Projects Building a foldable, stowable Roadster top

You'll need the top up here unless you're bringing the sun with you, it rains every second day. The profile with the top is very sinister. Love it.

 

haha, sounds very familiar. I built a removable insert for my A pickup roof, because I thought I would remove it for open roof drives once in awhile. I can have the insert off in about 5 minutes or less. But I found after it was installed how much nicer the truck is to drive with the insert in place. It might be OK to open it up on nice warm evening drives, but other than that, whether it's hot or cold out, having the top closed up is far better. If I was to do it again I'd just make it permanent, no need to remove it.

 

Thanks for the update and the insight! When mine gets to the point where a top is an issue I'll be back checking this out again. You could always put a chin strap on your hat and wear ear muffs?

 

So I've been trying to create irons for my coupster so I'd have a folding removable top. Since it was originally a Sport Coupe, the cockpit is longer than a roadster so roadster irons are too short and lengthening them would make the top fold funny. Then I added the rest of the door window frames that had been cut off and now have roll up windows and a square opening where the roadster is curved. I could get all the wood and stuff for a Sport Coupe, but that's permanent and I was trying to figure a way to do a non-folding but removeable roof. Did you know that a 7/8" dowel fits in a 3/4" copper plumbing fitting as a press fit? So while I'm waiting for the over a year back ordered Spring for the woody project, I'm going to try and assemble something that fastens to the regular roadster fittings behind the door frame, snaps around the back of the cockpit and run dowels for framework and gives me something to staple to. If I get going with it, I'll start a thread. Last top I did was made out of a Home Depot drop cloth which flapped like crazy. Now going to add bulap stips after getting the top and rear bows braced and/or run 1/2" dowels from the top bow to the header to stiffen it up. We'll saee.

 

I just think that profile is so spot on and not an easy feat to accomplish, well done !

 

I just discovered your thread and I am truly amazed and impressed with what you have created. The thoght and engineering you have put into this is incredible. I have done many miles topless but many more with a Sid Chavers Bop Top. It was a great top but the downside like everyone says, is you can't stow it when you want to. What many people don't realize is how brutal the sun is in the Southwest. If I take a half hour drive into town with my arm out the window of my '32, I'll get it sunburned! In fact, I have an appointment at the VA tomorrow to have some precancerous lesions cryogenicly (frozen) off on the sides of my face. Without the comfort and protection of a top, it just isn't that much fun on a long trip, like when my wife and I used to do 5000 miles roundtrip to the LARS from South Dakota. My old roadster belongs to a friend now but I'm hoping to get my next roadster on the road for next year's LARS. I have stock irons for it but I'm going to ditch them and follow your path for a top. Thanks for sharing this!