The top on my Speedster is in the down position, unsnapped, and with either the quarter tonneau snapped in place of the full tonneau snapped in place. I put it up once or twice a year to clean it then I put it away.
"Do you stow your Speedster with the top up fully attached or down?"
Depends on the last drive. I've stored it both ways, but in the warmer weather the top is almost always down. In the winter it's often up to cut the chill. No hint of winter here so far - supposed to be 85 today.
Top is latched up through winter hibernation ...or on jackstands!
Keeps the nooks & crannies & interior surfaces of the cabin relatively dust free
I leave mine up and latched for winter storage which keeps it properly stretched. I also use the top up to keep the car cover in place when stored.
And it is a good idea to: 1. Put a flat pan open container of kitty litter inside to keep moisture down. 2. Put some cedar chips in the front boot, interior seating area and in the engine bay. This will keep mice from nesting in your stored car. You can also use moth balls to deter mice but it takes four months to get the smell out.
BTW, Hi !
I leave mine up and windows up... it helps with dust and to keep the top nice and fully extended with no creases. I have a fan running in the garage at all times... This year I bought a car bubble to store my car in. This year will be the first year that I use it so I will let you guys know how it goes. I wonder if we should start a new topic... and maybe a new topic for winter projects ahead.
Don't forget, Brian, (Longfella) is in Irvine, CA. His driving season is 11 months long and won't need some of the mouse proving, moisture proving, or winterizing that our brethren on the East Coast have to endure.
Brian,
I love your car, and I love that you are acting as a General Contractor to get things done at the places that are best at doing them. I'm asking this as a friend, and in genuine concern. From this picture:
... it looks like the top is really, really loose. If it's not affixed to the front bow yet, please disregard. It's just that everything else looks soooooo good, that the picture struck a bit of fear in my heart.
As I said, I've really, really enjoyed following along from the peanut gallery. I know you'll be happy with the build, and it's a thing of beauty.
Robert M posted:Don't forget, Brian, (Longfella) is in Irvine, CA. His driving season is 11 months long and won't need some of the mouse proving, moisture proving, or winterizing that our brethren on the East Coast have to endure.
It did rain today. It was just enough to water the yard...
So much for that "flood" the weather folks told us to brace ourselves for... LOL!
Stan Galat, '05 IM, 2276, Nowhere, USA posted:Brian,
I love your car, and I love that you are acting as a General Contractor to get things done at the places that are best at doing them. I'm asking this as a friend, and in genuine concern. From this picture:
... it looks like the top is really, really loose. If it's not affixed to the front bow yet, please disregard. It's just that everything else looks soooooo good, that the picture struck a bit of fear in my heart.
As I said, I've really, really enjoyed following along from the peanut gallery. I know you'll be happy with the build, and it's a thing of beauty.
Hey Stan,
Thank you! I also enjoy reading your posts and how impactful they are to this forum and in life
Do not loose any sleep tonight about Eleanors top 
It is not fully attached in this photo. The front bow is loosely set on the windshield and the two lower side mounts are not in the final position
I've tried to make it a point to contract the things I knew I couldn't do to the places that do them best AND spread the work across multiple businesses. I've tried to purchase parts from ALL the various vendors out there hoping it helps them. It may or may not, but IMO it is selfish to only use one place. Why not help them all? It's mere pennies in the big picture of it all, but it matters to me and so it shall be.
Thank you again for all the compliments. This forum has been a HUGE help in every step since I started in September 2015 (I joined a few months later).
I don't know the "why"of this but on some speedsters I've found that after completing the top assembly, I've experimented with moving the metal bow pivot point a bit makes the top fit much better , on some this has worked on others it didn't
Whats a "winter"?
crhemi (Bill) poboiinhawaii posted:Whats a "winter"?
About four months with not driving the speedster... 
Robert M posted:Don't forget, Brian, (Longfella) is in Irvine, CA. His driving season is 11 months long and won't need some of the mouse proving, moisture proving, or winterizing that our brethren on the East Coast have to endure.
Brian won't need "proofing" not proving.
It's raining in Irvine at the moment
Who says you can't drive a Speedster in the rain? Heck, that'd cancel the Carlisle gathering for sure.
Lane
I drive mine in the rain. For some reason, though, putting the top up at this time of the year is like surrendering to the inevitable - that the season is over.
But, it's bright and sunny today, so on with the sheepskin jacket, wooly hat and warm gloves, and off we go...as long as it's a nice day, that top ain't goin' up and the car isn't going into storage. 
And yes, Carlisle can sometimes be a little wet...but always a blast.
Anthony posted:It's raining in Irvine at the moment
Ah-ha!!! See, Moisture proofing is required in SoCal. BTW, I'd also set all 4 tires on inflated inner tubes for seismic vibration so as not to crack any 90degree points in body.
Seismic vibrations?!!
Good grief Craig. As if being concerned with carburetor fires, hurricanes, and asteroid showers isn't enough... now I have to protect against earthquakes too?
I think I'll soothe and alleviate my paranoia of owning this speedster and simply increase the Agreed Value on my Hagerty policy....with expectations that the 'insurance replacement' would be on par with the stunning black beauty that Jim Ignacio is now driving!
Carl Berry CT. posted:Seismic vibrations?!!
Good grief Craig. As if being concerned with carburetor fires, hurricanes, and asteroid showers isn't enough... now I have to protect against earthquakes too?
I think I'll soothe and alleviate my paranoia of owning this speedster and simply increase the Agreed Value on my Hagerty policy....with expectations that the 'insurance replacement' would be on par with the stunning black beauty that Jim Ignacio is now driving!
No, you're OK in CT Carl. That was meant for the SoCal owners.
No new update on the Speedster, but my wifey let my inner gamer geekiness come out yesterday and today. Another year at BlizzCon! If you've ever wondered where my profile icon came from its Blizzards Hearthstone. A company I'd love to work for, but it's likely that ship as sailed.
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Is there Beer involved?
If not, I'm probably not interested.
Gordon Nichols posted:Is there Beer involved?
If not, I'm probably not interested.
Oh yes. Plenty of beer. Bottle Logic made some special beer. It's the 25th Anniversary of Blizzard and 10th Anniversary of BlizzCon so there's a lot of little special things they've done for the attendees...
Where's it being held? I used to do ComDex in Vegas before I retired (and Comdex went away). That was always a weird life-experience sort of trip, but we had Leonard Nimoy and Berkley Breathed in our booth a couple of years, so THAT was pretty cool.....
Gordon Nichols posted:Where's it being held? I used to do ComDex in Vegas before I retired (and Comdex went away). That was always a weird life-experience sort of trip, but we had Leonard Nimoy and Berkley Breathed in our booth a couple of years, so THAT was pretty cool.....
Anaheim Convention Center. I've believe it's been here since the first convention. This is my third and plan to do more - as long as I get permission from the wifey
Got a few things done this morning: Rear brake lights installed; license plate and bracket (I felt lined the inside so that it would attach the paint if I ever need to take it off); finished running the front wiring harness; added a few wire connectors and attached them based on VS's wiring diagram; finish the front hood handle (which was a pain in the a@@ to line up and bend. Happy Thanksgiving!
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Nicely done
"Got a few things done this morning..."
Re your 3rd pic where the wiring loom goes through the fiberglass on the right side- I would take a (very) small piece of rubber vacuum line, split it lengthwise and use it as a grommet so the fiberglass doesn't wear into the wiring and cause 1 or more shorts. It may take a while, but that could be trouble somewhere down the road. Al
ALB posted:"Got a few things done this morning..."
Re your 3rd pic where the wiring loom goes through the fiberglass on the right side- I would take a (very) small piece of rubber vacuum line, split it lengthwise and use it as a grommet so the fiberglass doesn't wear into the wiring and cause 1 or more shorts. It may take a while, but that could be trouble somewhere down the road. Al
x2
ALB posted:"Got a few things done this morning..."
Re your 3rd pic where the wiring loom goes through the fiberglass on the right side- I would take a (very) small piece of rubber vacuum line, split it lengthwise and use it as a grommet so the fiberglass doesn't wear into the wiring and cause 1 or more shorts. It may take a while, but that could be trouble somewhere down the road. Al
Absolutely! Didn't get that far before I went on baby duty 
I also plan on adding silicon to seal up any openings.
I got 3 kids; I know all about baby duty. Remember it well...
Longfella wrote ....I also plan on adding silicon to seal up any openings.
Geesh I hope you're not referring to the kids :~)
Looks great!
Molding, molding, more molding...
My heart stopped a few times as I was drilling into the body. I think it turned out nice!
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For the 1.5" piece near the push button I dab some silicone on the back side since there is only room for one fastener.
*LongFella posted:Molding, molding, more molding...
My heart stopped a few times as I was drilling into the body. I think it turned out nice!
Very well done Brian. Looks nice.
Nicely done for sure...
Nice work. The paint on your car looks awesome!
Alan Merklin posted:For the 1.5" piece near the push button I dab some silicone on the back side since there is only room for one fastener.
Are you referring to the small piece by the door handle? If so, I have two plastic clips holding it in place.
Question for the electricians:
The wiring diagram for VS has one wire going to the parking light and one to the turn signal, is it safe to assume I need to run a ground from the second connector on each?