29 Closed Cab Pickup Top, CHICKEN WIRE OR NOT

[modela4shane]

Was chicken wire used on the 28-29 closed cab pickup truck top from the factory? I just purchased a new top kit and in the directions it says, '' SOME TOPS'' used chicken wire. What do you guys think? Use chicken wire or no? Thank you for any advise.

[George Miller]

no the head liner goes on top of the roof bows on a pickup.The bows show. No chicken wire.

[wrndln]

I agree with George, chicken wire was not used on CCPU tops. Should the black "duck" material be stapled to the top of the top bows. Originally I don't believe Ford tacked the duck material to the bows, but I though maybe if it was stapled to the bows the top might not have the tendency to "balloon" at higher speeds.
Rusty Nelson

[George Miller]

Originally Posted by wrndln

I agree with George, chicken wire was not used on CCPU tops. Should the black "duck" material be stapled to the top of the top bows. Originally I don't believe Ford tacked the duck material to the bows, but I though maybe if it was stapled to the bows the top might not have the tendency to "balloon" at higher speeds.
Rusty Nelson

I do not think it would hurt to tack it to the top of the bows.

[CHuDWah]

Originally Posted by modela4shane

Was chicken wire used on the 28-29 closed cab pickup truck top from the factory? I just purchased a new top kit and in the directions it says, '' SOME TOPS'' used chicken wire. What do you guys think? Use chicken wire or no? Thank you for any advise.

We put a LeBaron-Bonney top on a 30 CCPU years ago - the kit had no chicken wire and instructions said nothing about it. But we decided to try some anyway. It was too stiff to conform to the shape of the top and the ends of the wire would have poked holes in the fabric, so we abandoned that idea. As George Miller said, headliner goes on top of bows (think ours was muslin), then padding, and vinyl last. Just get your fabrics tight enough that they don't sag and it'll be fine.

Not the best pic but maybe it'll help:

[modela4shane]

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Thank you SO MUCH for the help! By the way the top kit was a Macs Cartouche kit.

[CHuDWah]

Originally Posted by wrndln

I agree with George, chicken wire was not used on CCPU tops. Should the black "duck" material be stapled to the top of the top bows. Originally I don't believe Ford tacked the duck material to the bows, but I though maybe if it was stapled to the bows the top might not have the tendency to "balloon" at higher speeds.
Rusty Nelson

Don't think Ford tacked it but we did. But I think the secret is to get the right tension on the fabric - enough that it doesn't balloon or sag but not so much that it"pulls".

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by modela4shane

Thank you SO MUCH for the help! By the way the top kit was a Macs Cartouche kit.

Sorry to hear that.

[wrndln]

Cartouche kits aren't known for the highest quality. Lebaron Bonney and Classtique are better in my opinion, but to each his own. Maybe a pickup top kit from Cartouche might be OK, but upholstery kit leave a lot to be desired.
Rusty Nelson

[Bob C]

Marco had a really good bunch of pictures on installing a top on an 82-A
but the link doesn't work anymore. http://abarnyard.com/temp/82-a/

Bob

[1crosscut]

If you stretch your top material tight like it should be you will not have any wind flutter or ballooning of the top material. No need to staple the liner to the wood bows. It's so thin of material it wouldn't add any structural integrity to it anyhow.

[Dave in Petaluma]

I glued the black duck material to the bottom of a piece of 1/8" marine plywood and nailed it to the wood frame, with padding and long/short grain top material over it. No one knows and it will repel the occasional tree branch when necessary.

[Osage Orange]

Originally Posted by wrndln

I agree with George, chicken wire was not used on CCPU tops. Should the black "duck" material be stapled to the top of the top bows. Originally I don't believe Ford tacked the duck material to the bows, but I though maybe if it was stapled to the bows the top might not have the tendency to "balloon" at higher speeds.
Rusty Nelson

CCPUs and "higher speeds" seldom find themselves in the same sentence, but no, there is no chicken wire used in the trucks. The bows are painted cab color, usually rock moss green, but can look quite nice finished in clear polyurethane or stained, with the appropriate padding above. Not stock, but unless you're going for a full-out restoration and hungry for points, be a bit of a rebel.

[SeaSlugs]

Originally Posted by Osage Orange

CCPUs and "higher speeds" seldom find themselves in the same sentence, but no, there is no chicken wire used in the trucks. The bows are painted cab color, usually rock moss green, but can look quite nice finished in clear polyurethane or stained, with the appropriate padding above. Not stock, but unless you're going for a full-out restoration and hungry for points, be a bit of a rebel.

Hedgeapple has a point. I've debated on doing the traditional paint it bodycolor or stain/poly as well and I think I've fallen back to paint.

Has anyone made a rock moss green tinted stain you could poly over? Something to preserve the wood would be nice.

[Juggler]

When I did mine I reinforced the roof with some thin Correx Fluted Board which was repurposed from a Realtor's 'for sale' sign.

Figured as it was plastic it wouldn't rot if any water got in and was easier to bend and form than wooden ply. Used waterproof canvas between that and the roof bows so it can't be seen.

[Big hammer]

Originally Posted by SeaSlugs

Hedgeapple has a point. I've debated on doing the traditional paint it bodycolor or stain/poly as well and I think I've fallen back to paint.

Has anyone made a rock moss green tinted stain you could poly over? Something to preserve the wood would be nice.

I saw a PBS show a man made a livestock watering tank from wood. When he finished it he said and now new owner wants it painted, because of the paint on the outside the wood can't breathe and will rot!

[CHuDWah]

Originally Posted by SeaSlugs

Hedgeapple has a point. I've debated on doing the traditional paint it bodycolor or stain/poly as well and I think I've fallen back to paint.

Has anyone made a rock moss green tinted stain you could poly over? Something to preserve the wood would be nice.

See pic of our truck above (yeah, not the best pic). It was painted rubellite red, or as close as we could get to it many years ago. I like the contrast between the body color bows and the black headliner - if the paint was a darker color, maybe not so much.

Paint should be a pretty good preservative - bows aren't exposed to much weathering or wear.