Now I have to come up with some sidecurtains---

When I built my roadster pickup 5 years ago, I didn't really plan on any long haul cruising. I ran it one year without any top, then designed and built the top it currently has. To date, my longest cruises have been in Ontario, a maximum of 250 miles in a days travel. Thats great in sunny, 80 degree weather, but I have driven home from some of my overnight travels the next day in damn cold, rainy miserable weather conditions.
Okay---so I like to think of myself as a tough old bird--I keep my big leather jacket in the back of the rpu for weather exactly like that.
But---I've just signed up for the BIG ONE--The Canadian Hotrod tour down to the east coast and back---in July---about a 2500 mile round trip. And I ain't that tough!!! Since my roadster top is of the non folding variety, and is about 6" wider than my windshield posts, and was never designed to work with side curtains, this is going to call for some inginuity.
I'm not thinking of sewn or zipped, or snapped in cloth sidecurtains---more like rigid lexan sidewindows that can be attached from inside the car after I get in. They won't open with the door---I will have to un-attach them to get out of the car. and they mustn't scratch or even contact my nice painted door tops. And none of the hardware that holds them in place must be visible when they are not in place.---They won't be "air-tight" even---they'll just fill up MOST of that gaping hole in each side of the cab when I'm driving.
Quite a challenge, but I do have something in mind.
I will keep you posted with pictures as this develops.---Brian

 

What's the bottom of your top look like?

First thing comes to mind....

A hinged lexan window with frame that the hinge point is mounted on the bottom of your top, but it would run along the opening (similar to a sunvisor that runs along a windshield but with a continuous hinge or a 2-point hinge system not a 1-point hinge).

Have it fold up so you can't see it when it's not needed. Then, when you need it...unlatch it and swing down into position.

An angled bracket with cloth covered magnets will hold it in place if you have steel inner doors. You could have a seal on the bottom of the frame that would close the gap between the frame and the top of the door.


Hmmmmm.....

Good luck!!!

 

This pic shows the rear of the sidewindow opening from inside

 

This shows the front of the side window opening from inside--

 

This shot from outside shows how nuch wider the roof is than the actual window posts---

 

And this shows the top of my door frames that I don't want to mess up, drill, or otherwise defile---

 

I helped build a set like this, works well and you can tape down the front edge to help over long distances.

 

Garagerods---Your idea is a good one, however everything is finished and painted and I don't want to mess with it. The canvas top lies tight against the top tubular framework above the window opening, so I can't "wrap" anything around the metal tube or it shows through the top material. The other issue is that although the top tube is directly above the door at the rear of the opening, it is about 3" out past the edge of the door where it attaches to the header.

 

What I'm thinking of is---I have some of the wooden header exposed directly above the windshield post. If I was to make up a small peice of metal bar that would attach to the underside of the header with two screws, and then weld a peice of window channel to that which would extend down the inner face of the windshield post to about 1/2" above the door, then I could put one self tapping screw through the bottom of it into the windshield post. This would give a good channel to slide the leading edge of a peice of lexan into---and a notch filed in the leading edge of the lexan would rest on the head of the self tapping screw to keep it from settling down onto my door top. That way, after the trip was over, it can be removed and leave only 3 small screw holes.

 

Would you object to drilling and tapping a small hole in the in the tubes that make up the roof? What I am thinking is to create a bracket that bolts to the roof frame where the existing holes are in the top of the "A" pillar and the rear at the bottom. The you would need to add a couple attachment points to the top frame along the roof member and down the created "B" pillar. Then some structure wold be easy to attach to the mounting points that you would stretch true side curtains on.

 

Also would you mind if there would be some thin banding type material slipped between the door skin and the painted door? Something that would be coated and not to thick to distort the door skin.

 

On the rear of the opening, there is just enough room to attach a peice of #16 ga. sheet metal to the tubes, that won't actually show from the outside, with 3 self tapping screws (it will be hidden from view by the top material when viewed from the outside). I would weld two short 3/16" threaded studs that stick out toward the inside of the passenger compartment to the side of the 16 ga. That way, I can first set the lexan in the cab, then open the door and get in, then slide the lexan into the channel at the front and over the two studs at the rear, and put a couple of wingnuts onto the studs to hold the lexan in place. I would possibly have some foam rubber glued to the bottom edge of the lexan to fill the gap at the bottom and keep a bit more wind out. This would probably be as awkward as a monkey making love to a football, but it would only be done at the beginning and end of each day (and during pee breaks). Again, when the trip is over, it can all be removed leaving only 3 small threaded holes in the frame tubes.

 

jrblack30--That would work also, except that I don't sew. (When I built the top I designed and built the top frame but had a professional upholsterer sew the top material $$$$$$$) I want to keep this in the realm of "what I can do in my own shop", which includes welding, painting, drilling, and cutting lexan. This is after all, going to be only a temporary measure. I will probably never take a trip of this magnitude again in this lifetime. And the parts can all be detached and stored in a closet in case I do.

 

how about something like a roll-up house curtain, but transparent? maybe it could have a magnetic strrip on the bottom to stick to whatever metal is exposed? ya know the ones that flap up real quick if ya let em go?
i dunno, maybe it would work in a less "nice" rod
Nice truck anyways! good luck on tour.

maxcadillax
patent pending

 

Max--Anything flexible enough to roll up would snap and flap you to death at 60MPH.

 

My 56 100-6 Austin Healey had aluminum frames that fit inside the window opening. Each frame had one fixed and one sliding piece of plexi. The front half moved, as I reacall, as a vent and for tolls I guess. The frame attached on the inside top of the door where there were two threaded nut-serts per door. The frame was held on by bolts that had wing nut ends for manual tightening. Gary

 

My no-drill design:
Bend a Z-shaped tab to fit in your windwing hinge brackets, designed to move a mounting surface over close to the door.
Bolt a big piece of plexiglass to that, same shape and general size as whole opening. Add a spiral spring or some such to hinge brackets so plexi is pushing against body...it could be mounted so it presses against roof cloth along top.
Only thing remaining is something to push it out as door opens...I would like this to be a short drilled-in post at rear top of door that would push plexi out while sliding along it to allow for the different arcs, but it could be a no drill desigh like a tab with padded or nylon button on the bottom edge of plexi to push it out.
Total-cover windwings that open with the door.
If allowed use of a drilll...
I would neaten the design by adding Model A roadster type windwing brackets to surface of front posts (and I'd leave on the current windwings for summertime short trips) and , like I said, put a short vertical post in rear top of each door as a lower support and pusher-outer for the plexis. All of these additional holes would be capped off with chrome button head screws when removed, just like Ford used on roadsters with no windwings.

 

Can you heat and bend the lexan to fit whatever style of channel or 'holder' you so design?

I don't know if it'll help or be more of a hinderance, but I thought I'd toss the idea out there.

 

Sorry....I'm in and out with kids..

I get off on challenges like this!


This takes some thinking through but....you make rods and your a design engineer so..

If you don't want any holes showing..hmmm...

Think about an inner "H" frame that is removable and would connect to the top frame from the two points above the door that would run over to the other side. Of course this would be contoured (formed, bent, etc) to maximize head room and run behind your wiper motor.

Each leg of the "H" would compress to allow you to mount it "between" the two window openings.

What comes to mind is something much like a "collapsable" shower curtain rod that has a compression spring in it that forces each end of the rod against the wall.

Yours would require each end of the collapsable "H" frame to have a "C" profile to push against the inside of your existing round top frame so it doesn't fall down. You could rely on a female "C" or you could pin it in place which would require a hole or...

The rest is really interesting...

Imagine a card table or a banquet table that has folding legs.

I'm thinking that you could take the hardware from a card table and create a frame that would retract in the up position and lock in the down position. You could build a frame that the lexan would fit in. It could canteliver back from it's hinge point so it would be centered on your door with the window frame in the down position. You could even mount a seal under the frame so it compresses against the top of your door. THINK RAIN!!

Only problem with this is that the frame on the drivers side may want to hit the steering wheel on the travel downward.

Hmmm....think INDY RACE CAR REMOVABLE STEERING WHEEL!

In place of the lexan fixed window you could run with a flexable window with snaps that would mount to the removable frame assembly. Not as cool though....

So many ideas....so little time!

Good luck!

 

I like Bruce's idea too!

 

Here is a my idea.



The sketch is rough, but I think you can get the idea. Make a simple tube frame that slips over the bolt that holds the top to the windshield frame (shown in section C-C) Then have a simple plastic snap on clip that grabs one of the roof frame tubes and snaps on (shown in section A-A) This holds the frame in-place. Then you could maybe (not sure of the space and door panel attachment) have a thin plastic "blade" that slides between the door structure and the interior door panel at the top (shown in section B-B). This stabilizes the bottom of the window. Attach your Lexan window to the frame.

In bad weather, simple slip the "blade" into the top of the door, slide the frame over the header to top bolt, and the snap the top back corner onto the tube and you are good to go.

No holes to drill, no tools needed for install, easy peasy.

 

Okay---Here we go---front bracket in place.

 

Rear brkt in place

 

And---Lexan in place

 

We have a winner!

 

I wonder if you could use your c-channel on the windshield frame along with a couple of the snap-on pipe clamps from my concept to eliminate the need to drill and bolt on the rear bracket in your concept? Might not seal as well, but wouldn't require any tools for install.

Just a thought.

 

WTF? You attach the lexan side curtains with velcro to that top tube!? Nothing will show, real easy.

 

I just checked with a local glass and mirror place---If I bring in the templates of what I need they will cut the peices of 1/4" lexan (approx 15" x 34" ) to size for $60.44 each. Its probably worth that to keep from blowing my head off during a 2500 mile trip.

 

Keep in mind people---THIS IS A TEMPORARY MEASURE FOR A ONE TIME TRIP!!! I am driving to the east coast of Canada and back. There are no toll booths on Canadian roads. These windows will get popped in in the morning when my buddy and I leave whatever hotel we stayed in the previous night, and won't get out again for 400 miles except for pee breaks. ---In fact, if the weather stays warm and doesn't turn cold or piss rain, they may never leave the back of the truck.These are not "cruising around town" windows. They are not a long term be there forever deal. Thats why I don't want to take more permanent /expensive measures. Very probably after the major trip is over, they will end up in a closet for the next 10 years.
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Brian the force of the wind blowing past the lexan is gonna create a pressure difference. Which means the lexan will get sucked out. And most likely out of that thin track, catch the air at 70 KMH and say good bye to the Lexan pieces. If possible attach at front will prevent them from catching any air and prevent loss or injury.