Strengthening for convertible conversion?

[stealthstylz]

Anybody know where I should put strength into a shell so that when I cut the roof off it'll still be safe to drive?

I'm thinking of running thicker inner sills, extra bracing in the b pillars down to the C pillars, bracing the strut tops and between the c pillars?

Where else should I brace?

Matt

[bodieanddoyle]

what is it? sounds like you've got the most covered. some bracing around the a post/bulkhead area wouldn't go amiss either. maybe something across the rear bulkhead if it has one. bmw tend to run a lower strut brace on their converts.

[stealthstylz]

Dunno yet fancy a cheap convertible/roadster for a laugh.

Matt

[trevd]

its easy, weld the doors up before you cut the top off and hop over the side to get in, but don't try to pick up any crumpet in skirts as they might not like it.

[froggy]

il second that as ive driven the results of lopping the top of a granada and a capri,the wipers work best if you leave them in the middle and let the scuttle shake clear the screen ;D

[stealthstylz]

I did0 that with a mk2 jetta last year it drove ok I suppose and was a laugh for getting to bug jam but thats about it.

Matt

[Deleted]

Good article here about an Allegro convetible conversion

If an Allegro can be converted, then anything can!

[penski]

chop it off at the base of the pillars, weld up the doors and brace the following:

across base of a-pillars
across bottom of doors (in front of seats and behind seats)
across base of b-pillars
across base of c-pillars
triangulate b-pillar bases to bottom of door braces on opposite side
do the same from bottom of b and c pillars if you can...

*n

[akku]

I have tried phoning 01-891 0081 but I get number unobtainable.

I wanted to check out how much concrete they used in them, I understand thats how they got the scuttle shake to subside.

[hongkongphooey]

Stick a roll cage in it.

[stealthstylz]

Don't want a roll cage it'd be a cruiser not a racing car and a cage would ruin the look.

Matt

[John]

To get good stifness you need boxes with all the sides filled in or braced. These boxes need to be as big as possible.

So your car with a roof is a big box. Cut the roof off and you loose one side and it goes wobbly. Weld the doors up and you still have a box with one side missing...... it will still lack torsional ridigity.

The middle of the car between the A and B pillars is the critical area.

So the sills need to be as high and wide as possible blended into the A and B pillars with large radius. In other words curve the sills upwards in the the A / B pillars.

The trans tunnel needs to be as big as you can get it AND boxed in on all sides.

If you want to get clever you have a double floor. In otherwords a floor on top AND below your chassis rails. This again makes a box with all sides boxed in.

You then must brace the A and B pillars.

Get out the cardboard and build a little model of a car and twist and bend it. It only needs to be simple. You will quickly see where the waek spots are and how to sort them out.

[hongkongphooey]

stealthstylz said:

Don't want a roll cage it'd be a cruiser not a racing car and a cage would ruin the look.

Matt

How about just a rear cage then? It'll look like a roadster roll over bar and it will help enormously with stiffness....

I think unless you get this done properly,you'll struggle with an engineers report to get it back on the road.