Bring that Beat back... 1991 Honda Beat
Discussion
I do not doubt it is more than get the saw out and hope for the best... part of why I put it on here is to see what ideas people have about how it should be done.
As for maintaining as is, a 2nd hand 25 plus year old windscreen from a breakers is £800 and I also need all new seals and I've been told again that is approx £800 so to keep as stock is a minimum of £1600 so not keen really. I also cannot see what the windscreen is doing for sill rigidity which cannot be replicated or enhanced by extra bracing across the dash bulkhead which would also have the added benefit of lowering the COG.
The potential IVA test bothers me more tbh as I know how hard it is to get passed these days.
Anyway as mentioned before in previous posts it maybe that the car needs more strengthening in certain areas and I am up for that and if need be I would sooner spend the £1600 or so to this end. So going forward I need to find someone who knows if or how and where exactly.
As for maintaining as is, a 2nd hand 25 plus year old windscreen from a breakers is £800 and I also need all new seals and I've been told again that is approx £800 so to keep as stock is a minimum of £1600 so not keen really. I also cannot see what the windscreen is doing for sill rigidity which cannot be replicated or enhanced by extra bracing across the dash bulkhead which would also have the added benefit of lowering the COG.
The potential IVA test bothers me more tbh as I know how hard it is to get passed these days.
Anyway as mentioned before in previous posts it maybe that the car needs more strengthening in certain areas and I am up for that and if need be I would sooner spend the £1600 or so to this end. So going forward I need to find someone who knows if or how and where exactly.
Edited by Rocket. on Thursday 1st November 22:04
I would be very wary of chopping the roof off...as you probably know convertible versions of modern cars are heavier than the hardtop equivalents.
I had an original Lotus Elan convertible, which had a separate steel chassis. The body was fibreglass, and the windscreen on those cars added strength when it was installed. I had an aftermarket roll bar/side impact bar system fitted on mine which made the car so much more rigid and added a lot more 'peace of mind'.
I am just putting over my opinion, but modern cars are designed 'as a whole', and Honda will have spent a lot of energy etc in ensuring the structural integrity of your car with a roof, and to drastically alter that would be unwise, IMHO.
I had an original Lotus Elan convertible, which had a separate steel chassis. The body was fibreglass, and the windscreen on those cars added strength when it was installed. I had an aftermarket roll bar/side impact bar system fitted on mine which made the car so much more rigid and added a lot more 'peace of mind'.
I am just putting over my opinion, but modern cars are designed 'as a whole', and Honda will have spent a lot of energy etc in ensuring the structural integrity of your car with a roof, and to drastically alter that would be unwise, IMHO.
Rocket. said:
As for maintaining as is, a 2nd hand 25 plus year old windscreen from a breakers is £800 and I also need all new seals and I've been told again that is approx £800 so to keep as stock is a minimum of £1600 so not keen really. I also cannot see what the windscreen is doing for sill rigidity which cannot be replicated or enhanced by extra bracing across the dash bulkhead which would also have the added benefit of lowering the COG.
I think I saw on the last series of Wheeler Dealer that they found somewhere which produced windscreens by cutting them from new screens for other cars. This was in the US - it's unlikely there's somewhere similar in the UK, but might warrant a google.Episode 139, 1973 Saab 96 windscreen custom made using the windscreen from a 2014 Chevrolet Impala.
Edited by Chris Type R on Thursday 1st November 23:02
Not a huge amount to update this week, more interior is out and a little surface rust present where roof leaked but nothing major.
Doors now stripped of window glass, electric motors and winder mechanism should be a good weight saving, think we might drop close to 100 kilos off the car overall so close to 650kg when done, got to make all of those 63hp count
Doors now stripped of window glass, electric motors and winder mechanism should be a good weight saving, think we might drop close to 100 kilos off the car overall so close to 650kg when done, got to make all of those 63hp count
Thanks for pic James B, very similar to how mine was many years ago I suspect. Whenever I see them in the wild makes me chuckle how small they are, below the car that led to me buying one.
At last some shiny bits arriving from Japan, they were relatively cheap to buy but by time arrived in my hands they not far off 2.5 times initial outlay
Ferris yep rude not too, though some chap wants to steal my thunder by taking the roof off his bashed up 550 Maranello, now thats proper brave.
At last some shiny bits arriving from Japan, they were relatively cheap to buy but by time arrived in my hands they not far off 2.5 times initial outlay
Ferris yep rude not too, though some chap wants to steal my thunder by taking the roof off his bashed up 550 Maranello, now thats proper brave.
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