Softop installation no Holes

[hemi43]

Originally Posted by Bigb401

Any word if these are being sold anywhere?

Is this for an existing top, or are you buying new? This will not work on the newer tops.

[Bigb401]

These are for if you want a soft top but don’t want to drill into the header of the front windshield. The maker built a header the same measurement of the very front of a hard top. This way you could bolt it on to the windshield header and drill into that for the soft top. It makes it so you preserve your windshield frame. I wanted one years ago for my blazer but life happens and I had to put my build on hold. Now I’m starting up again where I left off. I was curious if there is anything like this still being sold. I suggest going Back through the thread and look at some pictures. It’ll prolly explain it better then I can

[A1971Blazer]

First off this post is not intended to be an advertisement of any product that is currently for sale in any form or fashion.

Further, I have been looking into the possibility of producing these but, as of yet, haven't been able to do so in a way that would be affordable.
I am still pursuing the idea.

My business is in CNC machining. Mostly contract work for industrial customers but, being a 67-72 enthusiast has compelled me to make some custom pieces specific to them.

I will share what I did to mount my bikini top to my Blazer without drilling holes into the header.

Starting out by doing a bunch of measuring and CAD drawing, I was able to closely recreate the geometry of the top of the windshield header on my '70 K/5 Blazer.
I then created a machine program and some fixtures to fasten on a piece of 1/8" aluminum sheet. I had to do it in two sections because of the limit of my largest CNC mill.
I milled the shape and put the holes and slots in at the calculated positions.

Then using a larger, thicker piece of aluminum, I machined a fixture to clamp the piece on and bend the proper angles to match the header geometry.

I used a malleable grade of aluminum and used a soft hammer to shape it to the fixture.

The center tabs are slotted and bent downward to align with the factory hard top mounting holes. and I simply bolted through the outer visor/hard top mount.

The bikini top I have uses a "J" channel along the front to fasten to the mount piece so there are no snaps to attach, but it would only be a matter of drilling and riveting them on if the application called for them.

This is only the prototype and again I'm still trying to work out a way to produce these that would be both profitable to me and affordable to the buyer. I won't go into the specifics of the manufacturing costs but it would be a substantial investment on my part, especially for such a niche product.

Any way here are a couple of pictures of the concept.
These are before the center tabs were slotted and bent into position and one is after the bikini top is loosely attached onto the header.
The additional hole are simply used to clamp the piece onto the fixture for machining.

[Yukon Jack]

Still dig this!

[craneboy72]

some nice work

[1972CST]

Hello there A1971Blazer- Did anything ever develop since we last talked about Softopper being interested in your design for the windshield header?

[A1971Blazer]

Originally Posted by 1972CST

Hello there A1971Blazer- Did anything ever develop since we last talked about Softopper being interested in your design for the windshield header?

To be honest, I had forgotten about it.

I'll probably reach out to them whenever I get it worked out to where I can produce them at a reasonable price.

I'm trying now to get the blanks laser cut at a decent price and I'll still have to build a set of bending dies.

[amcgeh01]

Put me down for one as well.. PM sent..

[Effeckt]

Originally Posted by crv

Anybody else make or sell anything similar? Have a Softopper that I'd like to install this summer but don't want to drill into windshield frame.
Posted via Mobile Device

No.. that's why he created his own and is going though great efforts to do this in the first place. If you are so anxious to do it and don't want to wait until he is ready, then your only other option would be to cut up a top and make your own. There are members on here parting out tops regularly in the classified section. I would look there if you wanted to do that.

[AHowe88]

Great idea and execution. Have you considered looking into 3D printing them instead? There are a bunch of places that will do custom 3D printing, and I have heard it isn't terribly expensive.

[skorpioskorpio]

Originally Posted by AHowe88

Great idea and execution. Have you considered looking into 3D printing them instead? There are a bunch of places that will do custom 3D printing, and I have heard it isn't terribly expensive.

I'd say that piece would be about $400-500 in material, easy, in 3D print medium, it's nearly 6 feet long, beside I've never seen a 3D printer that can print much larger than a 3 foot cube. Also 3D print material is not what you'd consider rugged. It's basically a prototyping material not a finished product material. It's essentially a sort of rigid foam made to take a fraction of the space in the cartridge as it does when printed. I plan on doing 3D prints to make a casting master for my intake manifold, which it works well for, but I can't honestly think of a single place I would use a 3D print as a finished piece in an automotive application, at least any piece I've ever seen.

[AHowe88]

Originally Posted by skorpioskorpio

I'd say that piece would be about $400-500 in material, easy, in 3D print medium, it's nearly 6 feet long, beside I've never seen a 3D printer that can print much larger than a 3 foot cube. Also 3D print material is not what you'd consider rugged. It's basically a prototyping material not a finished product material. It's essentially a sort of rigid foam made to take a fraction of the space in the cartridge as it does when printed. I plan on doing 3D prints to make a casting master for my intake manifold, which it works well for, but I can't honestly think of a single place I would use a 3D print as a finished piece in an automotive application, at least any piece I've ever seen.

Honestly I have no experience with 3D printing, but I read recently that there are over a 1000 different materials they can use in printing with different strengths. Given that they have printing guns (with varying degrees of success), there must be some strong enough. Interestingly enough, Leno uses one regularly: http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/extras...y-old-parts-1/

That said, I think you are definitely right about the size, that would probably be a deal killer.

[skorpioskorpio]

Originally Posted by AHowe88

Honestly I have no experience with 3D printing, but I read recently that there are over a 1000 different materials they can use in printing with different strengths. Given that they have printing guns (with varying degrees of success), there must be some strong enough. Interestingly enough, Leno uses one regularly: http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/extras...y-old-parts-1/

That said, I think you are definitely right about the size, that would probably be a deal killer.

Maybe things have changed, but the printer in the Leno article looks exactly like the one I've printed on before, and the one I'll be printing my manifold casting master on. As far as I know it only prints in 2 materials, a white material that looks like the material that the part Leno is posing with, and a dark brown material that is solvent soluble that is used to print part supports while the print is in process or to print captive elements. One of the demos on the machine is a salt/pepper shaker which has about a 3/32" to 1/8" thick wall and is maybe 1 1/4" diameter and 1" tall, the completed piece can be easily crushed to dust in your hand and takes about 45 min to print the pair.