convertible festiva

[htchbck]

Thanks for all the great feedback, and for taking me seriously (even though its hard sometimes...). I'm really getting psyched about starting this thing, especially with the beatiful weather we've been having lately. My last final lets out at 10:00AM next saturday so, weather permitting, its safe to say my micro machine will be going topless by 5:00PM that same day. Now I want to make a couple of replies to the comments people have left...

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.

Still haven't ruled out that possibility, cause the seamless doors would look awesome and work great. However, since I'm actually doing a top, I'm thinking maybe remote power windows... roll down the window and climb through when the top is up... yeah, lots of work, but it would be a sweet looking setup.

Style 2 looks a little rabbitish

Yep, and the only reason I'm considering it is cause I've always been fond of the way the VW Cabriolet looks.

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.

The only reason I've definitely ruled that out is that I know once I started on it I would wind up trying to build gull wing doors out of it instead, and that is something I am saving for my wagon once I finish the spyder.

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....

Got you thinking?... about a convertible top? wow... did I start a trend?...

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

I've seen those before, and they just don't have the look I want for my car... plus its been done before, and even though I don't do something for originality's sake, it does help me make my final decision on some things.

As far as feedback goes, keep it coming, and a soon as I start the project I promise to do my best to document and update everyone on the process as much as possible.

Joseph

[strat81]

it's been done before on a festiva? :shock: if so, i'd love to see pics...

[htchbck]

Its here on this site in the galleries under "David Moore's Stiva Truck". Pretty interesting, though I don't think it has a top on it.

[strat81]

that's not what i meant... i mean, weld the roof down at the cutoff point for the rear (in other words, make a tonneau cover that would cover the area where the rear seat is, make the remaining part of the hatch a tailgate, and have a corvete waterfall like in the convertible corvettes come down between the front two seats.)

nothing like the "truck" festiva pictured...

[htchbck]

Oh, I see what you mean... yeah, that would be pretty sweet, but I am really going for straight up convertible (definitely inspire by the old Cabriolets)

[batstiva]

Damn, I have got to quit erasing pictures. There used to be a website on the old festiva ring that featured what the owner called "The Festerossa". It was a hard-top convertable. Unfortunately, the only pic I have left is to f-ing small to make it out. He had several pics of the project as he was doing it. Pretty slick looking little car. Only wish he had pics of the process of taking off, and replacing the top.

[AshesInYourMouth]

...

Sawzall, palm sander, racing harnesses, Rhino Liner the floor, and i'm done. this whole 'top' business is too complicated. I'll be starting mine when I get the logistics planned out.

[rangetop]

im with strat 81. that's exactly what i was gonna suggest. :shock:

[Rich Norman]

You want a convertible Festiva, start first by seeing what your options are for the top. Everything you do to the car afterwards is based on this.

I suspect more than a few started to do one of these, began by cutting first, then only to find out the top was the biggest issue.

Remove the roof panel, the car's unit body will have to be reinforced, no ands, ifs, or buts. You not only do this for long-term protection against sagging ( the type that closes gaps to the doors ), but also for crashworthiness.

Some rocker panel tubes w/crossbraces would improve beaming stiffness and side impact integrity of the floorpan. I would also incorporate some diagonal geometry at the rocker area. This can be done like I plan to do on my v8 car, by reinforcing the door, hinge/jamb area ( hidden and more room ).

What else? Safety restraints. Make sure the attachment points are strong.

BTW I prefer the look of frameless door glass, so that's something that I would investigate before cutting the car up if that is also your preferance.

An engine swap is nice, for extra fun, and to cope with the added weight of the reinforcements.

[htchbck]

Thanks, already got the engine swap done, and I have a welder and know how to use it, so bracing the body isn't that big of a problem. I have tentative plans drawn up for a top, prolly going to do it out of some kind of steel tubing frame and vinyl the outside and some thick foam fabric stuff I found that is pretty awesome (looks like regular headliner fabric only about 3/8 in. thick. So we'll see. I'm gonna try to get a local junkyard to let me cut the top off one of their stivas to make a hardtop for winter, but we'll see.

[htchbck]

Ok, back after a long summer of... mostly nothing but work. During one of my rare days off I brought out the old sawzall and began the demolition process. It was done in about 20 mins. I cheated a lot by leaving the pillars at the back of the doors, which allowed me to leave the all but the very top of the original door glass frame. with the doors open it looks kinda strange, but when they're closed it doesn't look too bad at all. So I didn't have to do any kind of modifications to the window mechanisms since the window can still roll up and down in its original frame. The frame for the new top is currently PVC pipe (because I already had some laying around and its easy to work with) but that is only for fitment and layout purposes and it will eventually be 1" copper tubing (I have a thing for copper and I'm working on converting door handles, window cranks, etc. to copper as well). The roof itself is some heavy duty exterior vinyl stuff I found for really cheap at a fabric shop. It is purple, and it matches the color of my seat covers pretty well, which officially seals the color scheme of the car into being light blue/purple. I am doing a complete tonneau cover with snaps all the way around so the top is completely removable, but I designed it so I can also fold down in the back like a normal top. Unfortunately the B6 blew up about a week after I cut the top, so I haven't really driven it since then. However, I'm going home next weekend to either fix the B6 or put the B3 back in if the B6 is completely shot. The festiva gets about triple the gas mileage of the chevy van I'm driving now, and with gas at over $3 a pop, that stiva is looking really good. Once the top is completely done and I finish welding in the body braces and rollbar I'll post some more pics. Here's one pic to get things started though. Sorry, I don't have any pics without me in them, I'll get them from my house this weekend though.

[lilred]

convertable


found this edited picture on the web

[krustyguitar]

Jeepstiva

Ok i Just had another idea, Keep the backseat and make the diagonal bars that come from the rear the the back of the drivers head, then with one center beam join to the center of the windsheid frame. Im sorry for my poor description but just picture a jeep & T top type festiva

[SimonTuffGuy]

If I ever get crazy enough... The Pimptiva will be a convertable too...