convertible festiva

[htchbck]

Just wondering if anyone on here has ever tried this. I've seen a couple of pics of geo tracker style convetible tops (where the back is completely removable and then the roof above the doors is a giant removable sunroof) but I'm talking full blown converitible top. So basically when the top is fully dropped and the windows down, it looks like any other convertible on the road. If anyone has done this I'd love to see/hear about the results and process involved. If noone's tried it yet, all the more motivation for me to be driving the first Festiva Spyder (which is what I'll call it since so many convertibles are called "name of car" Spyder). Anyway, any feedback would be awesome, and if I go through with it I'll try to remember to properly document the process so others can try it too if they want...

P.S. If anyone has succesfully swapped a '89 323 motor (auto trans) into a '93 5speed festiva, I have a couple of questions. Email me at rcpro_am@hotmail.com... my B6 is still sitting in the garage because I want to make dead sure its going to work right before I pull the B3 out.

[SimonTuffGuy]

The only one I've seen have the trim around the doors. You would need to have a top formed to the glass window so that it was fairly air tight. Other than that, probably a little bit of extra bracing (so the car doesn't colapse on itself) and some fabrication and you could have it done.

Simon

[Zoombie]

has been a few done before

[SimonTuffGuy]

That's the one I was talking about. Notice the window is still in the door frame piece?

Simon

[Zoombie]

[htchbck]

Yeah, thats the kind of convertible I'm not making. I don't want the door trim. Its going to have to be either a complete drop top, or I may leave a top bar in the center (like the old VW Cabriolets had), but when the windows are down, there will be no top to the doors at all. I PShopped a photo of both versions, and as soon as I can get them transferred of off my desktop computer I will post them (it has no modem ). As for the B6 swap, it went well, and I am now scaring/pissing off all of the little riced out Hondas around here :twisted:. So the drop top project should be underway as soon as finals are over, which means I get to start the first week of May...

the other Joseph (not eye of Ra)

[AshesInYourMouth]

...

I've been thinking about this for a while. Except the convertible part, that's too much work. I'm just oging to have a topless Festiva. My only question, is how the crap would you go about bracing it? the whole thing is made out of tin, and i'm also wondering if the car would actually collapse on itself, or if that is just a theory. Just to let you know, I am completely dead serious.

[htchbck]

Yeah, I have wondered about the collapse theory myself. However, I talked to a guy on CarDomain that had a festiva with the top chopped off (completely) and he said it was sound. It had no work done too it at all, just the top sawed off, and a bungee cord holding on what was left of the tailgate. I was trying to buy it off of him to experiment with, but he suddenly quit communicating with me. Anyhow, I'm looking at this as being a four phase process. First, do my best to design and plan a top for it; Second, cut the top off, leaving the middle pillars and top at first and then deciding whether or not to cut them off (its a lot easier to decide to cut them than to cut them and decide you should have left them...); Third, decide what bracing needs to be done if any, and implement it; Fourth, build and install the new top. I will do my best to document the process with both pictures and a write-up, in case anyone else is also crazy and wants to follow in my footsteps (cool, I'll be leading the way for once... kinda scary)... Anyhow, only 13 more days till school is over, so I should be starting soon.

the other Joseph (not Eye of Ra)

[AshesInYourMouth]

...

I'm going to make a rear strut bar, then a bar that goes around near the tail gate, which will be welded. I'm also going to do 4 point racing harnesses...(safety first...ha!) and Rhino-Liner the floor, on account of the no roof at all. I'm not worried about putting a top on, just can't leave it outside. My friend's father owns a machine shop, so i'm sure he'll have a neat toy for me to use. I will probably video tape all of this non-sense. either way, it's going to be awesome.

[htchbck]

Awesome... we'll have to start a club... the psychos that not only mod festivas like morons, but actually cut the top off of them too. Here's a couple of pics... any feedback on which style looks better would be greatly appreciated.

Version 1


Version 2
[/color]

[festivakid88]

i personaly like the first one better, w/ no roof at all...... buut, i can see how it would be more dificult. Deff do some bracing, i realy doubt it'd hold itself up well w/o it. specially at the doors, don't you think it would 'sag' a little and pinch the doors shut? if i was gona do something like this and just have the car for 'sunny days' i'd weld the door on w/ braces running thru it... and then just hop over the side to get in would be cool and would look slick w/ no door seams.

[AshesInYourMouth]

...

I'm going with style 1 myself. Style 2 looks a little rabbitish

[Zoombie]

i'd like to see a front/rear 2+2 targa top version festiva with clear roof panels. like an extended version of the targa top Nissan NX coupe.

that one hasn't been done before at all i think, it be easier & wouldn't lose any of it's practicality.

[batstiva]

Guess I am just different, like I haven't been hearing that my whole life. But I like version 2. Got me doing some thinking.... :?

[strat81]

my thoughts on it... do #1 but instead of building a top for it, build a tonneau cover out of the roof to cover the roof and do some kind of waterfall (corvette like) between the two front seats.

so i guess it would be more like a two seater convertible truck...