So, I hate the softtop on my 5.0. It's ratty, not aligned properly, and I have to fight it back latched shut everytime I open it. I've been holding off having it replaced because the frame isn't in all that great of condition, either, and I'm not sure what all is involved in rebuilding one of those.
So my thought has been to totally pull the soft-top out and replace it with a removable hardtop. I've gone through a few different ideas in my head, building it out of metal or fiberglass, neither of which were particularly attractive to me. But a friend recently pointed out a Carson top, which has me all sorts of excited as this looks very doable, even with my total lack of welding and fiberglass experience.
My question is, for replacing a convertible top and frame with a removable hard top, how do people usually attach the top in the rear? The front is obvious, as you just repurpose the existing convertible latch mechanism.
Also wondering if people have suggestions on what to use to pad/seal the mating surface between the top and the body. I was just thinking that closed-cell foam they cell for sealing doors as I'm not sure if I can get the convertible seal rubber in a roll.
I would think that you should be able to get a top from a wreck in a junk yard and as you said add the top latches to the front. The back could be anything from bolts similar to a Miata to some sort of overlap joint. The issues that i see would be stiffening up the bottom edge of the back and if the coupe uses the same rear glass as the convt. Also you would have to determine if the profile of the twp tops gives you an overlap or if there would be some sort of gap. I guess that you could cut a little additional metal from the rear quarters and deck to cover any gaps.
I have a hard top for my Miata, and while it is a better top than the soft top, it is a pain to put on and take off. And it is much smaller than the top you are thinking about.
The idea would be to touch the top twice/year. Put it on for the rainy season, take it off for summer. If I need sun/rain protection during summer, I'll make a bikini top for it that uses the rollbar for a rear support.
Also, the goal for this would be to totally scrap the existing soft top and convertible mechanism. I hates it and I wants it gone.
Search the HAMB. I know for a fact there's info there.
Appleseed wrote:
Search the HAMB. I know for a fact there's info there.
What he said...FYI, the 'Carson' type tops used several different ways to frame the top. Easiest would be the conduit framing, but it'll be heavy by the time you're done. BUT, if you're going to hang it from the ceiling of the garage while it's off, you can rig a small rope hoist (like you'd use to lift a deer for skinning) and some brackets to lift and support it in the open top season. The hoist/brackets on the ceiling would obviate the weight, pretty much. And the choice of the rear window isn't that big a deal. Get whatever looks right to you, since you're building the top from scratch and will be framing in whatever glazing you choose. Have fun!
Curious if the weight would be in excess of the existing top and mechanism?
