New windows

Well, to be precise, it's "window" as I have only done one so far. It took quite a bit of prototyping with fiberboard fully assembled with all of the hardware and seals, and then two tries with the polycarbonate to get what I wanted. The first one looked great, put pulled out a bit at highway speed, so I had to make the window a bit taller.

Anyway, pictures are attached. This is based n Joe Soltis' recipe, with a few changes:
1. I used 3/16" polycarbonate in stead of 1/8".

2. After the first prototype drive, it was obvious that I needed some stiffening, so I added the U-channel aluminum (polished with a buffing wheel and waxed) that you see in the pictures.

3. I added the small [piece of polycarbonate at the rear to make the window seal up better, and to hold the corner of the top in place. On the Beck, that part is only held down by velcro, and I've had it blow open at speed.

4. I added the small but of flat rubber at the front (storm door weatherstripping) to cover the notch I had to put in the main seal due to the Tenax fastener for the tonneau cover.

5. I used the posts off my original side windows. All of the fasteners are stainless steel to prevent rust.

So far it seems to work well. I may have a little fine tuning at the front seal. I'll do the other one tomorrow - maybe. My top is slightly asymmetrical, so the passenger side window is a little longer. That'll mean some more fine tuning of the shape.

Oops - forgot to put the pictures in my folder. I'll be right back. Don't go away.

Ok, I'm back with the pics.

Nice job! I likey!

~WB

Lane---good work--really nice window(s).

Your window look as if it will help a lot on the moisture trouble we all experience---I especially like the way it works with the windshield post.

What do you cut that poly carbonite material with? Where did you find the round thingy on the window--I guess it will open to let air in---is that what it's for?

Were all the hardwars attachments off the shelf stuff?

Really nice job, Lane. I'm anxious to see them in da flesh.

Sweet!---Jack

Aces man. You will wind up being as dry as a Cabrio, right? Dry, phooey! Not on my watch. Not if there is good Scotch around. Personally, I don't drink the stuff, but I guess some of y'all like it. Bourbon am life.

Very nice. Now, has you wife sewn some large socks to put those in when not in use to prevent scratching?

Man - o - man I just love to see projects like that for these cars. If you just buy a speedy and drive it, you miss half the fun of "improving" (insert your definition here) it. Imagine the improvement, design it, prototype it, fab it, install it, test it, improve it, redesign it, repeat as necessary, and finally it all comes together. Then, of course, take pictures of it and post here. How many nights did you lie awake thinking of the tinest details of what is going to make this work? How many different ways can you design it to simplify it, and still maintain the same function? Nothing can make you feel better than bringing all that to fruitition. Soul food!

Ya just gotta love it. Now that that's done, on to the next project . . . !

Nice improvements, Lane. I especially like the litle latch on the back of the window to hold the top in.

Another suggestion, my wife found some fleece-backed vinyl and made a couple of "envelopes" that are attached at the top and used velcro to seal them. Much better for storage.

ECB

Great job Lane!

Even better, Bruce, I "contracted" Gordon's wife (Kathy) to make me a very nice padded holder for my windows a while ago. Sweet!

Jack, I just used a regular saber saw to cut the polycarbonate, except for the vent hole. For that I used a 3 1/4" hole cut saw bit for a drill. The vents are from Snapvent" in Knoxville. Google them for contact info, but they don't have a website. Joe posted his parts list here - maybe in the "Knowledge" section? I'll try to find it tomorrow and send it. All the rubber stuff came from McMaster Carr. The rest came from my local hardware store.

Here's the product info on the vents:

1 x 3-1/4" SNAP VENT RETRACTS Part Number: SV-CC3251 = $15.85 (2 vents)

I ordered these from www.wicksaircraft.com

Well done Lane.......You work on Spyders?????

I found Joe's posting with the build instructions from 2005:

"The vents are aircraft span vents. They are similar vents used in the old Ford GT 40. You can find them at http://www.wicksaircraft.com/catalog/product_cat.php/subid=5270/index.html

Make sure you follow the intallation instructions. I haven't given the window a trial run yet. My car doesn't have heat. Also its been -1 degrees all weekend. The window is polycabonate .125" thich with scratch coat. You cannot heat this stuff up to bend. It doesn't work with the coating.

All materials were purchased through McMaster-Carr
item # 8707K115 Abrasion resistant clear polycarbonate
item 8451A72 7 ft Push on flex vinyl trim (goes on top edge)
item 1120A223 2ft Push on edge trim rubber seal ( front edge)
item 12335A42 5ft Push on edge trim rubber seal( bottom edge)
You also need the speedster window mounting hardware.

Put the top up. Take a piece on stiff cardboard and have someone hold it on the outside while you get inside to draw the window opening. Cut out the pattern and check the fitup in the window opening. Trim as needed. Take the finished pattern and line up the bottom edge of the template to the outer edge of the poly sheet for a straight bottom. Trace the pattern the polycarbonate sheet. Don't remove the paper on the sheet. Cut the poly sheet with a power jigsaw. Check the fit up again. With the poly sheet paper still on mark the optional 3 1/4" vent hole placement . Cut with a hole saw.

Keep the paper on still .Install botttom rubber seal. Trim to full length on window. Install front rubber seal. Round rubber bead seal should be on the outside. Trim to length. Install vinyl trim on top edge. Trim to length. Now remove all seal and now take the paper off. Install the rubber seals once again. Install the speedster window mount per the CMC manuals ( look in the library) . Lay the window up to the window mounts and mark the three mounting holes for each bracket. Drill holes and install bolts . Check the fit up once again. If the window needs trimming, put masking tape on the bottom of the jigsaw so you will not scratch the window. This window is not 100% weather proof. It will keep the rain out in most cases and will shield you from the wind."

I recommend using the cardboard template to make a more rigid one that you can fully assemble into a "window" to check for, and fine tune the fit. I used pegboard. It takes longer, but I think it helped me get a better result than I would have otherwise. Also, if you use the 3/16" polycarbonate, you will need to verify the part numbers on the rubber seals to make sure that it will fit. You may need to order the next size up from what Joe used. I'll locate my order and check the part numbers.

I'm sure we could do it. Wanna take a trip to Charleston?

Wow......

I had no idea you were so resourceful!!

That looks GREAT!

Good job, Lane!

Lane--honestly I know there's a market for these windows! I'd sure spring for a pair!

Thanks for bposting the thorough detail on sourcing parts and the clear "how to".

--I believe you made a major contribution to our site and it should go into the Knowledge section? Theron?----Jack

I appreciate the kudos, guys, but Joe did the ground work. I just expanded on it a bit.

Good job Lane. They look great and you can actually see out of them.

Very nice, Lane.
That makes a huge safety difference vs. the originals.

Lane,
Nice Job!
I've been playing around with a similar project.
Sometimes it's nice to have the window open a little bit, so I made a short window. The Wing window makes a big difference also.
The Wing window is made from a piece of Motorcycle curved windscreen, covered plumbers tape and a couple of snaps.
(It even has the H-D logo on it.)

Greg

Also, if anyone is contemplating bending or curving the Acrylic or Plexiglass, it can be easily done with a heat gun on medium (a hair dryer won't put out enough heat). Just widely massage the piece where you want the bend to be, take your time and it'll bend as you want it. Don't apply too much heat or the material will bubble and/or turn milky.

I put a slight bend in the forward lower corner of my side windows to fit the windshield frame a bit better.

gn

I like your wind wing idea, Greg. What holds them on?

Gordon - Joe's post says that the material he and I used cannot be bent in that manner. Something to do with the coating. Otherwise I would have tried something like that, as the upper front corner of the side windows are a definite problem area.

Try it anyway.

Yeah and don't touch the plastic with the heat gun....don't ask me how I know..


~WB

Lane,
The wind wings are still a work in progress.
I didn't want to add holes anywhere until I'm sure they work.
I used plumbers tape. That's a soft metal strapping matl. You usually see it in your basement holding pipes up. I think I got it at sears. The plumbers tape (straps are covered with vinyl sleeves so they don't look so primitive.)
One end of the straps are bolted onto the wing. The other strap ends have a (female) snap installed.
I used the existing Tonneau cover (male) snap (that's already on the body near the windshield post) for the bottom attachment point.
The upper strap attaches (snaps) to the fiberglass header that's part of the top.
For now the wings only work (or attach) when the top is up because of the upper mounting points.
I didn't/don't want to drill holes in the windshield frame until I'm sure about makeing the wings permanent or there isn't a better place for the top mount. The mounting straps let me move the wings around for best fit/angle when putting them on. Sorta like the soft bendy straps they use at the lower attachment points of car bras.
They Do make a Big difference when using my short side curtains or no side curtains.

Greg

Looking forward to seeing them in May. By then I might have gotten around to making my other window ;-)

Greg wrote: "Sorta like the soft bendy straps they use at the lower attachment points of car bras. "

Big underwires, huh?

The heat gun will cause the protective plastic on the lexan will delam/bubble. Not good. Lane... windows look great.

Lane, et al.,

You guys rock. Along with those cool cup holders (see another thread) and the new shifter, I just GOTTA have some cut-to-fit plastic windows. Been on my "list" for a while now. The little wind wings are very cute too, and I'll take all of that under advisement -- some very creative thinking used there. The last item in all this wind/water management business would be the head screen at the back to limit buffeting w/ top down at speed. Believe there are some cool articles here on that concept. Easy to do if you have a roll bar, I'm thinking, but maybe not impossible to imagine just on its own. A bow hooked to the top mounting pivot, maybe, and some Lexan, Plexi- or maybe that tough, tight mesh used by the real car makers. Storage when not needed might have to be outside the car. Also, would be cool if it was not in the way and so one could put the top up w/ this in place when that big, black cloud over there happens to start raining over here.

WOOHOO!!!!!

SUCCESS!!!!

I finished the passenger side window today. As it had to be a bit longer than the driver's side to seal up properly, it took almost as much fiddling around (two fiberboard templates worth) to get the shape right, but it's done. And it just happens to be raining here today, so I took it for a test drive. I am VERY pleased. The improvement in visibility is phenomenal, and the car seems much brighter inside. The windows did not leak, although a few drips came in from some other areas that I knew I needed to address. I still haven't sealed up the windshield wiper shafts, and I need to beef up the seals out the outer edge of the top header. I still have a couple of tweaks I want to do to the windows to make it easier to shut the door and get the seal just right, but they are 98% done. I drove around enough that the top got good and soaked (treating the top is next on the list), and had no problems at the main part of the header like I did at Carlisle - even at 70 mph.

Right on, Lane! Great work!
Joe's a genius, too. Between the two of you, you've raised the bar.

" Hey Rocky...youz wanna to tell da guys that we've been doin' da side "win-ders" fer 12 years now "? ~Alan

I think it was longer than 12 years ago! I has living in Budd Lake then so that was around '94. I'm still using that first set we made.
We used smoked colored lexan.

Mine are 6 years old and are getting a bit scratchy. I'll have to re make some at some point.

Has anyone ever thought about making the frames out of glass fibre? That way you can get the mould and shape for that perfect shape? Center section using lexan or plexi?

I've been thinking about this and even colour coding the frames to the colour of the car.

I did think about custom making a piece for the front of the window that would seal up against the windshield frame better. Since I have never done fiberglass work, I thought about carving it out of a dense hardwood that could then be sealed and painted black. In my idea, the rest of the window would be similar to what I have here. The "carving" part would definitely be fiddly. Once I got it right I suppose I could learn how to make molds. Hmmm...

If I'm just making a buck for a mold, I could use some sort of foam that would be easier to carve, couldn't I? I would then have to make a negative for the mold. The final parts could be made out or resin poured into the mold. This might be an interesting project.

I was thinking about wood, but the carving part would drive me batty, plus with glass fibre,you can go a whole lot thinner on the pillars.

This'll have to go up there with the list of about another 500 items that I want to do to my speedster when the motor is done.

By "frames" , do you mean sliders ??
(like going to Italy but skipping Venice) !!!

Excellent windshield post-age at "the Boris build" site:
http://boris930.skynetblogs.be/archive-day/20070905

Since i installed my windows I've never removed them; they cut down the turbulance.
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2357610140082294934gAhSsm

Dave, great links....Nice window set-up too.....