"Spyder" style top for 986?

[noledoc]

Thanks to all, in the short run speedster humps with a fabricated "tent pole" seems the way to go. Maybe GT or someone would consider producing a fiberglass rear deck lid that incorporates decklid, humps etc into one piece like the spyder

DLS

[eightsandaces]

Originally Posted by noledoc

Thanks to all, in the short run speedster humps with a fabricated "tent pole" seems the way to go. Maybe GT or someone would consider producing a fiberglass rear deck lid that incorporates decklid, humps etc into one piece like the spyder

DLS

If you could locate a scrap top, and isolate the locking piece on the front, you could use the front lever lock and nose form to work off of for the strongest factory attachment, a good canvass shop could tent up off of that and come back at an angle to drain rain. They can use the same type of bows or aluminum tubes they do on a boat to create a tent, a pole that was behind the center console almost to the firewall would likely work sweet.

[The Radium King]

yeah, i think someone needs to borrow and install some speed humps, then take a mold of the humps, clamshell and rear trunk lid. create a one-piece panel that fastens at the spinlocks and rear trunk release. it would be light (even lighter if you do a roof delete) and have no seams and overlaps like the three pieces it was made from (in another thread a person noted that the aftermarket porsche speed humps look like 'fish scales' when installed over the other panels).

a lightweight roof could tuck-in underneath, made from the stock roof front attachment, some canvas, a tent pole 'hoop' and a couple of tensioning points on the new back panel. you could even forego the rear window if you have the rear wind deflector option (think of it more as a bimini top than a complete top *** edit to add another idea - build the wind deflector into the rear panel between the speed humps - this way when the bimini is up less water would get into the cockpit ***).

a poor man's spyder kit. perhaps even have a carbon fibre option for the panel and sell with a CF hood - lighter and no need to paint?

[The Radium King]

i feel like a dog on a bone ...

i think the rear panel idea is still valid (especially for me with all the stock rear panels deleted for the zeintop anyway) but the more i think about the speedster-style lightweight top, the more i think a bimini is the way to go.

here's an image of the spyder:

spyder w/ roof up

you could mimick that using the front member of a donor boxster roof. you would also have a spreader bar sewn-in to the roof that rests on the roll bar (you could modify a part from a donor roof for this as well); with this approach the roll bar sets the height of the roof and the spreader bar makes the roof as wide as the side windows.

the canvas would follow the same likes as the spyder roof in the link. no rear window (your windscreen would provide some protection) and some gaps at the side windows; enough roof to get you out of the rain and nothing more.

as per the spyder in the link, you would need a fitting at the rear on each side, each with a strap to pull everything tight.

it would roll-up and tuck under the humps when not in use. and you wouldn't need to have deleted your original top or have a custom rear panel to use it, provided you have porsche (or aftermarket) speed humps; the rear attachment could be accomplished with straps routed out the back gap of the clamshell.

[jacabean]

what if you were to use the actual tent top from the spyder and fab up the trunk lid with humps etc. ?

[noledoc]

Another option to support/define the rear of the "bimini" is to use a BK roll bar extension, or the competing product by GSR Autosport. this would give a little headroom above the rollbars, and would be permanent. One less thing to install and remove.

The biggest problem is the "rear curtain" used to make it all waterproof, not really needed if you are content to use the bimini as a sun shade alone, but necessary to drive in any rain.

DLS

[The Radium King]

well, here's an 'exploded' view of the spyder roof:

exploded spyder roof

so the bimini would be part of it. some kind of zippered, removable rear window could provide the back window and additional side protection. without any seal to the body, however, you'll still get water in ...

an actual spyder roof would be cool, but impossible to buy and big bucks if available?