andrew7 Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 In a few weeks I'm going to have a top made, another 7 rally precaution. I wanted to ask those that had tops for their sevens about the doors. At first I was only going to have a tonneau top made from the windshield to the roll bar but for the money and material a full top made more sense. I was going to have the doors zip in but that meant I could only use the doors with the top in place. How many of you have driven with just the doors in place like on a cool autumn day to keep the wind down or did you wear a leather jacket instead? If I wish to use the doors separately this means fabbing up brackets 'n bits and I'm not sure if its worth it. I noticed last fall that I had to dress like a motorcyclist. A windbreaker day meant a heavier coat in the 7 driving down a highway. The car is fair weather only but if I'm caught out in a Microburst I want to be covered, besides those Dollar store umbrellas don't last long above 35mph. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbaron Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Andrew, I was faced with the same problem when I had my Rotus in Michigan and experienced here in Florida as well on those cool days we sometimes get in Jan. & Feb. What I did was to fabricate a backlite out of Lexan and attach it to the roll bar. With the side curtains installed the backlite pevents most of that annoying "blow back" on your neck and back of head. It doesn't eliminate the need of a jacket and head cover but it is sure provides a lot more enjoyable driving experience. The cockpit becomes a pod of sorts and turbulence is greatly reduced. See my posting of 05/08/06 0n page 8 for pictures of my set up. Red Baron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
locost7018 Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Check out this site. I am building a hood and doors like his. Russ http://www.groovy42.freeserve.co.uk/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slngsht Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Check out this site. I am building a hood and doors like his. Russ http://www.groovy42.freeserve.co.uk/ linky no worky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slngsht Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Andrew, I was faced with the same problem when I had my Rotus in Michigan and experienced here in Florida as well on those cool days we sometimes get in Jan. & Feb. What I did was to fabricate a backlite out of Lexan and attach it to the roll bar. With the side curtains installed the backlite pevents most of that annoying "blow back" on your neck and back of head. It doesn't eliminate the need of a jacket and head cover but it is sure provides a lot more enjoyable driving experience. The cockpit becomes a pod of sorts and turbulence is greatly reduced. See my posting of 05/08/06 0n page 8 for pictures of my set up. Red Baron >Link to thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solder_guy Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 Check out this site. I am building a hood and doors like his. http://www.groovy42.freeserve.co.uk/ Russ: Great site! I especially like what you did about the top. >Tonneau Top Rob Mitchell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blami Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 Andrew, I use the doors only all the time on my Caterham. I have found that using the doors creates a more comfortable driving environment and it reduces drag: with the doors in place my drag-limited-redline goes up by 200 RPM. Since we're both in Pittsburgh (at least I'll be back in Pittsburgh after 3/15) feel free to contact me to take a look at my convertible top (which I no longer use because of my "tall" FIA rollbar), doors, and door brackets, if you would like. Bart Lami Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Rohaley Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 My wife prefers the doors on for most of our driving no matter what the temperature. The abuse from the wind is brutal for some reason on the passenger side compared to the drivers side (I think the exhaust running down the driver side somehow directs the air differently which takes the sting out of driving with the doors off). Bottom line is the doors make a big difference in comfort, I don't leave home without them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomove Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Andrew, I use the doors only all the time on my Caterham. Bart Lami Another example that everybody likes it in a different way...I tried the sidescreen "doors" for a few days when I got the car and found them annoying. Don't like the looks and it takes away from the open air experience. Since I don't like the wind buffeting either I fabricated full Lexan half doors that move the turbulence area back and out of the face while allowing for good visibility. http://home.earthlink.net/~slomove/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/mirrorscreenlr.jpg Works pretty good for me. Gert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slngsht Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Gert, how did you heat the lexan to form it? Hot water? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevet Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Gert, love the half doors - an elegant solution. Steve. PS: if you're ever in Virginia, please come polish my car http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/biggrin5.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomove Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Nope, hot water is far too cold for Lexan (would need 370F for thermoforming). I used 40/1000 Lexan sheet that flexes into the shape of the metal frame. Now, if you ask me how I got the aluminum profile to follow the 3D sweep... that was a couple of hours with vise, mallet and some steel pipe. I may re-do the half-doors sometimes as a real thermoform from 3/16 Lexan sheet on a wood pattern. The ones that I got begin to look beat up and ratty after 3 years of use. Gert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al N. Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 On longer drives/highway miles, I run the Caterham half doors (which are meant to be used with the aeroscreen, I think). It helps cut down on some buffeting and stone chips throwing. I have a Patagonia "Core Skin" soft shell jacket that I use for fall driving, layered with a rain shell if it gets too wet - even if the top (Jill Judd half hood) is up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew7 Posted February 19, 2007 Author Share Posted February 19, 2007 Thanks to all and keep them coming, I haven't decided yet. Al,the half doors, there the ones that go from the shoulder height to the cowl, all black about 10" wide. I thinking of a combo. Using half doors and if I want zip a clear piece from the doors to the convertible top. I added small plexy motorcycle wind deflectors and the turbulance isn't bad during a general ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 I used to frequently drive with the doors to control the buffeting, but prior to USA2005 I had some very large wind deflectors made locally to my design. They work great and have been tested at, um...rather high speeds http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smile5.gif I experimented quite a bit with size and shape before finalizing the pattern, and discovered that for maximum effectiveness they need to come down below the door sill. You can (barely) see them >here and >here (sorry, I'm too lazy to resize the photos so I can post them here). -John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soareyes Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 You can (barely) see them >here... -John Wow, that is one neat, clean garage! What brand garage floor paint did you use? It looks great!soareyes2007-02-20 16:35:00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 It doesn't look like that right now. The work bench is covered in parts! http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/wink5.gif I used the Rustoleum Epoxy kits from Home Depot. I painted it nearly 3-1/2 years ago and it has held up very well. The only negative is that the dirt and grime brought in by the daily drivers has stained it in parts. I live near Seattle, so there is a lot of wet gunk that I pull in almost every day and I think I have let it sit too long at times which has contributed to the staining. The picture shows the back half of the garage which doesn't suffer the same level of abuse. -John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al N. Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 My half doors, Caterham issue. These are shown with a 36 inch T-square for size. They go from the scuttle to the boot cover, effectively squaring off the "door area" . I've included a few pix so you can see details of how they are curved to provide a touch more space for the cabin occupants. My mechanic changed the front pop-snaps to twist locks because the doors kept popping off (they are slightly loaded/flexed when snapped in) at the leading edge. EDIT: I forgot to note that the skinny piece points backwards. http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/20070223_080258_door1.jpg http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/20070223_080315_door2.jpg http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/20070223_080331_door3.jpg http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/20070223_080344_door4.jpgAl Navarro2007-02-23 12:09:57 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soareyes Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 This may be helpful to any Birkin owners. I bought the same Caterham half doors that Al has, and they fit my Birkin perfectly. They come without the snaps installed so you can place them where you want. They really cut down on the air blowing in from the side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 Al, if you get a chance, could you post a photo of where the doors attach to the car? I bought a set of the same doors, but never put them one. Thanks Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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