howdy all... down here, the whole idea of hardtops never really took off, in fact i can think of only a couple of australian cars that have hardtops, and unfortunately i don't know anyone with either an aussie or yank built hardtop car to study and measure... because... i'm planning on cutting my 64-more-door into something that doesn't rhyme as well my basic plan is to take the door skin off the rear door, weld most of it into the body having moved the lower half of the B-pillar back, weld the rest onto the front doors, and chop the top of the pillar right out. lean the front and back windscreens in just a touch, and shorten the roof to suit. then bend up a small diameter roll cage to stiffen up the body (which i have the machinery to do at work) and, and i think this will be the hard bit, fab up my own window winding/joining mechanism to keep the water out! now, i'd like to know how most hardtops work to keep the front and rear windows sealed together... is the "pillar" usually bonded to the front or back window? what happens on the ones where the rear window "turns" near the bottom of the travel to clear the wheel-well? i photoshopped the car up (as did some other HAMBers) and i just don't think it will look the goods as a two door unless it's a hardtop... oh yeah, not many hardtops to pick bits off round here either, so i think i'll be machining most of the stuff up and work... thanks for any help anyone could offer, especially if you've hardtopped a car before.
I'm building a 52 plymouth 2 door hardtop wagon, out of a 2 dooor wagon. but I'm using a hardtop parts car. having to change all the parts over. I can tell you that the hardtop has a beefy rail side to side under the back seat, extra gussets at the base of the B-post and cowl. and stiffer rail in the roof over the doors. I've all the sudden posted pictures of my car three times in the last week. even I'm getting tired of seeing it. I'll take some photos of the gussets and stuff tomorrow if it will help your cause. I also moved the B-pillar back 8 inches on my 48 ford. It was a business coupe with the short doors off a 4 door, I simply used the wider 2 door sedan doors. with all the parts options we have here in the states its almost like cheating (I like it that way) I just keep telling myself "NOTHING IS HARD-SOMETHINGS JUST TAKE A LITTLE LONGER" and I just keep cutting ,tacking, welding and grinding. nothing to it man!!
I guess I should learn to listen (or read, same thing here) the post is on windows duhh! Well I can still help you. I'm the window doctor! been doing glass in cars for 39 years and I'm still learning every day. but I have done many conversions and have a few good tricks up my sleeves. It would help me visually if I could see what we're working on
well actually 48, yes i was enquiring about windows but the whole box and dice also, really... any snaps shots of what you're working with would be great, so i can see what you've had to manage and how you've gone about it. i'll see if i can get a pic or two of the area on my car... thanks.
Most have an"h"-shaped front strip [on the rear glass]. It fits in behind the rear end of the FRONT glass when they are rolled up.then they have a metal "frame" around the entire glass. this allows it to be tougher and seal against a rubber that seals the top sides of glasses -it fits horizontally under the drip rail area of the hardtop roof.hope this isnt more confusion than help!
okay, i assume the "H" piece is bonded to the rear glass, and has that furry channel stuff in it for the front to slide in? what happens at the junction of the door? by that i mean, when you wind the back window down does it move backwards slightly as it moves downward, so that it drops into the body work and not interfere with the door jamb? ie, if you crack the back window just a touch, will a gap start to open up behind the front window as the rear goes down? clear as mud? i'm thinking i could use an aluminium channel (milled at work) as the "H" piece, and it could have a boss bolted to it (below the level of the body when in the "up" position) which runs in another - curved or angled - channel in the body, to guide the window along the path i need it to take. this may seem like a stupid/simple question but i don't have many car-buddies and the bastard things are pretty rare down here! really appreciate the help.
I have always liked the hartop version where the rear glass..slides in from the front (with the door glass down...) and it slides into channel on all sides except for the leading edge which has a small rubber seal that butts with the front door glass when it's up... So when you wnat it out you, wind down the front slide the rear piece out and store in in the boot or wherever...if done right it looks good and can just be left in place 90% of the time..and no complicated winder werk for the rear glass... Cheers MAIKI
Yeah- Really what Mai-ki ki said is the simplest way....I did my 41 chevy coupe-turned conv that way. I have noticed several that the rear glass actually pivot at front lower corner and simply rotate rearwards as far as they roll down.OH-the chrome"H" shaped channel/W fuzzy is on the frt vertical surface of the rear glass in most cars.....
The Jalopy Journal
