430 Spider Removable Hardtop, Can it be done?

[Lee22]

Very interesting 

I look forward to seeing this

Defo RED..!

[Paul79]

Picking up hard top sat. Gonna be a loooong day/drive. Plenty of redbull for me! Lol 

[MADMAN]

Good luck Paul, this project needs completing, then molding and the rest is history
MADMAN

[Furrari]

If my memory serves well, there is a layer of tin foil built in so you don't have to wear a foil cap whilst driving with the hard top on.  :-)

[Paul79]

Hardtop now safely stored in my man cave. Some pictures tomorrow

Bloody long day though. 16 hours on the road. Most in the rain 

[Paul79]

Morning all

Now I've had some sleep, time to report on the previous day’s events. It was a very long day but worth it. Although I fully expect my wife, when she sees the roof, so say: "You drove 700 miles in one day for that??!!!??" there was no other way to do it.

The roof looks great and we all know how much work has gone into it so far, but if I had trusted a delivery company to transport it back for me, I know it would have been ruined, however much packing, wrapping etc... Beany would have done. The issue is the roof turrets/fingers are very thin and would have been damaged for sure in normal transit. Anyway, thanks so much again Beany and I promise I'll do my best to make it work.

I had to hire a medium size, SWB van, to ensure it was wide enough to fit. I transported it upside down, and had to tie it in to stop it moving forward and crushing the turrets, when in motion.

A few pictures of the day:

[Paul79]

So down to business….

Here are some more detailed pictures of the roof:













Before I try the roof on the car I want to strengthen all of the fibreglass areas by laying down more sheets and getting it as thick as the DNA panels on the car would be – so we are taking 3mm thick or so. I have looked at a few videos on you-tube of fibre glassing and think I know what I need to do. I plan to build it up the the level of the orignal roof area denoted in the picture with the arrow above.

Can I ask for some help though on some things though?

1)   Gel coat – I take it I don’t need this as I am not making a mould
2)   How do fibre glass sheets specifications work? I see I can get different weights – so 225 grams per square metre, 350 gqm, 450 gsm as so on. Does this denote how thick the sheets are? So 450 gsm is thicker/denser than 350 gsm?
3)   Resin and hardener. I take it any stuff off the shelf would work as long as I mix it in the right amounts etc..?

Thanks for all your help guys…

[Sir Percival]

Just when you thought it was all over.....P79 back at it. I am watching this with interest as, sadly, I have no idea what the answers to your questions are, so I am looking to learn something myself!

I don't mean to be rude, but your garage seems to have been transformed, I seem to remember that previously you had a squeeze just getting the beast in there....have you moved house or something or have you just managed to make it larger....I only ask as I am jealous, it makes my S-heap look like an even bigger tip than it is.

Perhaps you are related to Dr Who and its bigger on the inside......whichever it looks a fantastic workspace.

[360MKbuild]

That's the new Lucas lodge  amazing setup. Awesome paul

[Paul79]

LOL - you do make me laugh Sir P

no i haven't moved house. my house is perfect for us, bar the space for car building 

however i have come up with a way to still build another one -  and that is what the lodge is for. that is one of the many house projects i have been doing over the past 6 months. everything is done now (thank god!) the sad thing is, with all this good weather we've had, the 430 hasn't been used as I've been so busy. The MOT ran out in June! and it is currenly SORN. I know, Mark360 is furious with me..

basically the lodge is in my rear garden as it is reasonably big (for a house on a housing estate) so it fits in the corner of the garden just nicely. It is a log wooden cabin i built with dad on a specially made concrete base. but how to get a car in my rear garden? as many of you know i am a little crazy when it comes to cars and DIY (cake tins on ferrari speedos!) but i have found a way. the garage where the beast is stored, now has a double door to the rear, making it a drive thru garage. this means i can drive another car into my rear garden and into the lodge.

I had to build my wife a micro lodge for the garden tools, but it gets them out of my way!    did you spot the replica Snap-On tool chest? cheap tool chest off eBay with a Snap-On badge!

i plan to start another car build in Feb next year, bad sadly is it likely it won't be a DNA....

[Sir Percival]

Yes....I know the one 

[Lee22]

Fancying a 'Turismo' Next Paul?

You know the MR2 inside out now.. So a great kit next?

Plus, can't wait to see the hard top mate.. Are we allowing people to take a mould off it once it fits ok?

Look forward to seeing the process mate... It's in the right hands anyway

[Paul79]

Thanks Lee for the pictures. It does look good
But the next car will not be built on an mr2.  I fancy a change. It will be built on a German car

All materials ordered for the roof so hope to start laying down some sheets this week

[Lord Beany]

Glad you managed to get it back in one piece Paul.

You are starting off exactly where I left off, my plan was to thicken the fibreglass, mainly on the outside due to the inside being so smooth where the foil release barrier was. Once I had thickened everything up, id then rough up the area you indicate inside and blend that to the original thickness.

You'll notice a high spot either side on the top of the original hard top, where the fibreglass joins, this I was probably going to cut and then glass over at the correct level.

I'm loving the log cabin mate and can't Wai to see your progress on the roof.

Best of luck,

Chris.

[Paul79]

Time for an update on the roof:

I’ve chatted this week with a couple of people as to the viability of this project and whether I can achieve a half decent result. The news is mixed tbh but as I have already purchased the materials, I am still going to have a go at least making it a working prototype. We know it will fit to the car and Chris has designed a way to attached it to the b posts as well using the factory fitting to the top of the windscreen. I might as well use the materials I have bought and make it much stronger and if all fails as least we have something to use as a buck one day.

Anyway here are some more pictures of the roof from Monday night showing how far Chris had got….