Working on a new stronger frame. My old frames are not satisfactory.
First step is to level up to 1” steel tubing. Thanks to a suggestion from another HMMWV owner, I found a company called MakerPipe that sells interesting fittings designed to work with light steel piping.
Here are some in-progress photos. I ran out of fittings from my first purchase or I’d have stayed up later and tried to finish it.
I like the way it’s looking. May end up changing the design and layout, which would also mean changing the sewing pattern. My covers and frames have so far been backwards compatible, this would change that.
Two different possibilities for the corners are shown here. The one with both ends coming together is consistent with past designs, the straight back parallel pipes are a new thought. I couldn’t do parallels before because I didn’t have these fittings. Parallel might make the fitment more uniform, but as mentioned I’d have to change the sewing pattern.
Maybe it doesn’t matter. There aren’t that many of my old 1/2” tube frames out there and if a past customer wanted a new cover I still have those patterns.
Feedback welcomed.
Bulldogger