Top Bows too Wide

My top bows are too wide between the ends.

The ends need to be about 5 or 6 inches closer together.

Should I curve the top to move the ends in?

Or, should I keep the top relatively flat and bend the corners?

What is the best way to bend them?

Thanks.

Mike, If you bend the bows even a bit, you'll increase the top height which in turn raises the bottom of the top material away from the body. Can you post a pic as they are laying on the floor? ~Alan

Alan, thanks for your reply.

Here they are.

They are too wide at the ends to fit between the mounting points in the body.

They are original CMC bows, shortened a bit for the heim joints I am using.

I think I kinked the tops very slightly when I pulled the ends together trying to bend things.

You can try to tweek them in board a bit and if that doesn't work out I have some extras in the shop. Alan

Alan, do they look different from the many other CMC bows you have seen?

On the ones you have seen, are the sides splayed out that much?

Mike, if you do bend them, either fill them with sand and cap the ends, or fill them with water and freeze them first. Either method will help prevent crimping.

Mike - What do they measure at wide point. Know mine took a person on each side to push them in and bolt them to the adjuster hinge piece. Compressing them 6" sounds about what I had to do. They make the old British hinged folding tops on MGB/AH3K look high tech - guess they save a few # though.

They look GR8
Rebending is a ROYAL PAIN.
Just cutout in the middle , insert a tight piece 'o rod and reweld.

They are about 49" wide and the distance between the two lever brackets is about 43.5"

I don't want the spring pressure against the brackets resulting from the Wolfgang method. I pulled then together to about 40 inches and they sprung back out to 49.

I think I am going to get a conduit bender at Lowes and try to bend them.

I don't want to cut and weld because I have them nicely powder coated and would like to have more of a 90 degree angle at the bends.

Mike,
Tomorrow, I'll measure a few of the bows I have in the shop andlet you know ... ~Alan

I was just out in the garage and measured mine, too:

Front (shorter) tube:

16-1/2" high - pretty much flat across the top

48" across the bottom outer edge to outer edge

Rear (taller) tube:

19-3/32" high - exact same shape as the front tube

47" across the bottom outer edge to outer edge

BTW: Both are 1/2" OD mild steel tubing, 1/16" wall thickness

Hope this helps.

gn

OBTW: I seem to remember having to bend mine quite a bit on the end radiis to get them to fit and still had a bit of tension on them. I filled mine with sand and pulled them around a plywood buck I made. Mine are covered with 3/4" shrink tube then shrunk to the tube - look cool, satin black.

some more pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/mangosmoothie356/Month15?authkey=Gv1sRgCOK6xvShif3ZoAE#