I know Mazda made 1, there are 2 pics of it. If you know of more, please post pics.

I ask because, well my shop has just turned mine into a full convertible 4 door. Adding a nicely designed rollbar, with lower bars going to cowl,rear tire well, with mounts up the inner rocker. The seatbelts relocated to rollbar, as is the upperdoor latch. Adding Frame bracing, A-piller bars inside it, with all window frame molded into the A-piller. Why, because they don't exist, or if so very few. Unique, and stylish shape.

The hardtop will have a Porsche roofline to it, lowering overall height, and rear headroom, yet still plenty. The rear door glass,frame, with front piller for seal w front door all in a lock in place style, as the roof does. Have been working it out on AutoCAD for awhile.

 

How do I add pics. This thread is useless without pics. On my G2 Android phone.

 

create a photobucket account to host the images.

 

That's what I thought, have 1 never use it.... doing it @ moment

 

 

Yes I will have all the trimwork match the car, covering the metal work, bracing. Yes there will be 2 hardtops, 1 a 996 roofline, and the other a cover over rear seating area, for the 2 seat days. Planning on Black but that is up in air. Very clean 30k mile Autostick car, minor front damage @ headlight/hood, so gota do that after top work. I love it so far. Very comfortable, view. Lots of metalwork to do on the rear doors, A-pillar, frame stiffners, and rollbar/lower bars. Will have it out in time for summer cruising, and then Midsummer time to sell her. The design, as usual is 'Cars that should have been made', so car will be stock except for Custom Body.

 

Why is the windshield cracked? Is this from driving the car? Are you going to weld up the rear doors or will they still be operational?

 

 

Winsheild got broke from Sawzall work. Its about to come out, get replaced when its done, painted. Considered making it a 2dr. But no. Keeping the 4. Relocating upperdoorlatch to just below windowline, with the U latch on rollbar

 

It is a superstiff chassis, reardoors are a lilflimbsy @ top w/o upper part, but adding in major reinforcement, side impact beams in door for support, strength.

Side impact will be a lot stronger with what I am doing.
A-pillar support will be drastically improved.
Only the mirror area will stay on door, the rest of frame a-pillar.
This will be hated by some, and loved by some. Comments?????

Let me know.

Would love some feedback, thanx.

 

I'll second that.

 

Nice work.... but it's a nice way of screwing up a chassis that's designed to rely on a roof.
Did you look at our chassis' design before doing any sawzall work?
No rollbar, unless it is a full cage, will replace the roof successfully

 

I would hate to see a side impact on that

 

As I build custom cars for a living, have the entire car in my AutoCAD program, designed the frame braces, and have improved its rigidity. The roof support is replaced beside seats just above lower rockers, mounts the whole way up, through and to firewall, rear of car too. Wouldn't have done it to my own car, if I didn't plan it out first. A few hundred hours in it before the sawzall came out

 

Studied 9 different sideimpact wrecks that are around. If you read, you would see that, people will walk away from this way better then a stock car.

 

Mazda made 1, am copying their Structure design, rollbar layout.

With your statement you should see firsthand, the roof of an rx8 is 1 layer, thin steel, and 1 structural skeleton(1layer) on eachside, making upper-outter structure. The cars have very little upper rigidity. Its the shell itself that creates strength, so redesign the shell. Time, energy, tools and *****

 

Nice then, i hope i stand corrected in the event of a crash
What do you mean by roof support replacement beside seats TO the firewall?

 

yeah doing my carbon roof the winshield cracked pulling it off, the back didn't. Id like to see the end result.

 

I will have to see the finished car.. I kept getting distracted by the smashed front, and windshield.

I do like the concept though.

And there was a movie that came out recently that had a few convertible 8's in them. I want to say Inception, but I am pretty sure that is wrong. I will have to think on this one.

 

very interesting project you have going on here. Would love to see the end result so keep us posted

 

Bending bars that will go from inside trunk to eng compartment. Also a set inside outter rockerpannels, all mounted a few places adding to the ridigity. Keeping ergonomics and appearance in mind, will make panels to fit cleanly around/over

 

They also will be tied into rollbar, and it will have upper doorlatches same, just 20" or so lower, and instead of latching to roof, to rollbar /'cage'. Building to survive.

 

Thanx, that's why I finally posted about it. Startd to in fall, but w/o pics idea is useless.

 

Rear was easy compared to front as you said, front got a crack, so said oh well to the rest,

 

Please do, as my finger is on netflix waiting info....thanx

I knew I should have pulled rest of the glass, front fender light damage got me it for a steal a year ago. Thankfully no structural damage, so swapping pieces @ paint time.