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Wed May 30, 2012 2:03 pm

I have recently finished my buggy and looking to get a top for it. Could I get some ideas from the community. Pictures would help. Also any manufacturer would be good also. I have a spats. [/img]

Wed May 30, 2012 2:08 pm

It will have to be able to fit with the air filter

Wed May 30, 2012 2:12 pm

Well, the biggest factor to consider is that with a soft top, like the Sombrero from TJ Kustoms, you can fold it up and put it in your buggy and pull it out only when you need it. With a hard top, it's either on or at home. I have a hard top on my Manxter right now and only pull it off if the weather man says 0% chance of rain.

Wed May 30, 2012 2:19 pm

Ive had a rag top. Would like a hard top just haven't made up my mind

Wed May 30, 2012 3:05 pm

I had a rag top on my buggy and it would flap in the wind at any speed over 40 MPH no matter what I did. The top was made of quality material by an excellent upholstery shop. They had warned me that it might need a bow to add tension, and they were right. I sold the top to a friend who uses it on the trail. I have heard that the Sombrero top from TJ Kustoms does not have these issues, so it's the only one I would consider if I were to look for one again.

I also had a FG hard top, which did not flap, but it acted like a speaker cone by amplifying the engine noise. I added a headliner and carpet padding, which cured that problem. It also funneled the wind in from the back, so I had a rear window made. The only drawback was the top sat low on the buggy, making it hard to get in and out.

I now run a roof rack with the same back window from the hard top. Best of all worlds, the roof rack sits higher, provides shade, doesn't flap in the wind, and gives me a place to put camping gear and other items. I do remove the rack from time to time, but I most often enjoy driving in the shade.

Lee

Wed May 30, 2012 3:09 pm

Can you provide pictures?

Wed May 30, 2012 3:27 pm

I have to agree that with the hard tops, they do project engine noise. I had a stinger on my manx clone and without a top it was pretty rough (noise right at ear level) and with a soft bikini top, it was still noisy. I removed the stinger and put on a bobcat...much better.

My Manxter has the hard top on it...and even with a Sidewinder exhaust on it, the noise still gets projected into the buggy which can be annoying.

On the Towd, I have a soft top and it flaps in the wind....it does block some engine noise which is replaced with high speed percussion of the top flapping.

Is there a good solution in there? I have not found one. The best top that I had was the old NOS bikini Manx top I had....although it offered no cover for rear passengers it did keep me cool, did not flap excessively and did not project engine noise.

The closest thing to it on the market is TJKs top.

Wed May 30, 2012 3:35 pm

Here's my last buggy with the hard top:

And with the previously mentioned Sombrero:

Wed May 30, 2012 3:45 pm

What price range on the sombraro?

Wed May 30, 2012 5:01 pm

[img][/img]

Finally finished the hard top install with the help of Vince (surfnc) he made it and Joseph (jsturtlebuggy) for the pics and valuable info.
This works as an alternative to the full glass style and the many varieties of soft tops.
I'm real pleased with the end result. Will post more pics.

Wed May 30, 2012 5:12 pm

manxfwin wrote: [img][/img]

Dave
Very nice work! Very clean and simple. How is it at speed?

Do you have pics of your "lift" system.

Vince

Wed May 30, 2012 5:46 pm

I made a hard top and it works great. My buddy works for the local township in their traffic dept. He got me a standard size speed limit sign blank. For laughs he put the background reflective surface on it too. I cut it to fit between the bars running front to middle of roll cage. (middle being a crossbar just behind (2-3") and above(8") front seat riders heads.) It covers the front crossbar and extends rearward to 6" beyond the mid-crossbar. At the mid-bar it bends upward about 30 degrees. This deflects and breaks the vacuum behind the seats. I've driven it in the rain and it does NOT draw water in from the rear area forward.
I mounted it by drilling through it into rollbar 5 times front and 5 rear. I then tapped the holes in the bars for 10x24 machine threads. It is on and off in under two minutes and I can stash it behind the front or rear seat.
My neighbor put a really cool graphic on it of a skeleton wearing a cowboy hat, inside an outline of Texas (my home) and a crossed machete and m-14 rifle. It's a logo for the Texas Zombie Response Team. My 15 year old daughter called it a gang sign aand refused to be seen in it until the graphic came off, so it came off. We MUST keep our women happy, right?
I have read through the directions to post pics here several times, but i just get a blank stare on my face halfway through. Somebody give me an email address and I'll email the pics to them and they can post it.

Wed May 30, 2012 5:58 pm

That looks good. How bad is the buffeting with the soft top?

Wed May 30, 2012 6:51 pm

I have a custom made soft top for my Manx and I don't have any of the flapping that others have described. My top was made to
wrap around the roll bar to stretch the top very tight (tight
as any Bimini top I've seen). Here is a picture:

Lots more pictures here:
http://www.manxgallery.org/gallery/album240

I can tell you that without a lift system on the hard top you will most likely hit your back on the edge of the top while climbing in/out.

Hope this helps,
Bud

Wed May 30, 2012 9:45 pm

Here's my buggy with the roof rack.

Thu May 31, 2012 9:14 am

More pictures of the top and mounting system.

Stable at 50mph and around town,haven't had a chance to try it at highway speeds but I don't see any problems. The outside clamps can be adjusted,right now with the rubber latch hooked up the top and corners won't move.

Thu May 31, 2012 9:57 am

Looks great Manxfwin.
The clamps you are using on the roll cage look very strong, I don't think I ever seen them before. Did you make them?
The rubber latch works good with holding the roof at speed. I had mine up to 80 MPH without any lifting. On my Manxter with the larger roof it I made up a roof latching set up like what you would see on a off road race buggy because roof would lift up at speed and in crosswinds.
With the smaller roof on the Manx I not had any problems at speed or in crosswinds.

Thu May 31, 2012 11:08 am

I like that lift system manxfwin!!! I have a full hard top that came with my clod hopper project but it's sooo hard to get in and out of I was act5ually planning on selling it and doing without. Now that I see what you've done I'm going to revisit keeping it around.

Thu May 31, 2012 3:26 pm

That looks great but not for me. I don't have that extra roll cage. So far it looks like the bikini top might be my choice. My buggy use to have the same top as leevw. It was a pain to work when you are in the mountains and wake up to freezing cold weather. I still like your top LeeVW.

Thu May 31, 2012 7:10 pm

I don't have a roll cage either and you don't need one to install a top that raises up.
What I did was copy what Bruce Meyers did with the Manxter.
It works great with me not be able to bend like I use to be able to get in and out of buggy. Being of fair skin color I sunburn easily and I like having the top.