Chim Hard Top Pics
Discussion
domV8 said:
Top marks Steve, that's almost exactly what I was thinking of when envisaging this product...
Only thing is that IMO a curved rear screen is needed to make the whole curved roof thing work - a flat screen, while cheaper, doesn't seem to work with the lines.
I think it is this fully curved profile that makes the Malaysian hardtop look so beautiful... Perhaps there is a ready made screen that can be adapted from somwhere else?
Also, is it possible to extend the rear screen further down towards the boot as per the Malaysian hardtop, or would this compromise structural rigidity?
Dom
I think there has to be part of the hard rear section all the way across at the back otherwise it makes sealing the back against the bodywork really difficult ...Only thing is that IMO a curved rear screen is needed to make the whole curved roof thing work - a flat screen, while cheaper, doesn't seem to work with the lines.
I think it is this fully curved profile that makes the Malaysian hardtop look so beautiful... Perhaps there is a ready made screen that can be adapted from somwhere else?
Also, is it possible to extend the rear screen further down towards the boot as per the Malaysian hardtop, or would this compromise structural rigidity?
Dom
Edited by domV8 on Monday 14th September 12:24
I do agree that the rear screen will need a curve in it otherwise it will look odd but as long as the edges of any perspex are nicely finished (as per the headlight covers for instance) then it should look fine.
I'd love to get one myself but I just can't (at this time) justify the cost ... if it was around the £1,250 mark that was banded about earlier in this thread then probably so but at nearly double that it's just too much financial pain for me right now.
Phil
domV8 said:
Top marks Steve, that's almost exactly what I was thinking of when envisaging this product...
Only thing is that IMO a curved rear screen is needed to make the whole curved roof thing work - a flat screen, while cheaper, doesn't seem to work with the lines.
I think it is this fully curved profile that makes the Malaysian hardtop look so beautiful... Perhaps there is a ready made screen that can be adapted from somwhere else?
Also, is it possible to extend the rear screen further down towards the boot as per the Malaysian hardtop, or would this compromise structural rigidity?
Dom
agreed to that, would make it look better, maybe there are some cars that use such sort screen, so you won't have to reinvent it :-)Only thing is that IMO a curved rear screen is needed to make the whole curved roof thing work - a flat screen, while cheaper, doesn't seem to work with the lines.
I think it is this fully curved profile that makes the Malaysian hardtop look so beautiful... Perhaps there is a ready made screen that can be adapted from somwhere else?
Also, is it possible to extend the rear screen further down towards the boot as per the Malaysian hardtop, or would this compromise structural rigidity?
Dom
otherwise, I guess most would like to pay that bit extra if they have to make a batch of such special curved screens.
OleVix said:
Hope I'm not being cheeky but is it possible to make the side window like on my drawing?
I like your thinking, and I agree that the lower edge of the side quarter light windows would look better if they extended down inline with the top of the door skin, but unfortunately it wouldn't be possible to get the hardtop to fit onto the bodywork like that.The shape of the top edge of the rear deck dictates that there is a certain amount of clearance needed to allow the hardtop to sit on the top of the bodywork and still have a rubber seal along the edge.
Also, the side windows need to sit flush and inline with the door windows to create a seamless look and this means that they need to be slightly inset in the rear hardtop section - in the position they are currently, and with the small horizontal 'blade' of hardtop extending underneath to hide the 'join'.
All the pictures of the original Malaysian hardtop have this too.
Steve.
Bassfiend229hp said:
I think there has to be part of the hard rear section all the way across at the back otherwise it makes sealing the back against the bodywork really difficult ...
I do agree that the rear screen will need a curve in it otherwise it will look odd but as long as the edges of any perspex are nicely finished (as per the headlight covers for instance) then it should look fine.
I'd love to get one myself but I just can't (at this time) justify the cost ... if it was around the £1,250 mark that was banded about earlier in this thread then probably so but at nearly double that it's just too much financial pain for me right now.
Phil
You're dead right Phil, there definitely has to be a certain amount of rear support to create the necessary strength/rigidity and provide a flange to seal the rear window. I do agree that the rear screen will need a curve in it otherwise it will look odd but as long as the edges of any perspex are nicely finished (as per the headlight covers for instance) then it should look fine.
I'd love to get one myself but I just can't (at this time) justify the cost ... if it was around the £1,250 mark that was banded about earlier in this thread then probably so but at nearly double that it's just too much financial pain for me right now.
Phil
All of the window flange would be hidden underneath the black border of the window but there still needs to be a small strip of hardtop below the window line for the sealing rubber to fit to and follow the bodywork nicely.
I should have been a bit clearer regarding the 'flat' windows - my mistake.
What I meant was they could be cut from flat sheets but would have a gentle curve when fitted, so they wouldn't look flat when in position.
When bonding acrylic glazing there is an allowable amount of bend over a certain length without needing to be thermoformed (don't have the exact figures to hard at the mo) so if the curve is gentle enough then the windows can start off as a flat piece but which follow a curved profile when bonded into the curved frame.
I think this would be easy to achieve if the screen only needs to curve in one direction, from side to side for example. It gets a bit more tricky when you need a compound curvature.
Initially, I've made the window flanges with a gentle curve - both horizontally and vertically - as the pics of the Malaysian hardtop suggest. I'd like to see if I can get a gentle double-curve in both directions without heat. It'll be obvious straight away whether heat is needed or not as soon as I test a flat piece within the aperture, but if thermoforming is the only way to get the right screen shape without stressing the window then i'll need to make a screen template with the correct compound curve and drape-form it in my oven.
It's hard to put a clear price on something like this at this early stage, but the figure of £1250 wouldn't cover it unfortunately, but it certainly wouldn't be anywhere near double either.
The best way of keeping the cost down on a project like this is to carry over as much as possible of the standard hardtop fixing methods already used rather than reinventing too much of it from scratch.
If it's over-engineered it'll be too dear.
All the time consuming trial-and-error stuff like finding suitable sealing rubbers, attachment methods, anchoring positions, suitable quick release catches, etc, has already been done, which helps massively.
The cheapest option for this Malaysian style hardtop, would be a parts-only kit for self assembly, in bare GRP or primed, with the fixing items and consumables included, but with only the bare minimum of my labour used and subsequent painting arranged by the customer. (I think a carbon wrap might look good too).
I can definitely see me having one of these Malaysian style tops on my car!
Steve.
I can too Steve ... just not at this precise moment given that it appears my old girl has pretty much cleared me out this year!
(Just totted up the engine rebuild costs so far and it's almost £5,800 in total plus another £800 for the front wheels / brakes / tyres so there's bugger all squared left in the pot as my budget was £3,500!)
The £1,250 that I mentioned wasn't in any way aimed at yours by the way - it was just a figure that had been mused around earlier in the thread in a discussion and that would have been an 'easy' figure to justify (not throwaway but not too arse-clenchingly painful either)...
Phil
(Just totted up the engine rebuild costs so far and it's almost £5,800 in total plus another £800 for the front wheels / brakes / tyres so there's bugger all squared left in the pot as my budget was £3,500!)
The £1,250 that I mentioned wasn't in any way aimed at yours by the way - it was just a figure that had been mused around earlier in the thread in a discussion and that would have been an 'easy' figure to justify (not throwaway but not too arse-clenchingly painful either)...
Phil
Yeah the window could be replaced if necessary Dom, but you'd be surprised how durable this type of acrylic glazing can be.
Obviously it will pick up marks from abraision, but it's very easy to polish up like glass again using fine grades of rubbing paper and the same types of compound and polish used on paintwork.
My hardtop has been on my car since 2009 and there's no damage or marks on the window. It's always covered with a sheet when in the boot though.
Steve.
Obviously it will pick up marks from abraision, but it's very easy to polish up like glass again using fine grades of rubbing paper and the same types of compound and polish used on paintwork.
My hardtop has been on my car since 2009 and there's no damage or marks on the window. It's always covered with a sheet when in the boot though.
Steve.
Dominic TVRetto said:
Lovely 
Is that a standard targa panel, or is it a custom item..?
Thanks,
Dom
Custom item Dom, but only because of the raised cant profile down each side (which was created with a skim of filler added to a completely standard targa panel, before a mould was taken from it) so in reality, in the way it fits up to the windscreen and locates into the rear section its pretty much a standard panel but just with the extra contour added to the outer skin.Is that a standard targa panel, or is it a custom item..?
Thanks,
Dom
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