Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Perspex Windstop for Traditionals

Post Photobucket reboot continued..................

Here's the 'Mohair' offcut:



Very little science to this. A simple rectangle with the rear corners sliced so they don't protrude. It's single thickness, so a bit flimsy, but I'll look into that again when I get some more aerosol glue.
The front corners are held up by short straps onto the hood side rails, using one of the studs each side normally used by the hood when it's up.

I keep a small stock of hood fasteners (for emergency use), so this has cost nothing.........well, today, anyway.



Compare the next two photos with those above without the half-half tonneau.





Well, the prototype windstop has needed further development. The original 4mm perspex was a tad too flimsy so I've upgraded to 5mm. I've also developed some improved brackets.
This is how the prototype (4mm) ended up, after trimming with IRS0826 courtesy of COH Baines Ltd. I couldn't get used to the raw edge, even though it was polished..........



These were the final Mk1 brackets. Note the neoprene buffers......





This arrangement worked well, but not quite well enough.

If anyone would like to try this prototype, and we can meet up next year, you're welcome to give it a try. It works with big rectangulat head restraints - but I'm not sure how well it would cope with the latest elegant restraints....

More to follow.....

Post Photobucket reboot from October 2009 continued.................

These are the Mk2 brackets. Still perspex, although I've concluded that 1/4" aluminium would be more durable, and I just happen to have some in the offcuts box, so maybe when I have more time. If these were made from alloy plate, and the stainless angle brackets were productionised, it would make a viable product, maybe with a tinted film.

Here we have the slightly larger bracket, slightly smaller locating hole, and bigger stainless angle bracket.



You can also see the full with neoprene buffer - topside at the front, and underneath at the rear. This also pinches the head restraint stalk and provides a firm location. This neoprene is standard density kneeling mat from 'outdoor/hiking' shops.



The horizontal fasteners have wider spacers and bigger diameter washers to spread the load. (Compare with earlier photos).



You can see here that the IRS0826 neoprene edging, which is round, really adds to the 'product'.........



And on the final photo, you can also see my 'half-half' tonneau which fiils the gap between hood cover and windstop. I'll be getting some edging fitted to this as a final touch.



I decided to edge the half-half tonneau with Twillfast fixed with aerosol adhesive (sourced at Maplins).

This is how it looks - (those white specks of dust are annoying......)



And I extended the fasteners to make sure it won't 'pop off' on the road.
Here's one relaxing on the hood cover:



This is how it looks fitted (offside). The loop under the hood frame puts the load sideways to the fasteners making it less likely to pop off, and the low location allows the hood cover to fit easily over the top. This is an improvement over the original solution.



I've taken the other piece of Twillfast to the trimmer today to have it stitched-edged. Hopefully he'll get it done for next Saturday. Fingers Crossed..........

More to follow >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Post Photobucket reboot from October 2012:

Moving on from December 2009.............

Since my PC crashed I haven't had my favourite utility - Canon Zoombrowser, so I'm using the Panasonic equivalent, which isn't quite as user friendly.

Anyway, I got to thinking about upgrading my windstop on two levels. 1)to optimise the size; 2) to professionalise the brackets. Easy enough in theory. First job was to measure twice and order the plastic from the Plastic Man.
So the first photo shows the relative sizes. On the left my original windstop. This is a new spare. On the right my version 3, which looks much bigger, even though the dimensions are only slightly bigger.



Next job was to cut some brackets from Aluminium. I've used 1.2mm. This might not be strong enough. We'll see after some road testing. I have some 2mm, but it's harder to work.



Brackets now cut out and awaiting finishing.



Cut out and shaped. It's very hard to get the bend in the same place on each bracket.



Trimmed with leather offcuts. Quite impressive eh?



Dome nuts and washers added.



Test fit.



More to follow.......................................

Post Photobucket reboot from October 2012 continued..............

And so to the next stage..........

Edging added and brackets trial fitted.



New on the left, original on the right.........
The new brackets are much simpler, but the hard part is spacing the windstop for a decent fit. There has to be enough clearance to fit the headrestraints, and the right angle to hold the windstop hard against the back of the restraints. I don't know if this would work with the current smaller restraints. The spacing with washers takes quite a bit of trial & error.



So for comparison: first the second (original size) version.



And now the latest series 3 version..........







Fitting detail.......



Spacer washers......



It needs a road test to make sure the brackets are strong enough. If not, more faffing with thicker ones. Apart from a struggle at the end with the right spacing, this turned out to be a couple of part days, so time well spent.