"Spyder" style top for 986?

[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?

[Lobo1186]

Originally Posted by 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?

I have been thinking about this also for the last 6 months or so. For me as long as there are no gale force winds with torrential rain I think you could make something work very nicely. Just incorporate the rubber seals at the top of the door glass the front bar the only thing left is working out the back.

now the question is could all this be stored under the clamshell when not in use?

[j.fro]

I've been thinking about this as well. I've got a hardtop, so I removed the soft top, motor, transmissions, etc and lost about 70lbs. I'd like to weld in a "back-half" cage, and I think that could be used to give shape to a lightweight soft top similar to the Spyder's. A zipper or some internal snaps along the back edge would work to hold things together and keep most moderate rain out. Sealing around the windows would be the real trick.

[noledoc]

If the back "half cage" replaced the stock rollbars and tied into the rear suspension then both weight and stiffness would be improved. If the stock style trunk lid was retained then a newly fabricated replacement for the clamshell/speedster humps could accommodate the roll bars and tensioning straps. This could be created at low cost using the spinlocks for attachment points. The roll bar height problem for tall drivers would be solved and the roll bars could be fashioned to best accommodate the "bimini" top from a styling viewpoint.

The newly fashioned combination clamshell/speedster humps could also be attached to the convertible top attachment hardware, allowing it to open up, like the new spyder deck lid. Does anyone know how that lid is attached?

DLS