Hotrod folding top,a how too do it tech

The EMT bows,was working on them,sanding an then paint I didn't even remeber taking this photo.

 

Great Job thanks for sharing

 

It's like McDonalds!

I'm lovin it!

 

Very cool... Just starting to work on my top irons, glad to see this post!

 

Thanks for looking in!
After playing with the top on a little,I desided to make the rear window roll up and snap inplace with two little straps. I held the straps inplace on the inside with the same screw that hold the snap on the out side for them to snap too.
By doing the open window this way its not hanging above your head. I just didn't like the idea after thinking about having it over my head were wind may make it fludder on my head if there,so rolled on back bow seems to be a good trick. If these ssmall straps flap around in the wind inside any,I'll put a little Velcro on them to hold down on the inside? We'll see.

 

Well done!

 

A little follow up report,after running around with the top up at speed [55mph] it runs best with rear window open,seem like it gets too much air inside if rear is not open and seems like at much faster it would tair apart maybe. By cracking open the windsheild about 1in. ,it let enough air in to hold top [keeps more room inside] up vs blowing it down from wind at speed. So fair no probs,I know just like on a stock "A" roadster[or most any car from about 1930 its never a good idea to go over 55 with the top up,so that was were I did wish it to work at lest.
Like I saide before,I like driving with no top better an think no top looks better too,but sometimes the wife if she comes along must have shade ,so had to have one.

 

Nice work..
I'm filing this information for the future! HRP

 

Dana,
Nice to see you are still fine tuning the rag top. By October you will have NO excuses why you and the kid can't make it to Tampa for the NSRA show. Gary

 

Talking ideas.
Some hotrodders don't want a top becuz of the brackets it needs look bad to them with the top off,so here is a way that maybe better as a idea to hide the brackets
.
The drawing kind of was done way to fast n sloppy but just to show the idea.
At a car show this passed weekend,one of our fellow hotrodders who has no folding top on his roadster,was saying he'd like one, but hates the idea of the mount for were the bows hook up to the body sticking up out of body cockpit lip,when the top is not on. He also said he saw on a T-bucket were a bolt sticks out the side of the body,didn't like that ether. So I passed along my idea of using old seatbelt buckel and that way nothing but a small slot would show with the top off,as long as a few button snaps were OK around cockpit lip. The trick to taking the bracket off the car when running with out the top,is that the buckel mounted inside the panel has it's reless button facing inside with ether finished type hole in upholstery or with the button close enough for upholstery to just be pushed in enough to reless it,,I did a bad ruff little drawing to show how it would work. Hope the idea is clean enough n helps some one on here too!. Hides it fairly well,but could even make a plug to help hide the slot.

 

At the carshows I enjoy going to now that I have a top om some times,I get asked about folding top stuff. Enjoy shairing ideas.
This last one ,a guy said my design would not work good on his "T" as his top has too tall bows an folded my design would lay down in a pile all the way back over his truck bed an hang off the rod. I told him I'd think up away for him to do some bows that would fold into shorter pile when there down. Messing around with some ideas,I came up with a telascopping main bow that would lock n unlock by how its folded that could make it shorter by a foot or more,keeping the folded top in a small pile closer to the cockpit back. See if anyone like this idea? Another way for slide lock would be a spring button that should be EZ to fine as part of a old pop-up or other stuff laying around. The drawing is fast n dirty,but should get the idea across

 

Taking the wife out,going for a ride

 

What a great Job ! Thanks for Sharing

 

Just want to add, nice job and explanation.

 

Dana, Adjustable Legs for your Main Hoop (your drawing above) are available at the local drugstore.
Find the adjustable aluminum walking canes near the pharmacy counter. One on each side can be added to your cross over hoop by inserting a smaller piece of tube to join the 3 pieces together. I can't draw worth a shit so this might not make sense.
I am sure that with your skills, after you look at a walking cane, you will see that the tubing has a lock button and lock joint that allows over 10 inches of adjust-ability. Just a thought.......... Jeff

 

Made great sense too me;Thats a good place,the idea of adjustible bow was just for some one that needed a tall folding top=like a T-bucket,but still would like it to fold up fairly small when down. My own set up works fine with out a sliding bow set.

 

I find that often I assome that most know what I'm talking about when I was saying that it's nicer if a folding top folds to a smaller pile ,as my design dose vs a stock Ford "A" roadster top. So I found a photo of how a stock one looks folded vs my own design for a compair
The pile of folded top on the stock "A" is pretty high and gose back more over the trunk,in new cars it all hides down in behind rear seat,but our hotrods don't have room for that.

 

After the top is folded down,I made small straps about One-in.+ wide by about 14in. long with velcro on the ends. I then rap those around the folded top to keep the wind at high speed from trying to unfold the top laying on the back cockpit. The v is pointing at the strap ,right "V"

 

It's some time now running around town for about a year and still working very good an holding up. On the expressway with top down running at 70 plus mph,the 2 straps I made too bundel top when folded down would be better if 4 staps,this is cuz I find if my straps are not just right,wind can try to kind of blow into folded top making flapping sounds. Anyway thinking of making two more straps just for highspeed running with top down to stop buffity efect that can happen.

 

Thanks for reminding me of this thread Dana!
It's actually given me a couple of ideas to consider for my top...such as the positioning of the main bow pivot and how it controls the arc of the bow as the top folds. It's possible I MAY have a bit more folding room then I originally thought.

 

Great job.

 

At a show a few weeks back,I was told "Having a top makes a roadster way to hard to get into".
I enjoy talking ,ask some more about why,turns out his has no opening doors. So as help,I gave him my idea about having a flap as part of the drivers side kind of like a Targa Top hatch thing,it could work with top bow design I use becues there are no top bars from windsheild to highist bow. Be tricky cuz of wind at speed to work out lockdown of flap but sure something could be worked out. Anyway seem like food for thought.

 

You know what? I was actually thinking about something along those lines...and I think it can work well.
My idea is a little more complicated but not too bad.
Hmmmmm....I got some thinking and planning to do!

 

Top that!

 

A frenid sent me a angle shot I didn't have of top folded down.
Update,I found that only two straps holding top when folded is just bearly enough,so I've added 4 now,and that helps to keep the wind at 65mph up from trying to get in an blow the folded top around some,so stays folded better at speed. The bottom photo shows how the outer folds have blown up some from running down the highway,so adding at lest two more straps should help keep things tidy at highspeeds.

 

I like it down myself,even to the point of taking it completely off ,cuz I really like that look with out any,good thing its only two wingnuts and some snaps. Wife now just has to have top up when she's going along anywere in the day time,said its less wind an less sun for her and when she's riding she's the boss. I made my own moster,shhhhhhss don't tell

 

The great part about your top is it looks good both up or down,that's not always the case...beautiful work. HRP

 

I had a soft top truck once with a roll up rear window like this. There were a couple of snaps on the inside, near the center, that the straps could be snapped to, which pulled them up and out of the way.

 

Did the rear window being rolled up have any affect on the buffeting while driving?

 

DMAC620 ; Rolling the rear window up makes it a bit cooler to ride in ,plus you can run about 10 mph faster before you feel like there too much wind buffeting of top at speed=top with rear window closed is better in the rain or cool weather,but mph feels safe for top up to 45/50 closed,with rear window open 55/60 mph,over 60 I put Top down