meets the windscreen. It can be a bit fiddly to push it in front of the windscreen, but it does do an excellent job of stopping the constant stream of water over the top of the windscreen.

That car was used quite a lot in the wet as it was predominantly used for trials.

I guess the same could be achieved with a rubber flap seal or even some foam rubber, but in this case it was a folded flap of everflex vinyl.

I didn’t do a very good job of the rear of the hood as I didn’t leave enough length to bring it down the side of the body. Some paper templates would probably have helped, but they don’t give an indication of how the fabric will stretch.

Good luck!

Peter

["Slack Alice" Simon]

Back to the sewing machine:

Although the machine has a reversing mechanism, don't assume this is the best way of locking off a run.

Often, if you are sewing heavy material, the reverse lever causes something to snag, which messes up the last bit of run you have just done.

You will know this, having practiced.

Not always practical, but if you have the space to spin the work 180 degrees and sew forwards a little, back the way you came, to finish off.

Don't neglect hand sewing, with the right kit.

[AllAlloyCup]

Hi Peter

Hoping to put some sponge rubber under the front skip plus have a
Stormflap under the skip and against the top of the windscreen frame.
Should stop any ingress of water there. Stopping it coming in round the sides
of the windscreen is harder.

As regards getting tension right could be tricky. I hope to get the front assembly and roof
made as one piece. Then make the rear piece and use the long seam across the rear hoop
Where they join to take up any slack in the joined parts. Final tension can be adjusted by the actual fitting of the
liftadot sockets around the bottom edge of the rear of the hood.

Thanks to the other responder about tips with the sewing machine.
Hope to make some simple storage bags for the frame, the hood cover and the sidescreens
before I start sewing the hood.

Progress halted today to attend to flood in the bathroom/kitchen and the central heating controller
packing up! What next!!

Regards

Bill G
Aka AllAlloyCup

Near the Scottish Border post on the A1

[AllAlloyCup]

The
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Spent a hour in the garage making more hood templates and try fitting the bare
sidescreen frames. Slow but sure with wallpaper , tape and scissors, gradually seeing how it
Might work and figuring out seam allowances
and where some press studs might go.

Bill G

Aka AllAlloyCup

Near the Scottish Border Post on the A1

[Ivor Hawkins]

I’d like to see you get in with the hood up Bill!

[AllAlloyCup]

Ah well Ivor, you forget that my other car is
a TriumphTR3A rally car with a steel hardtop and bolt on ( via DZUS)
sidescreens. I do have friends that can’t figure out how to get in and out
of that as it’s extremely low slung and your legs and feet have to fit into a long transmission tunnel
Via a very small door and with a big steering wheel in the way.

At least the Austin 7 is a fair height off the ground.

I may post a video!

Regards

Bill G

[Ivor Hawkins]

I look forward the video, that should be a hoot!

Having driven a Lotus Super Seven nearly every day for 20 years, there were occasions when I put the hood up and I used to dive in head first, crawl over to the passenger side and then slide my legs in...that’s why I rarely used the hood!