I plan on finishing and driving my 32 roadster from Upstate NY to Florida, for the winter, next autum and back up north in the spring. Whipping up the bows, top, etc isn't a problem, however I'm going to need some sort of side curtains or windows for the trip. I'd like to do something that looks really good, rather than duct taping poly on or using Saran Wrap. I know, I know, REAL roadster guys don't need a top. I'm even entertaining the idea of installing one of the solid fiberglass tops that are available, just for the trip, but I will still need something to keep out the wind and rain...
Currently making plexiglas "fold down" side widows for my '32 Ford roadster,Built 1/4" rod hangers wirh 2 hinges thru top bow (sides) Plexiglas widows swing up under the top...then slide forward up beside w/s posts.Not 100 % sealed against rain/wind but should stop a lot of it....
On the A roadster I had over 20 years ago, I had some clear vinyl ones made(boat top material) that fastened to the front of the windshield post, with domes, with some domes along the inside of the door top, and on the top irons. The back edge fastened to the inside of the folding top with velcro. Along the top of the door, the upholstery guy had sewn another piece of clear vinyl to sit on the top of the door, to help seal that area. To get in and out while traveling, we would just undo the velcro at the back, and a couple of dome fasteners at the rear. When removed, I would cover the domes along the top of the interior door panel with covered dome buttons that matched the interior.
I've done several for my deuce roadsters using a 1/4 inch cold rolled round rod frame covered with top material and plastic windows, snaps on the windshield frame only and the other snaps on the top frame which hold it solid and allow it to be snapped after you are in the car. No snaps in the door, the steel frame keeps it snug against the door.
I had a pair of side curtains made up .....they worked fine and were baptised in a torrential downpour first time out.Basically they were made out of the same top material with flexi clear windows.I figured that the rain and wind would get through between the side of the screen frame and the screen posts so I had them made so they fitted inside the posts and deflected the wind and rain outwards onto the side screens.I had Velcro stitched around the hood window opening and on the curtains and had half a dozen snap studs fitted along the bottom edge of the curtain and the top of the door.However I did not want the studs on the outside of the door so I had them fitted inside and a flap that sat over the door top and hung down about three inches over the door. They worked great, the only problem I had was rain coming in over the screen between the oak header bow and screen frame, even with a neoprene seal.....the water would congregate on the inside of the roof in an inverted shimmering puddle until it got too heavy and dropped as one, all over my legs and the 40 dash/switches etc.....apart from that it worked ok and a thicker seal cured the header ingress problem. Sorry I've not got any pictures.
Ive been toying with the same general idea. The issue is they need to look and work in a neet fashion. I would like to share some thoughts Vin
Thanks 34 guy....by the way very nice 36. want to trade? I will do that. My car is the feature car in roof and windshield section of Dick's ad on Roadsters .com. I should know better..Thanks
A friend has a 32 roadster with smallish and stylish, not big and ugly wind wings. They divert 99 % of the rain while driving down the Interstate. Rode in the rain with him, and we didn’t bother to put his side curtains on.....mainly because digging them out of the trunk and installing them wasn’t worth the effort.
Thanx 4 the kudos on the 36, but it'd take more than a 32 to get it. Had many 32's with Dicks w/s on em
Well , my car is a driver so my side curtains are not pretty and my top is fiberglass with wood on the inside of the window openings if the top but Velcro could work just as well. I used lexan and cut it to be slightly smaller than the opening. At the top I used boat material strips and 65/66 Mustang door edge molding (the stuff on the rear quarter side) as a surround of the lexan and put the snap strips inside the channel of the molding. This allows me, with the other half of the snaps installed in the top, to fold up. You can do the same with some Velcro “Hinged” at the top of the window opening (use boat material glued to the Velcro on the top and have a Velcro strip hinged to the lexan. You can use some additional Velcro here and there at the points where inside forces push the side curtains in and out. It’s surprisingly weather tight and I have been in some downpours. Again, my car is not a true roadster so you will have to get creative in spots. The biggest issue I had was the window pushing out at the bottom so I used some self stick rubber along the top of the door. You could probably come up with something nicer. Hope I have given you some ideas in your quest ....
A bit hard to see in this photo but my side curtains are similar to the post above but around the screen and header is red duct tape, works very well. In this application duct tape is your friend.
The original side curtains that I built for my Deuce roadster were Lexan. I scrapped them and went to canvas. The Lexan really vibrated at speed and once they were on I was limited to ether on or off. I have a "Bop-Top" and 2" chop and used a combination of round rod and snaps. What's nice about using snaps is that I can unsnap the top and side and allow the curtain to fold down when it stops raining or warms up. If it starts again it's easy to put back up.
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