I got a quick question for all you Spyder owners. Would you be interested in having a cf top or a fiberglass top instead of your convertable top that is removable? Of course this would be most about weight savings, but I have been thinking about it for quite some time.

I can probably get help making a mold for it. What I want to do is create a top made out of cf that can obviously be painted or kept cf. The top would be completely removable. What you would do is completely remove your retractable top with motors and supports for it. So basically you wouldnt have any top or any remanents for that top.

The top I am interested in making would kind of be removed like a targo top but it would be the whole top. Sort of find a way to put it on the car and latch it down much like a t-top or targa top car. The only two set backs would be needing a roll bar but those look hot on a spyder anyways and that you need to keep the top in a garage because it wont fit in a trunk. This would save an incredible amount of weight and it could be taken completely off if you feel like cruising with the top down and save a TON of weight. Then if the weather is bad you slap your top back on and ride away. The top would be reinforced to handle an accident and the rollbars would be an added safety feature. You would have to watch the weather if you feel like crusing without a top.

Just let me know if you interested so I can look into this. I have been wanting something like this for so long. I think it would look nice and then we could even put in a bigger rear window becasue everyone knows its as small as a tic tac.

I was also thinking of making it so it can be folded incase you need to park your car somewhere and you need your top. Find a way to make it bend and fold so you could stash it in your back seat.

Im probably just doing wishful thinking though.

Or we could just take out the motor and assembly and manually fold the top back. But cf would be much lighter and more leak proof. And much safer then parking your car in an unprotected unpatrolled lot at college where a knife could just simply cut through the top....

Those of us who bought a Spyder didn't get one to save weight or they would have gotten a hard top. However those worried about getting their top slashed, or those up North might buy it.

IMO I feel the Spyder is one of the few cars on the road that looks as good with its top up as it does down.

Grant

im in the northeast and i was wanting something like this idea to come about. i drive with the top up for like 7 months out of the year. i only put the top down when i KNOW its NOT going to rain. im also interested because my top is damaged. the control bars r bent so it gives trouble putting it down and up. i asked the mitsu. service dude and he said its goin to cost about 900-1200 to fix and that includes labor and parts. id rather struggle putting the shit down then blowing the dough on it. so to have a removeable hardtop would be beneficial for me. c/f or black would great!

now would the C/F top have the same lines as the regular hardtop eclipses? or would the top just mimick the converti top? i think it would be badass if the C/F top would make it look just like a non convi, with the sloping rear pillars and window.

that has the potential to be bad as hell, but i know i wouldn't be able to afford it...

Well, depending on price, I would be in. I debated for a while to try and design my own fiberglass shell.

One thing I don't like about your idea would be having to remove the current top..

Storms roll in and out of Myrtle Beach fairly quickly sometimes, and heaven forbid, I be stuck 25 minutes away from my house, with no means of a roof on my car.. It was bad enough when i blew the motor fuse in the engine compartment.. It had just started to rain, and wouldn't you know it, the stupid fuse decided to go(I think it was old, this car was mistreated. )

You said you would do it for weight.. I sometimes would like a hard top, b/c I don't feel comfortable in some of the area around here. I debated selling my car for a hard top many times, but hey.. Nothing like removing the roof on a nice sunny day.

Wow I honestly thought I was the only one who wanted this idea. Thanks for all the responses.

Personally I would like to see it have some sort of similar lines to the non convertable DSMS but with a little twist to make it stand out.

As for the rain, that would be a problem. Possibly some sort of design to get it to fold up so you could throw it in the back seat or possibly that tiny trunk. I was even considering using the space where the motor assembly for the current top would go. Remember this is just an idea and I am still feeling this out. I am really interested in getting into designing after market kits and after market visual stuff.

I did not get the car to save weight. I got it becasue it was one damn sexy car with some power. I started modding it and now I am interested in finding a way to help other spyder owners. I am still trying to sell the car, but if it does not sell by May, I am going to start work on this hard top idea very seriously.

Wouldnt it be nice to weigh about as much as a normal GST and still look better?

I know that the few people on this tuning sight that would be interested in this idea would pobably not be enough to get my idea rolling, but Im sure if I could get some sort of model made and get a patent on it then I could sell it to some company. If the idea does go through and I can sell it then mods for everyone.

why not have it to where when the hard top is in use, the converti top must be in its open position, folded in the back. the cf top would use the front converti clips and some sort of latching device in the back, like the ones used on the miatas. and then, say, one sunny day you leave the top at home and your ryding around, and clouds roll in, you could just put the cloth top up till you got home and put the cf top on. find a hardtop eclipse, make a fiberglass mold of the top, then make a copy of the mold, match it to the curves of the spyder, and viola. i know it sounds easier than it will be, but if you know a guy with a hardtop it might be worth it. id take one if they were around 500 and i was about to repaint the car so i could have it all painted at the same time. i know the added weight of a painted fiberglass top is like 75lbs at max. you know if i was interested in weight savings and 12 sec performance, id'a bought a gsx. im not worried about a little weight.

I would also be interested in this if the price was right. Especially when some JACKASS slashed my top to try and steal my car.

if you build it i will cum...or buy it anyways/....im deff in i saw one before but never got it....let me know about it deff

are you talkign about the hardtop that you can buy fro a s2000 except for a DSM?

Originally posted by vertGST
are you talkign about the hardtop that you can buy fro a s2000 except for a DSM?

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Yes

exactly. just like that. im pretty sure it would sell like crazy, id get one.

I'll bet you could build one for only slightly more than the cost of another car.

Otherwise, it'd be slick.

They also make these hardtops now for the BMW 3 series.

i would prefer to keep the convertible and just add the top instead of having to pull the old one out.

I think this has the potential to look really cool or really really lame. You'd have to design it very well not to look dorky. How about making it in sections, like a targa with a removable back section so you can store it in the empty space behind the rear seats. Also cost would have to be considered. Carbon fiber isn't cheap and you wouldn't want to make it too expensive for anyone to buy.

im goin to revive this poost because i jus recently thought about building a hard top for my car, has any progress or thought been put into this or did it get dropped? i also think the original top should be left in for those freak storms because this year, ny seems to think it's flordia and storm atleast once a day for about an hour. im always moving and i know i would get cought. lemme know if plans were made, or a mold, or anything, im seriously considering this

Bizatch said:

im goin to revive this poost because i jus recently thought about building a hard top for my car, has any progress or thought been put into this or did it get dropped? i also think the original top should be left in for those freak storms because this year, ny seems to think it's flordia and storm atleast once a day for about an hour. im always moving and i know i would get cought. lemme know if plans were made, or a mold, or anything, im seriously considering this

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No definate plans as of now. I am still hustling to sell my gsx. After thats done, I'm sure I'll have the funds to get something going. Let me know maybe anyone who is interested; we can try helping eachother out on this idea.

what if you did an aluminum frame that matched up to the stock front mounts and then used a rod and cottter pin system in teh back, or something similar with a fiberglass/carbon fiber cover

Bizatch said:

what if you did an aluminum frame that matched up to the stock front mounts and then used a rod and cottter pin system in teh back, or something similar with a fiberglass/carbon fiber cover

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Thats kind of what I was planning on doing. Maybe gettin it all sheet metal, then gettin it fiberglassed over or just using fiberglass instead.

i think the fiberglass wouldn't have enought structural integrity on its own and would need a sheet metal backing. building the roof i dont think would be the hard part, it's getting it to seal with all the windows, the windshield mount, and the rear of the cover... i have yet to figure out a good way to do that. i want to look at the bmw version to see how theirs is clamped on. i know a kid in NYC who's got one on his M3 but i dont know him good enought to call him up and drive down there to see his car. i guess im jjus gunna have to wait for bimmerfest to see it. but mean time im still workin on it. i think to mimic the hard top versions would be more dificult then just following the convertable top.. if u did the hard top, it would be heavy because you would have to put windows in the corners cuz the rear pillars would be rediculas...i know all you spyder owners HATE the pillars when your top is up.. blocks alot of your view. but to make that bigger without adding windows would be a death sentance... plus the size would make it dificult to remove on your own. it would require 2 people or a pully system from a roof much like the one's made for Porshe and bmw.

or you could get a set of clips that the Miata hard top has, and use those in back, and use the convertible clips in front to hold the front down.

and it would need a good frame made because that would be too weak if it was just fiberglass. also you would need a rear window and the side windows would need to be able to roll up into it. you would have to get a bunch of weatherstripping and make it seal good. might not be as hard as you think. the front clips would be just like your convertible clips are now, the back ones would have to be completely fabbed on where they go and such. but i think it could be done.

I am not in any way trying to diss your idea but
1- did you think about the rear window ?
2- you'll have to fabricate some sort of latching system and include it with each kit
3- like others said , How will this handle against water ?
4- A piece of CF would be way too expensive , at least 1500$ is what you're looking at
Your best bet is Fiberglass ( at least 1/4- 3/8 inch thick) with strategic aluminium baces and a plexiglass rear window

you'll have to consider :

Cost of Mold, Braces ,rubber suround ( for weather-profing ) ,rear window , fiberglass .
Time it takes , design , esthetics.....
also that the potential buyers with have to prep/primer/paint the peices

not saying its impossible , You'll need a consideable amount of funds, time and knowledge with structural properties of fiberglass ( Cf) all I'm saying is you have your work cut out for you

id be wilign tyo pay likew 2000 for somethign like that.....it owudl be sooooo sweet