Speedster soft top frame manufacturers?

Recall Mango ordered one from MX but wasn't happy with it. It might work for you though as an improvement over the emergency normal Speedster top. Only manf that have scissors type is IM and Beck.

You have a brand new 2013 Vintage and you didn't like the soft top frame?  WHY???  My experience with owning 21 Speedsters is that the soft tops are fine.  They go up easily and fold back down and tuck away nicely.  What's not to like?

I expect the top was not water proof to the extent he expected it to be.

 

We all have different expectations and experiences when it comes to these cars.

 

 

And the fact of the reality not living up to the dream rears it's head again...

... says the guy from LA...

You have to admit that the 2 steel bow top frame is very primitive but after all it is called an emergency top!  I've had old MGs and Triumphs from mid '60's that had nice scissor tops that sealed well (admittedly to wind up windows).  Mango did super job on his top frame - all need to check it out on his site.

 

 

You could check with Carey Hines for a Beck scissors top.  The Beck top is permanently affixed to the car at the back, which would probably interfere with your hardtop, though.

It doesn't have to Lane.  Carey has installed them with snaps, upon request.

Many thanks for your feedback.

 

I love the car, and I have been lucky to have been driving it virtually every day this winter. Admitedly the weather has been dry in Seattle this winter.

 

I have just been tackling small projects to make the car my own, a comfortable and reliable year round driver.

 

The main reason I am looking for a scissor top is seasonal versatility and habit ( I have owned 50's/60's era sports cars and my experience is the scissor frames have a tighter fit and do better with wind/ under speed.)

 

The hard top is awesome... I love it,  but IMO these cars are most fun with the top down... In Seattle one needs to be prepared for rain year round, and a comfortable/tight soft top is important to me.

 

I recently undertook Mango's firewall project... Admitedly it did not turn out as nice, but it was my first fab job in two years and it will do the trick.  (engine was out to fix a transmission leak).

 

I now just need to decide how I tackle the top frame... Would love to try Mangos project... But I'm hesitant as I imagine I may end up having to build a "practice one" first to work on my skills!!

 

I have been loving the speedster experience-  driving it as much as making small changes to make it my own.

 

Thanking you again for comments.

 

Luis 

 

I don't see how a scissor top frame is going to make it seal any better than the bow top.  The sealing is all done with the clamps and the interface between the windshield frame and the top header.

The top itself, might be a little more taught against the scissor frame, but not by much if you know how to use the two levers at the bow frame mount.

I have run in to a lot of new owners who didn't know that those levers are there to take the slack out of the top after its put up.  Keep them down while putting the top up and flip them up after the top is up.

Thank you Troy.  Unfortunately it's not the lever adjustment that has me itching for a sturdier mechanically based frame.  

 

This is my second VS (had a pre-owned one for several years before deciding to have a new one built).  my first one was in Madrid, Spain (my native home)... Not much rain, so top was just for giggles... I think I was caught in the rain 3 times while owning the car.

 

 Also had an original '56 (sold it when prices started go skyrocket), and currently also own an '66 MG... with remobable hard top and scissor soft top frame.  The MG arrived from Spain a month ago, and maybe comparing /driving both mechanisms side-by-side has triggered looking into making this improvement to my VS to make it my own.

 

Thank you for double checking that it was not the bow levers I was forgetting to engage.

 

I have chatted w/ Carey H..  Will see if we can find a simple way to make this small improvement to my car without building a frame from scratch.  With two little ones at home, long windows of garage time are hard to come by.

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

Hi Luis,

 

There is a LOT of collective wisdom on this site regarding ways to improve the soft top, particularly VS soft tops.  If you can give more detailed symptoms of the faults you encountered, someone will have a solution that has worked for them. 

This looks interesting - don't think this one Mango got.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/porsch...882bbc03&vxp=mtr

 

 

 

Like Jim said.  It still isn't clear what you don't like about your VS top?

 

Wolfgangs link does look interesting, but it looks like it snaps to the body much lower than a Vintage top.  It might be a great solution for a car that does not already have all the snaps installed on the body, but probably not for a car that already has a top.

I still say that there is nothing wrong with the Vintage or JPS tops and you would be better off spending that money on some other improvement.  They do exactly what they are supposed to do.  Anybody who wants to sell their Vintage or JPS top should contact me.

I think adding the connection between the middle bow and the header that you would get with a scissor top would help maintain a better seal at the header. The top is trying to pull and twist the header backwards and open that front gap up. The latches being on the same side as the direction of twist doesn't help. A frame connection would let the frame resist the twist, keeping the interface between the windshield and header consistent and allowing the latches to just hold the header down and compress the seal evenly instead of also trying to fight forces that are in the wrong direction with respect to the latch.

 

The tricky part is adding such frame parts without intruding too badly on headroom. Good side window sealing is a whole other issue and a lot more complicated than adding a scissor section to the top.

the scissor frame (that i built) pushes down on the header bow.  clamps hold it there and squish it, but the frame actually does quite a bit.

 

it sounds like you guys already saw it, but in case you have not:

http://www.mangosmoothie.ca/convertible-frame

 

Wolfgang - i think that is the same guy.  Raphael was his name IIRC.  nice enough to deal with, but the product was just not up to my standards.  adding nylon washing in it makes it so smooth and to be frank - i don't think anyone could order one of these online and be happy with it.  i literally (very carefully) welded mine on the car to get a perfect fit.   i suppose you could buy one and then adjust it.

 

re: the 3rd lower bow (Luis) - i decided not to use it.  i wanted my frame to fold down low so i could use my 3/4 toneau cover.  i don't know what it did other than provide somewhere to mount the fabric to if you didnt want snaps ( or tennax's like i have).  there is quite a bit of torque on the frame when raising or lowering it and instead of using the 3rd bow, i made stronger mounts.

 

hope that helps

Thank you Mango and ALL... This information is very useful.  I did  speculate the frame would do quite a bit to structurally secure the top bow in place... I have been playing with my MG frame ( to understand the geometry/mechanics), and I may just bite the bullet and try a Mango style DYI project!

 

mango... Any references as to dimensions and correct locations for the various scissor mechanism bars/tid bits? Or is it a function of modeling the geometry in CAD plus fit trial and error...  Sorry this is the mechanical engineer in me talking! .  

 

Or did you use the MEX part you purchased as a guide and them improved on their design?   you can email me directly if its more convenient or if you have any diagrams you could share.  bTw-  your web page was very very useful.

 

i also followed your guide for a DYI firewall last October.  When I grow up I want to be just like you.

 

Again, thanking you for all your help.

 

 

Everybody wants to be like Mango when they grow up.

I wonder what Mango will be like when Mango grows up?

 

Don't ever change!

 

Ted

OK.  So it sounds like your concern is the fit of the bow with the windshield. Someone else may have already mentioned that Vintage sells a 3rd clip that attaches in the center of the bow and to the middle windshield support rod.  That gives you a three point connection at the windshield.  I still don't see how a scissor frame would provide much more than a marginally better fit, if that.

Again, if you decide to sell your VS top, please let me know.

Troy is correct about the third (center) clip.  That, along with the proper rubber in the bow makes a totally waterproof seal between the top and the bow.

 

There is no CAD drawing to work from.  it was entirely hand fabricated and done by trial and error.  i did have the MX version to understand work backwards from (and improve)

and for these - if i did it again, i would just weld on thich washers instead of fabricating my own rounded ends:

Million thanks!

Thanks Jack/Troy... My VS top did come with the center (third clip), and before my road trip  I did  put a strip of closed cell foam down the bow to improve the seal... Unfortunately water did come in... Ended up resorting to painters tape... A "road trip must pack " recommendation I had read on the forum... I'm glad I packed it.

 

The drive back from Mt Hood was long and wet... The VS top did what it was designed to do... I'm just looking to improve on the design by beefing the system  up w/ a scissor frame.

 

The hard top is back on... Though it has been sunny and clear this week... With no expected precipitation the rest of January... A surprisingly dry winter here in Seattle.

 

Thanking everyone for their feedback.  I will post my project progress... Hoping to start the work next week!

 

Thaups again

Luis....any chance you could post a couple of pics of how your hardtop attaches near the center of the car on each side ? I've got the front set up but not the side parts. Thanks.

David- I will  tonight when I log in from my computer.  I'm on my iPad today, and I cant seem to be able to attach the pictures.

cheers

David, found a previous forum conversation where I posted pictures. The silver car near end of forum... The 5th picture shows one (1) of the three (3) hard top attach rubber latches/ attach point. There is one behind each door, and one centered in the back... Centered with the back window.

 

very easy on/off... And solid at speed, even while driving on HWY with no windows.  Love the top and the fit/finish Kirk did.

 

https://www.speedsterowners.com...6#356095480999232236

 

 

 

will post more pictures tonight.

 

cheers