Calling all doors

[coffee break]

I've been wanting to solve the problem of wind buffeting, or at least significantly reduce buffeting. slomove's well crafted solution got me back thinking about it.

It would make highway driving less tiresome and my vision wouldn't blur @80MPH.

I've got slip hinges from McMaster along with 1/2 SQ AL tubing and 3/16 acrylic material, but I could use some ideas.

Looking for help,

Doorless in GA

[coffee break]

I need some help. Which way do the hinges go on factory doors?

[breezy7]

Picture from Caterham assembly guide.

[coffee break]

thanks breezy7

[slomove]

Since you mentioned my side screens/half doors - I have posted a few pics a while ago but not sure which version. This latest one is from 2010 and hoping it is any help I just post it again if you don't mind.

I used round 1/2" dia very thin walled (I believe 20/1000") stainless tubing for the frame. It is rigid enough to keep the shape but can be shaped by hand with a tubing bender or around a mandrel. And it can be welded.

The square aluminum tubing may work as well but I suspect the square cross-section may put up some resistance to bending in certain directions. The round tube also allowed hot "wrapping" the clear plastic sheet easily.

 

This is the bare frame. It is shaped to trace a conical surface so that a flat plastic sheet can be flexed to conform. Since I did that free-hand, pulling the tubing over a wooden edge it took a while but you can check the fit bending a rigid piece of cardboard over the frame.

 

I used 1/16" clear PETG sheet for the "glass". Almost as impact resistant as Lexan, cheaper and easier to bend hot. I cut the edge into tabs with a cutting wheel and wrapped them one-by-one with a hot-air gun around the tubing. Looks much cleaner than the screws I used in the old version.

 

Result is a very good protection against wind buffeting, flying rocks and rain. Together with the bikini-style sun roof we survived heavy rain for hours getting only wet from the flying water mist. I suspect it may even reduce drag...yay.

It has served us well for many 10k miles.

 

View from behind...

Edited September 28, 2015 by slomove

[Dave W]

Here a few shots of the doors that I had fab'd up. The frame is made from 1/8 x 5/8" covered with aluminum. The door hinge uses the same brackets that I use for the winglets. I just run a solid aluminum hinge pin thru the center of the brackets. The orignal design had a sliding panels that allowed you to open it about half way. I never open them more the an inch, and it was a PITA to clean between the panels, so after a year I went to a solid window. The latch is just a sliding pin that attaches to a small tube bracket on the rear corner [next to the roll bar]. You may also want to look a half doors. They reduce a lot of the buffeting that come off the rear fenders, plus you can actually store them in the rear boot. Dave W

[Kitcat]

Nice work!

The official Caterham doors also fold up horizontally, 1/2 down from the top. So you can flip the bottom 1/2 up, where wind pressure holds it in place once underway and this lets in a nice breeze. The windowed top half prevents excessive head buffeting. I logged many highway miles with that bottom 1/2 flipped up on my original Cat.

Slovemove-when are you going to offer your aftermarket parts to the general populace? You could be the "Softbits" in the USA.

[Paul Hill]

Slomove

How about some details and pictures of the rolled up top in place please?

Looks interesting!

[slomove]

........Slovemove-when are you going to offer your aftermarket parts to the general populace? You could be the "Softbits" in the USA.

Oh my...I would starve doing that. While practical, my contraptions are usually made without regard of time and money. It's a hobby, after all.

 

 

Slomove

How about some details and pictures of the rolled up top in place please?

Looks interesting!

This is one of the first mods I did after I bought the car. Over time I tweaked the tension mechanism but otherwise I used it unchanged for the last 11 years. The nice thing is I can open and close it while sitting in the car. I am too old for the contortions required by a fixed roof. I do have a taller roll bar than stock which helps to get the clearance for my head.

- The front support is an aluminum U-channel, mitered and bent to conform with the windscreen top frame. It is locked down with stainless adjustable draw latches left and right. The rubber cloth is glued (contact cement) and riveted to this channel. The front inside edge has a weather strip to seal. Very important or the wind driven rain will come in under the channel.

- The rear support rod is hinged and the hinges are strapped to the roll bar with hose clamps. When that bar is pulled down with a lever and draw cord it tensions the cloth so that is does not flap at speed. When closing the front latches the tensioner must be loose or the latches won't close.

- The center support rod is spring loaded, so that is rolls up the rubber cloth by itself when opened. It does need additional stays with ball end joints.

- When not in use I hold the rolled up roof with short ball-ended bungees.

I hope the pics explain it a bit more. If requested I can also take some close ups. But then I better start a new thread and don hijack this one any longer.

 

 

Edited September 29, 2015 by slomove