Making a kit car T top gull wing roof

[Normsthename]

i see a bucket of filler being got after the first laminate.

Are you going to lay up the fibreglass directly on the foam and then when set remove it and break the foam out?
Or are you looking at making a Plug?
If you are doing the first option, you should be able to get a good finish.
Buy yourself a finned roller to get the matt nice and flat and then finish off with a Tissue.
It's difficult to use if you are new to GRP but the end result will need minimal sanding and filler

Andy

 

[W.olly]

Hi Andy, the plan up to now is to lay up a little on the inside ( only a little not all over just in certain flimsy areas ) to make a bit sturdier when i lay up on the foam with two 450grm layers of CSM or combination matt and tissue, and 50mm wide woven bandage along the edge, this will help me see what the shape is like, i think i am going to need to use some filler to smooth it all out and shape it better, the mold now is difficult to shape as the glue will not sand and needs to be trimmed down with a knife, wont be using that hot glue again if i ever do something similar,but i wont know untill i have laid up few times. if it turns out good then this will be the plug so i can make a mold to make others as i could sell some on. I fancy an Aramid or carbon top for it, which i can then do if i get a good mold.
You never know i mite not to finish with filler if i can get a good surface and smooth/level, i have done fibre glassing a on a few jobs on boats and know, its a messy job but i like it and not to bad at it.

wolly

 

[W.olly]

Fed up last few days so i popped out and cleaned a wheel up in readyness for a repaint, was going to go with silver and black edge rim, but then i like gold and black, I only got one done so i had abreak and done an easy job and cut the window aperture on the top. i used some 25mm foam board to keep the curve to make the inner frame, the bits i used are in the pic here on the boot, i just glued them together then glued them to the inner of the opening. good old glue again came in there.

















Sanded back it gives a nicer and smoother surface for the lay up later.















It is a bit square at the minute but the sides and corners will be cut back, i left a few inch so i can lay upto the edge then cut back to get a good edge later.

I am going to get a tinted perspex sheet for the window and heat it up to get the curve needed for the window. i have done a similar thing once before and it worked out ok,,,ish, i just need a good smooth cured board same as the opening and a couple of heat guns, if i use 4mm poly sheet them i mite be able to get the curve when fitting it, who know untill i try.

Only thing that got me motivated to do something is that there is a chap coming to buy the trailer i have and also maybe a chap for the scaffolding i that been flogged. guess soem can go on the car and rest on shopping.

Shopping list is 8sqm of 350grm, 4sqm combination and maybe some tissue with 10kg standard poly resin, cnat decide if to Topcoat it or paint once i am happy with its finish, Top coat is cheap, it will only cost £8 but its best to topcaot fairly soon once the layup has been done, we will see.

 

[W.olly]

Ok i am going to get the materials now for the lay up, i am going to use 300grm CSM, i will be getting enough to do 4 laminations of the 300grm CSM and woven bandage for the edges and gutter run off for the door opening.

My main concern though for now is if there will be a big chance of deformation if i first layup 2 layers of the 300grm and let set before i cut out the doors, the reason being i want to do it this way is so i can then make the gutter run offs around the doors and use the bandage for the gutters, then make better if need be with body filler, then with the other 2 lay ups of the 300grm combined together with the bandage. And when good finish with a tissue and topcoat, though not that bothered about that, i can always paint it.

hope you understand me with that

If its good this will be a plug to make a mould aswell as the original for my car.

 

[norlander]

Looking good-hope the lay up goes as well as the prep.

 

[W.olly]

Looking good-hope the lay up goes as well as the prep.

me to after all the work involved.

have you any idea on the distortion on the lay up? either way though after thinking about it if it does its to late once done lol, as they say `suck it and see`

 

[W.olly]

It was worth it i think, i am totally f****d now and and in agony but now chilling with a bottle of Bow As it was a nice day, a bit to nice for fibre glassing though, i got 2 layers of the 300grm done and started to mark out for the door, whcih i have changed my mind on, only as i cant decide what to do as always.

I first cut the first layup of the CSM to a rough shape for the first lay up, dont know why but i did. I marked the foam to a 1/2 meter sections so i knew where i was going to









Then just done it,













You mite be able to see in the last picture that when the sun came around the resin set a bit to quick and yellowed a bit along the top edge, not a matter as it is ok and all good



I then set to mark out for the door,

















You can see the lines of the door opening, now i was going with a full gull wing detachable door, but then i went to the door detachable with fixed top ( non T top ) but the point of the gull wing was for ease of getting in and out and looks, well different. Now if i can what i want is to have the gull wing in 2 parts and solid, asking a bit much but i have time to faff, the dorr section to be removed seperate from the top, and then the top to be hinged for the access again but also removable when needed.. I need to think on the attaching of the door to the top section so it fits well and seals good, i have an idea but i need to think on it. One way was to have the 2 section hinged so as when you open the gull wing the 2 fold together, thats one of the ideas i have

Not got to the windows yet. possibly going to be sliding windows, be easiest i guess..

 

[W.olly]

Got a bit more done today, the roof come away fairly easy, but then i did use a good amount of PVA. I trimmed it all up before i cut the doors out, well trimmed back a bit and i will do the finishing line when i have doen the other lay ups.

anyway pics









With doors cut out and back on, now to sort the guttering





Rear window needs a good fettle to sort out yet.



I am still on deciding what to do about the door windows, i cant do sliding now as the top curve of the door is not even and that is where the window needs to be, i am thinking either not to have one opening and have a small round hole as in a Ford GT40 and such sports cars, just for ventilation. Or a window that is hinged from the bottom and drops down, just for ease of i dotn know what lol

 

[shed or dead]

It's coming along very nicely!

Is ventilation really necessary? You can always have the door open when you cruise round McDonalds drive thru to deafen the staff

What I'd intended to do with mine was make the doors in 2 pieces so that they split just below the roof curve, then they can be taken off and stashed down behind the seats when the sun comes out, but put back on when parked up so I can lock it. It will never be secure but would deter the opportunist. Then you can choose to use full doors or half.

Ventilation could be piped in from elsewhere.

Also, now you've got the GRP skill under your belt you could easily pop out a few different designs to test which is easiest to live with.

Keep it up, we're enjoying the pics!

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Why not have lift up windows as per 2CV

 

[W.olly]

Well what i am after is a seperate T top section, as you say ShedorDead, I plan to cut the T top on the curve, you can see the mark on the previous pics, even thinking of having smoked Perspex T tops, Only trouble with having the seperate doors is that when out and about they will not fit in the back unless i get new recliner seats. Thats something else tho.
Not that bothered about big security measures as if somebody wants to nick it or something they will, i am getting a snap off steering wheel aswell so that will stop it getting nicked aswell as another little immobilser i have for it

Composimmonite, never thought of them windows, another one to think on about


So more doen today, the guttering, i decided to use more PU foam as i have abit left, but not enough to do both bloody doors lol, always the way.

I used 50mm wide 25mm thick foam to make the frame and a few bigger sections for the corners, i stuck in place with a useless resin mix, its taken near 2hrs to set, only just, i think the resin was to cold when i mixed it as i added a good bit of catalyst and was able to do the whole frame before it set, which i shouldnt of been able to do.



I then when it set...ish used a 8mm drill bit to route out the drain channel to get a start done,, then a 12mm drill bit to size it out a bit more, then carefully sanded back with the 12mm drill bit wrapped in sandpaper to deepen the channel to as close to 20mm as i can without messing it up, very soft this foam.





So next pan is when the other side is done i will be laying up the rest of the roof with another 2 layers of 350grm whilst binding in the channels which will strengthen the whole roof up a bit.

 

[norlander]

Good work there sir.

 

[Fergus]

If you've got the option to build in ventilation I'd say go for it. My kit car has a removable fibreglass hard top and the amount of condensation it generates over and above the soft top is ridiculous.

 

[KemppiFrog]

No pix of it, but when making a Porsch 917 look-alike, we tried the gull wings, but settled for hinging the doors on the windscreen frame (much more raked than yours) so they swung up and forward at about 45 deg. It was easier to make the door stiffer as the hinges were further apart. Funny, my first thought on windows was the 2CV type, then presto! up comes Compo's pic.

 

[W.olly]

Now it feels like i am getting somewhere, i started yesterday doing the channels for the door frame as i was waiting for a good day to do the fibre glassing, but it was too nice a day and i gave up as the fibreglass was setting to quick and i would of waisted to much, but, today was a perfect day for it, no direct sunlight and around 12oC.
I managed one door as i have ran out of 50mm woven bandage which i was i used to do the channel in 2 layers overlapping in the middle and onto the roof section by an inch, then 300grm CSM in the channel. I will be laying up on the inside aswell to give the roof real big strength and it will be joining the channel edge.

Anyway no use without pics hey



Got the run off just right i hope





The door fits nice, i will be fitting neoprene seals around the frame to keep movement down and a good seal.





A quick look at what it will be like when hinged, i hope anyway lol





The door is sat in place here but i needed to sort the detachable T top now



So i marked out where i wanted the T top and here we have it





This will have its own catch to hold down when used but not with the full door.







As there is nothing i can do now untill i scrape together a bit mor ecash i marked out for a window



I have decided to do a window that is fixed perspex and bolted ( SS Torx button tops ) all around the edge and have either a
small round vent opening or a small sliding opening, similar to what some Ford GT40`s use.

I was going to use smoked perspex on the T top, mite still do but we will see, as always i decided as i go.

Wolly

 

[jpmillermatic]

looking really good

JP

 

[W.olly]

The roof has been put on hold as i got fed up and decided to strip it and fit a better engine then rebuild it with new very much needed bushs al round, may be poly depending on cash when it come time for them



I have just fitted it in place the other day with new mounts so i could use the original sierra 4x4 subframe ends. next i need to make a new exhaust header as one of them hits the bulkhead, or very close, cant decide on SS or mild steel, want a good sound from it mite go SS yet, can try out the Tig on my rig then.
The car front and rear track will also be widened as i have sold the MK2 escort axle and going to fit a Capri which are are a few inch wider on track width. lots and lots to tinker with )))