I am building a new speedster by Beck. I drive normally very confortable car. I am afraid about the side courtain of the Speedster. It rain a lot in south florida. Does any one have and idea ? Peter
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I am building a new speedster by Beck. I drive normally very confortable car. I am afraid about the side courtain of the Speedster. It rain a lot in south florida. Does any one have and idea ? Peter
Peter,
People have been waiting years for those plexi windows.
Do a search on this site and you'll find several threads on making Plexiglas side windows. I'm sure Lane and Gordon will chime in soon.
People have been waiting years for those plexi windows.
Do a search on this site and you'll find several threads on making Plexiglas side windows. I'm sure Lane and Gordon will chime in soon.
Am I THAT predictable? ;-)
Terry is right, your best solution is to make your own. Pictures of mine below. The pop-out vent windows proved their worth on the recent Carlisle jaunt. Being able to get controlled ventilation with windows on is very nice.
The one down side is that it takes a bit of fiddling to get the door/window to close. This is because I made the windows slightly large to ensure good sealing. I put a small pull knob on the top front inside so that I can pull the window in slightly as I close the door. Then I run my finger around the upper edge of the window to get the top seal and window seal seated properly. I'm still tweaking the design and am thinking about reworking the front edge seal, using silicon instead of rubber.
You could make your own sliding windows if you can figure out how to work the aluminum frame. Even if the Fibersteel ones were really available, they likely wouldn't fit. Each replica manufacturer has slightly different window openings, and they all differ a bit from the originals.
Given the amount of rain you get in your area, you may want to seal up a few other potential problem spots. The wiper shafts are not sealed, so I used some of my new favorite stuff - rope caulk. It's very easy to work with compared to sealer from a tube. I also added some extra weather sealing in the doors to keep out the drafts. You may also need to do some sealing at the base of the windshield. That's easiest to do if you remove the windshield - a task that is actually pretty easy IF you are careful. Feel free to PM me for details or my phone number.
Terry is right, your best solution is to make your own. Pictures of mine below. The pop-out vent windows proved their worth on the recent Carlisle jaunt. Being able to get controlled ventilation with windows on is very nice.
The one down side is that it takes a bit of fiddling to get the door/window to close. This is because I made the windows slightly large to ensure good sealing. I put a small pull knob on the top front inside so that I can pull the window in slightly as I close the door. Then I run my finger around the upper edge of the window to get the top seal and window seal seated properly. I'm still tweaking the design and am thinking about reworking the front edge seal, using silicon instead of rubber.
You could make your own sliding windows if you can figure out how to work the aluminum frame. Even if the Fibersteel ones were really available, they likely wouldn't fit. Each replica manufacturer has slightly different window openings, and they all differ a bit from the originals.
Given the amount of rain you get in your area, you may want to seal up a few other potential problem spots. The wiper shafts are not sealed, so I used some of my new favorite stuff - rope caulk. It's very easy to work with compared to sealer from a tube. I also added some extra weather sealing in the doors to keep out the drafts. You may also need to do some sealing at the base of the windshield. That's easiest to do if you remove the windshield - a task that is actually pretty easy IF you are careful. Feel free to PM me for details or my phone number.
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Here are some pictures of the extra door seal.
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Waiting for the Fibersteel plexi windows to become available is like buying a Lottery ticket and believing you'll win.
Lane and others have done some nice work with one off Lexan side curtains. ~Alan
Lane and others have done some nice work with one off Lexan side curtains. ~Alan
Anybody got a full-sized paper pattern of a windshield that would fit a CMC dash and frame combo?
And Alan, do you still have the frame you set aside a couple ... er, years ... ago?
And Alan, do you still have the frame you set aside a couple ... er, years ... ago?
I laughed when I found Fibersteel advertizing on ebay! Clever design - no wonder it took 5 years to develop! Gulp - $1G!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-356-Style-Speedster-Plexi-Opening-Side-Windows_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem2a053a2af1QQitemZ180476324593QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
or
http://tinyurl.com/yzc5wqv
Cory - bring big piece of brown wrapping paper and we can trace my windshield glass for a template for your lucite one. I had cracked windshield that Jim Anderson brought up for you - regretfully it ended up in many pieces stored along side my house.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-356-Style-Speedster-Plexi-Opening-Side-Windows_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem2a053a2af1QQitemZ180476324593QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
or
http://tinyurl.com/yzc5wqv
Cory - bring big piece of brown wrapping paper and we can trace my windshield glass for a template for your lucite one. I had cracked windshield that Jim Anderson brought up for you - regretfully it ended up in many pieces stored along side my house.
Nice photos but I don't see a provision for the leading edge against the windshield ~ oh well, soap on the rope time.
Cory,
I am not sure, I'll rummage in the shop tomorrow pm
~A
Cory,
I am not sure, I'll rummage in the shop tomorrow pm
~A
Dude!
I've got a windshield sitting in a box and a son coming to visit Tomorrow. If Alan can't find a template Chris and we'll get it down (It's up over the potting bench in the shed and I need help moving it) and make one for ya!
gn
I've got a windshield sitting in a box and a son coming to visit Tomorrow. If Alan can't find a template Chris and we'll get it down (It's up over the potting bench in the shed and I need help moving it) and make one for ya!
gn
Don't have it anymore ~
Thanks for looking, Alan. I'll come up with one somewhere.
Gordon, that'd be great!
Naturally, I have to go with plexi or Lexan for the tilting front, but since I'm about to start being a garage-dweller, it'll make a fine first project.
Gordon, that'd be great!
Naturally, I have to go with plexi or Lexan for the tilting front, but since I'm about to start being a garage-dweller, it'll make a fine first project.
Cory-
I did this when I had my JPS- I had two sets: one for the soft-top, and one for the hard-top. I made my own pegs out of bar-stock, and strap steel- it allowed me to position the side curtains at whatever angle worked best. Mine angled back on the door tops. Don't be surprised if you have to make more than one of each.
Here's what I did-
First, I bought some edge seal material from McMaster-Carr. Here's a link:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#edge-seals/=628cnp
Then I made a template out of cardboard, after that out of some sort of 1/4" wood product (masonite, luan underlayment, etc.) before I did one in polycarbonate. On mine, I used a sweep seal material for the bottom (door) edge (something like this, but I got it from another source):
http://www.mcmaster.com/#rubber-strips/=628gtj
Once I was happy with the shape of my template, I got my polycarbonate cut at a glass shop, so that the edges would be polished.
If you do it right, they look really, really nice.
I did this when I had my JPS- I had two sets: one for the soft-top, and one for the hard-top. I made my own pegs out of bar-stock, and strap steel- it allowed me to position the side curtains at whatever angle worked best. Mine angled back on the door tops. Don't be surprised if you have to make more than one of each.
Here's what I did-
First, I bought some edge seal material from McMaster-Carr. Here's a link:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#edge-seals/=628cnp
Then I made a template out of cardboard, after that out of some sort of 1/4" wood product (masonite, luan underlayment, etc.) before I did one in polycarbonate. On mine, I used a sweep seal material for the bottom (door) edge (something like this, but I got it from another source):
http://www.mcmaster.com/#rubber-strips/=628gtj
Once I was happy with the shape of my template, I got my polycarbonate cut at a glass shop, so that the edges would be polished.
If you do it right, they look really, really nice.
..and you can get a nice speedster window frame from this guy Cory..
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=930601
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=930601
Man, that one will cut into his egg samich budget for sure! Must be made of unobtainium.
Stan - Cory barely has a windshield -- more like a bug deflector.
Stan - Cory barely has a windshield -- more like a bug deflector.
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Why not a set of these on the Hoopty...
http://www.holden.co.uk/displayproduct.asp?sg=&pgCode=090&sgName=Hardware&pgName=Accessories&agCode=0662&agName=Aero+Screens&pCode=090.138
http://www.holden.co.uk/displayproduct.asp?sg=&pgCode=090&sgName=Hardware&pgName=Accessories&agCode=0662&agName=Aero+Screens&pCode=090.138
I'm borrowing an old thread here, so I guess we can go into depth, right?
Brian, I like both of those options in the old-timey-windscreen ad. I like that all-in-one frame idea, too, but Juh-heezus is that guy expensive. I think I might just call Kirk -- or that outfit that does MGs and still sells CMC parts. Wolfgang is right, too, in that it's a complete revisitation of the windshield idea on my car.
What I'm thinking about doing is replacing the Spyder windshield I have now with a lightweight, Speedster-looking windshield.
I want to do that for a couple reasons. One, I can't put a top up right now for any reason, parked or driving. I don't even have my top anymore. I sold or gave it away years ago.
Second, the angle of the smaller windshield is perfect for deflecting stuff, but the reflection puts a hood pin directly in Teresa's line of sight. She is interested in trying out the dash mat she made last year, which covers both pins, but it's really a Band-Aid for the bigger issue.
That windshield broke on installation, and it's never been exactly right. I can't heat it to contour it to the dash, so it will always be counter-stressing itself. Over time, my cracks will get worse, or I'll have to take the windscreen loose and properly repair it. If I take it off, I will have to do a lot of surface prep to get little pieces of aluminum leftovers from the original windshield out of the fiberglass -- rivets, I think -- and I'll have a clean slate.
I can't use glass to replace the windshield with an original one, because the weight of the glass will topple it off of the car when the front end is raised. If I use a plastic or a polycarbonate sheet in place of speedster-sized glass, I can use all of the rest of the Speedster hardware.
Eventually, I could make a bimminy top like boaters have, employing Velcro and leather straps to hold the back of the top to the roll bars.
I can then put side curtains back in, and I'll have a sort of three-sided enclosure for use in sudden rain.
I still won't have wipers, but those holes are behind the windshield right now, anyway. If they wind up in front of the replacement windshield, and they should, I'll just fill them in. They didn't make one bottle of Rain-X and quit.
Presto-change-o, the car has a better windshield, and the lines revert to something less ... cobbled together.
So ... All I need, I suppose, is time, patience and parts. After we get done buying this house, the budget may allow for one major mod a year. Now that the vast majority of the car's mechanical growing pains are sorted, I think the windshield might be it for this year.
Brian, I like both of those options in the old-timey-windscreen ad. I like that all-in-one frame idea, too, but Juh-heezus is that guy expensive. I think I might just call Kirk -- or that outfit that does MGs and still sells CMC parts. Wolfgang is right, too, in that it's a complete revisitation of the windshield idea on my car.
What I'm thinking about doing is replacing the Spyder windshield I have now with a lightweight, Speedster-looking windshield.
I want to do that for a couple reasons. One, I can't put a top up right now for any reason, parked or driving. I don't even have my top anymore. I sold or gave it away years ago.
Second, the angle of the smaller windshield is perfect for deflecting stuff, but the reflection puts a hood pin directly in Teresa's line of sight. She is interested in trying out the dash mat she made last year, which covers both pins, but it's really a Band-Aid for the bigger issue.
That windshield broke on installation, and it's never been exactly right. I can't heat it to contour it to the dash, so it will always be counter-stressing itself. Over time, my cracks will get worse, or I'll have to take the windscreen loose and properly repair it. If I take it off, I will have to do a lot of surface prep to get little pieces of aluminum leftovers from the original windshield out of the fiberglass -- rivets, I think -- and I'll have a clean slate.
I can't use glass to replace the windshield with an original one, because the weight of the glass will topple it off of the car when the front end is raised. If I use a plastic or a polycarbonate sheet in place of speedster-sized glass, I can use all of the rest of the Speedster hardware.
Eventually, I could make a bimminy top like boaters have, employing Velcro and leather straps to hold the back of the top to the roll bars.
I can then put side curtains back in, and I'll have a sort of three-sided enclosure for use in sudden rain.
I still won't have wipers, but those holes are behind the windshield right now, anyway. If they wind up in front of the replacement windshield, and they should, I'll just fill them in. They didn't make one bottle of Rain-X and quit.
Presto-change-o, the car has a better windshield, and the lines revert to something less ... cobbled together.
So ... All I need, I suppose, is time, patience and parts. After we get done buying this house, the budget may allow for one major mod a year. Now that the vast majority of the car's mechanical growing pains are sorted, I think the windshield might be it for this year.
Cory,
Give me a call with an idea of what parts you need for the windshield. Chances are I probably have what you need sitting in the garage on a shelf. 850-758-5268.
Jim
Give me a call with an idea of what parts you need for the windshield. Chances are I probably have what you need sitting in the garage on a shelf. 850-758-5268.
Jim
Heck, Jim! You might be the guy I mailed mine to four years ago!
Holy CRAP!
Holy CRAP!
What kind of material and thickness is best for side curtains? I vaguely recall a past conversation that one of the materials used was unsafe because it would shatter in an accident. What's best? One of mine cracked last year so I need to make new ones.
" Margard " is a Lexan with a scratch resistant coating...best stuff there is if your local glass shop is willing to order it for you.
Lexan is just about unbreakable. I forget what I was using for the side curtains, 1/8" should do it but first try flexing it to be sure that it is rigid enough. ~Alan
Lexan is just about unbreakable. I forget what I was using for the side curtains, 1/8" should do it but first try flexing it to be sure that it is rigid enough. ~Alan
I like the extra rigidity of 3/16". That's one of the mods I made to Joe's original design.
Agreed~
Ditto what Lane said.
For the record, Jim is the MAN.
Thanks, Jim!
Thanks, Jim!
I will post some pictures of my new polycarbonate side windows as soon as I'm finished with installing the new carpets and top the top back up so you can see how the new poly windows look. I have wanted these windows since I saw Alan's at Carlisle 2 years ago. Lane motivated me and Alan Merkin gave me his cardboard patterns at Carlisle 2 years ago and I just now completed fabricating the windows..
I went with 1/8 polycrabonate which seems like it will be fine for my application because of the way the two mounts work ---Alan's invention too. Also, My car is a Vintage and has that strap at the bottom of the window that attaches to the bottom of the piece that contains the ferrules with snaps. I found some strips of tan leatger and riveted one end to the window and put a snap on the other end of the strip to snap to the location where the original VS strip went. The window is very rigid and I believe I found the perfect rubber pieces ---a piece for the bottom of the window that has a flat rubber piece, 1" wide that seals along the top of the door and for the front of the window, the perfect rubber piece from McMaster-Carr ---not a hunky piece but one with the sealing surfcae that goes straight towards the front of the car rather than a tube at the front or back.
(I should have waited until I had a photo). For the top of the windows I found some special tape that is coated to make the window
slip easily into the space where the top of the window goes. I found that a piece of rubber at the top is unnecessary and makes the space at the top be pushed out , wider.
I also went with the little aircraft windows that Joe Soltis found ---the ones in Lane's pictures. These are great too---you can close then or direct any amount of air in that you want.
Last,one reason I went with 1/8" was that this is the size that the rubber fits without opening the mounting space wider or squeezing it
together to force a fit. Plus it's lighter and should work as good
as the thicker, heavier material.
I learned from Alan that the Vintage mounts won't work well and I have a set for anyone who wants them. Fot a fit against the windshield the bottom edge has to be about 1" (or a bit bore) out from the vertical. The VS mounts are for a window that is straight up
---not out at the bottom. A straight up window won't fit well against the windshield.
The first window took me 1 frikkin day to get it right and the second one only about an hour!
I went with 1/8 polycrabonate which seems like it will be fine for my application because of the way the two mounts work ---Alan's invention too. Also, My car is a Vintage and has that strap at the bottom of the window that attaches to the bottom of the piece that contains the ferrules with snaps. I found some strips of tan leatger and riveted one end to the window and put a snap on the other end of the strip to snap to the location where the original VS strip went. The window is very rigid and I believe I found the perfect rubber pieces ---a piece for the bottom of the window that has a flat rubber piece, 1" wide that seals along the top of the door and for the front of the window, the perfect rubber piece from McMaster-Carr ---not a hunky piece but one with the sealing surfcae that goes straight towards the front of the car rather than a tube at the front or back.
(I should have waited until I had a photo). For the top of the windows I found some special tape that is coated to make the window
slip easily into the space where the top of the window goes. I found that a piece of rubber at the top is unnecessary and makes the space at the top be pushed out , wider.
I also went with the little aircraft windows that Joe Soltis found ---the ones in Lane's pictures. These are great too---you can close then or direct any amount of air in that you want.
Last,one reason I went with 1/8" was that this is the size that the rubber fits without opening the mounting space wider or squeezing it
together to force a fit. Plus it's lighter and should work as good
as the thicker, heavier material.
I learned from Alan that the Vintage mounts won't work well and I have a set for anyone who wants them. Fot a fit against the windshield the bottom edge has to be about 1" (or a bit bore) out from the vertical. The VS mounts are for a window that is straight up
---not out at the bottom. A straight up window won't fit well against the windshield.
The first window took me 1 frikkin day to get it right and the second one only about an hour!
Glad I was able to be of some help to you...Time to mass market these Jack :)
Sounds like a good project, Jack! I'd like to see a few pics of your new windows.
Jim--I'll post some pictures asap.
Alan--you could knock these out easily and market them to VS owners.
I have leass than $100 in materials I believe and this is a great value for something that gives a larger view than the original VS side windows plus they will be much better keeping water out and may offer a quieter ride. With my VS windows when it's hot, I let air in by turning the front canvas outside to catch some air but with the "Snapvents" fresh air will be better in volume and direction.
I can't believe how clear this polycarbonate material is---that was surprising.
When I post pictures I'll list part sources and numbers. I can trace the patterns on a piece of heavy butchers paper if anyone wants 'em.
Alan--it would be a snap to put a kit together too.
Alan--you could knock these out easily and market them to VS owners.
I have leass than $100 in materials I believe and this is a great value for something that gives a larger view than the original VS side windows plus they will be much better keeping water out and may offer a quieter ride. With my VS windows when it's hot, I let air in by turning the front canvas outside to catch some air but with the "Snapvents" fresh air will be better in volume and direction.
I can't believe how clear this polycarbonate material is---that was surprising.
When I post pictures I'll list part sources and numbers. I can trace the patterns on a piece of heavy butchers paper if anyone wants 'em.
Alan--it would be a snap to put a kit together too.
As long as the top is glued ...exactly... the same onto the header bow and the windshield and snaps are ...exactly... the same from one speedster to another a prefab "kit" would work . ~Alan
Alan--We can do a survey at Carlisle to see how close one VS is to another as far as placement of the snaps, angle of the windshield, etc. It would be interesting to fit my side windows to several VS cars at Carlisle. With over 2,000 VS out there there might be a market.
Good idea Jack !
Wow, , $1,000.00 for sliding windows, and not a single photo installed in a car???
Ouch.
Boston Bob E
Ouch.
Boston Bob E
Got any pics, Jack?