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Bret2094
Samba Member
Joined: March 22, 2012
Posts: 665
Location: Linden, Texas or College Station Texas
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 Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 9:03 am Post subject: Home made ragtop mechanisms |
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I've been wondering if there is anyone who has made their own custom rag top mechanism out of aluminum or something similar? i'm not talking about recreating the whole crank, but maybe something that would lock in place and would use the factory rails in the roof of the car. Ive seen bajas that use the snap downs like found in coats , but that requires drilling, which i would like to avoid at all costs. Surely i'm not the only one who has thought of this 
Bret
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1959 baja beetle ragtop( going back to Full body)
1959 beetle
1960 Beetle frame Custom buggy
1962 Karmann Ghia
1967 beetle( august 66, first car)
1967 beetle (parts car)
1977 Westfalia Camper
1972 Plymouth Duster
Just another 22 year old jackass who caught the bug, and lives by the motto " NO fatchicks allowed" , I've got too many cars as is (buses N/A) |
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grandpa pete
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2008
Posts: 6426
Location: St. Petersburg, FL
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Bret2094
Samba Member
Joined: March 22, 2012
Posts: 665
Location: Linden, Texas or College Station Texas
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 10:45 am Post subject: |
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| grandpa pete wrote: |
No need to re-invent the wheel
Buy a COMPLETE used clip and drop it on ; not as hard as you might think
read all about it in the paint and body section or several build threads will walk you right through it |
Thanks, haha i realize buying a clip is optimal, but the direction of this thread was just to see i it had been done before. more of a curiosity of mine. my 59 has the rag clip already but it's missing the mechanism. I don't plan on ruining mine with a redneck plan, but we found another rag top nearby that is missing the mechanism as well, so this idea of a custom rail system came to mind. I guess i like reinventing the wheel for the hell of it. Grandpa pete, ya outta understand the custom fabrication curiosity, with the whole delivery van and all
_________________
1959 baja beetle ragtop( going back to Full body)
1959 beetle
1960 Beetle frame Custom buggy
1962 Karmann Ghia
1967 beetle( august 66, first car)
1967 beetle (parts car)
1977 Westfalia Camper
1972 Plymouth Duster
Just another 22 year old jackass who caught the bug, and lives by the motto " NO fatchicks allowed" , I've got too many cars as is (buses N/A) |
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eyetzr 
Samba Member
Joined: October 09, 2013
Posts: 1425
Location: Toronto, Ontario. Canada
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 10:58 am Post subject: |
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the darkside  in me says drill & snap on a roof, the purist in me ( not lots of it there) says get a roof & swap it out & do it right. The fabricator in me says look for aluminum extrusion profiles & find something that will match up what you want to do. You will need to find or figure out what to use for slides & do some "google action"
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I think he meant "rare", as in "not well-done" |
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raul arrese
Samba Member
Joined: July 23, 2006
Posts: 1330
Location: miami florida
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 2:05 pm Post subject: |
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| If you look at a ragtop mechanism and see how simple and really cheesy it is , I think you can easily make something that will work ... go for it .. sounds like a cool project , I guess you can make it as simple or complex as you want .. have fun |
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61SNRF
Samba Member
Joined: March 29, 2009
Posts: 4657
Location: Whittier 90602
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 7:12 pm Post subject: |
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On Kdf Beetles, they just used a canvas cover that rolled up like a rug front to back, and was tied with leather straps and buckles...
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-Bruce
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. |
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glutamodo
The Android
Joined: July 13, 2004
Posts: 26325
Location: Douglas, WY
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 8:06 pm Post subject: |
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| One thought I had that might work and eliminate drilling, is to make some rails and rear strip to bolt into the factory locations and then drill THOSE for "coat snaps" as called above. |
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eyetzr
Samba Member
Joined: October 09, 2013
Posts: 1425
Location: Toronto, Ontario. Canada
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| Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 4:14 am Post subject: |
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Dune buggies use a grooved windshield frame that the roof leading edge hooks to, something like that may work. Check with some of the boat guys, RV guys, they have some interesting ways of attaching things
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I think he meant "rare", as in "not well-done" |
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grandpa pete
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2008
Posts: 6426
Location: St. Petersburg, FL
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Bret2094
Samba Member
Joined: March 22, 2012
Posts: 665
Location: Linden, Texas or College Station Texas
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| Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 12:05 pm Post subject: |
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| glutamodo wrote: |
| One thought I had that might work and eliminate drilling, is to make some rails and rear strip to bolt into the factory locations and then drill THOSE for "coat snaps" as called above. |
Between this and the kdf idea, i might come up with something. i have the rear bow to hold everything down, so i might go with this snap on idea for the front, if i wind up with another beetle ( ive got way too many as it is), but i can't pass up pre 67's for less than 100 bucks. Do yall suggest using a factory top or making it out of some other material?
Bret
_________________
1959 baja beetle ragtop( going back to Full body)
1959 beetle
1960 Beetle frame Custom buggy
1962 Karmann Ghia
1967 beetle( august 66, first car)
1967 beetle (parts car)
1977 Westfalia Camper
1972 Plymouth Duster
Just another 22 year old jackass who caught the bug, and lives by the motto " NO fatchicks allowed" , I've got too many cars as is (buses N/A) |
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