2nd gen Hard Top
 

I have a 89 convertible but I want a hardtop on it. I think I saw a hardtop like the Honda S2000's but I don't know where. If anyone knows where I could find one let me know please.

I dont believe a hardtop for the convertible has ever been manufactured.

If you want a hardtop, why don't you trade for a coupe? These cars are dirt cheap.

Where I live there are only 4 RX7s and I have the only covertible. Phantom Performance owns two of the coupes and my friend owns the other coupe. They won't sell. Maybe I can get Vulcan Specialties, a metal auto shop to build the top, then have an audio shop cover it in fiberglass.

autotrader.com

I vote for having a custom hard-top made. That'd be kick ass.

it would be neat to see....but I sure as hell don't wanna be the guy to foot the bill for the first one...

It looks like I'm going to be that guy because I can't find one. Oh well when I get it I'll get so many show wins it'll be crazy. While I'm spending money maybe I should have it built out of metal, covered in fiberglass, then sent off the be covered with carbon fiber weave. I should start starving now for this one lol.

that would weigh as much as the whole car!! lol

If you're going to that extent, have one made of steel and bondo and make sure the fitment/finish quality is great. Then simply have some moulds made of it and do them in F/G. You'll probably need some type of skeleton/bracing on it to prevent flexing, etc. at speed.

What I was thinking was have the top built out of 2in. angle iron since thats strong but light and having it covered in sheet metal since that is light also but I live in texas so the first hail storm (chunks of ice falling like rain) that came through would destroy it if I got caught away from my house. If I covered it in fiberglass the hail would screw it up also but it would take more hail to do the damage. Another down side would be the wieght. Monday I'll go ask Vulcan Specialties what they think. On the inside I'm not sure how I could make that look decent but I want the top to be permanent so if it has to be fiberglassed in on the inside that would be ok.

If i went that way I might as well send the mold somewhere to be made with carbon fiber. That would eliminate the speed flex and wieght issues plus it would look cool.

waste of money...............what do you want the hard top for???? the vert was specifically made as a vert (as opposed to celicas or 240s which are hard tops with top chopped off) and is 1% less rigid than the COUPE with the top up.......your vert top can also be made into a targa top.........seems to me that you have a cool car, extra cash and nothing better to spend it on. If you really are building a show car then I suggest you look into other "cool" mods.


edit......you're sig violates forum rules.........it's been reported.

I was considering making the back half of the top metal/fiberglass and leaving it as a targa but making it fiberglass also. I want a hard top because I hate convertibles and no one that I know of has made theirs a hard top.

Its pretty obvious that my sig was blocked but thats just my opinion after being robbed by mexicans two times in one night. Its America that means I'm free to say what ever the hell I want and if someone (booty-hurt mexican) has a problem with it they can deal.

but when you signed up here you waived your right to offend ppl based on race, sex or gender ( you can make fun of stupid people all you want because some choose to be stupid)..........you don't see my sig saying all white people are knuckle dragging pricks with small dicks do ya??? Just because SOME people of one group do shit to you does not mean ALL of them do..........quit being ignorant......

Excuse the shit out of me people say stupid shit about white people everyday and I don't get all mad. And how do you know I'm not black your being ignorant too.

I changed my sig so I won't get banned just for you so stop arguing with me :fawk:

yeah.......I shouldn't assume..........we're both asses now.....welcome to the club.

Thanks nice to be in it lol.

the only way it would be COST EFFECTIVE and worth anything is if you make it into a roadster.........remove all the motors and soft-top and them fab a hardtop the way you want it........I suggest you also invest in a rollcage or bar for the car if you're going to be rolling it.

i think that would be a cool project to make a hardtop.

Agreed, that would be kickass. Personally, I think you should make the top from kevlar. With carbon prices the way they are nowadays (tripled in the last year), you woudl probably savemoney and you would come out with a tougher product for a given amount of weight.

The best of all would be carbon/kevlar hybrid weave with the kevlar dyed roughly to your car's color (red, green, etc). It looks sweet, and gives a nice combination of the properties of carbon and kevlar. But that stuff is even more expensive than carbon.

Or how about turn it into a hard top with a targa roof? Have the rear section be a removeable hard top and the 'roof' have a targa top. :-p Maybe I'm overcomplicating this....I like my Coupe` with a sunroof :)

What the fuck did you buy a convertable for then?

This has been done. Someone asked about it a couple months ago and someone posted some pics of a vert with a fiberglass(I think) top. To be honest it didn't look very good. I bet if you do a search you may be able to find the thread.

i was going to ask him that but i assumed the answer was going to be "it was all I could find"

RX-7s are very rare in some states...like mine....

Even the vert was hard to find. As far as I know it was the last RX7 that was around and would be sold in the Lubbock area. I found it by driving down the street and saw it in some dudes garage - lucky me.

I was thinking of making the hard top and having the targa top also. I could know what it was going to look like because my brother draws really good and I can tell him what I'm thinking and he can draw different styles of it. I'm thinking of making it look like the Toyota MR2 from the late 80s, that design on the top would fit the car nice.

dood.......don't waste your time......build this:
http://www.mazdatrix.com/faqpics/roadrace/ep01123lb.jpg
http://www.mazdatrix.com/faqpics/roadrace/ep0902c.jpg
http://www.mazdatrix.com/faqpics/roadrace/ep01123ab.jpg

amazing,,,you are right up there with the piston engine rx7's....verts are cool and rare...mod it like mine and you will love it!!

Verts are nice, too bad America didn't get the T2 version.

I'm puting the TII engine and transmission in it and a TII carbon fiber hood. If I left it a vert I'd have a TII vert. haha Europe style in America. I want to do the hard top because verts aren't my stlye and it hasn't been done like I would do it.

Then Ill pose Juiceh's excellent question again..

Why did you buy a convertible?

edit: You're from Texas no? Trust me, there's more RX-7's in that state. Is it just me, or is Turblown not from Austin?? He's done countless 7 projects...and I highly doubt that EVERY car he's done is from out of state.

And either way - if you want something and its not around - go find it. If you wanted to buy a Ferrari Enzo, you'd have to go to Italy...see where Im going with this?

that pic of the chopped convertible is the ugliest thing i have ever seen

that pic of the chopped convertible is the ugliest thing i have ever seen

Ok I totaled my truck and needed a new vehicle but I wanted a car. I like RX7s for their motor not so much the body. I really needed a car and didn't have time to wait on one to turn up. And Lubbock is not really like Texas, yes it is in Texas but the choice of cars here sucks. Its all trucks and the occasional ricer with loud exhaust. I got lucky to find this one as soon as I did.

it's a race car....it's not supposed to be pretty.......some CAN be pretty but it's not a requirement.

and if you're going turbo why are you wasting your money on the TII Hood??? for looks? Just fo FMIC and leave the NA hood.....USE THE CASH YOU"LL WASTE ON THE HOOD to buy a nice FMIC kit ( ebay costs less than 250 bux for IC, pipes and elbows)

i think the rx7 vert is a very good looking vert. some convertibles just look plain fugly. well if you want a real hardtop ill buy one for like $600 and drive it down to you and trade you strait up..

I've got a 'vert, and would KILL for a hardtop for it. I love convertibles, and I like the lines of the 'vert RX7 a lot better than the hatchback. But the top looks a little less than sleek on these things, and I think I'd like the roadster look with the top down (or off). Imagine an even longer flat rear decklid . . . SWEET! Besides that, I'm told the weight of the convertible top, motor, and everything associated with it is a large portion of the increased weight the vert is slinging around.

Why don't you get up with this guy and swap cars.....

https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/coupe-vert-conversion-opinions-wanted-591173/

Apparently you're missing the point, Turbo II. I want a hard top for the same reason people with Miatas, S2000's, and even Dodge Viper R/T-10's want them: they're sleeker and better looking than a ragtop, but you still get a convertible.

I like the way the vert looks already... I suppose it would be kewl to have the hard top b/c you would never have to worry about the rag top getting tattered up... but, the hard tops are too heavy, and usually have way too many motors, relays, modules, etc... Remember, alot of hard top cars have issues w/ the tops b/c of that... I remember my ex girl had a Volvo C70 but she traded it in in less than 6 months (primarily b/c of issues w/ the top but also due to other issues such as reliability, performance, etc.)

Most hard tops on verts look like hell. The only exception I can think of is the mercedes... You cant always tell the hard top vert from the coupe.

People I know who buy hard tops do it for two reasons, (1) to lessen the noise from the soft roof in the wind, and (2) to better control the temperature in the car.

The RX7 vert does not suffer from either of these problems, so IMHO, it is a waste of time and money to make a hard top.

If style is your goal, I would think it is easier to buy a hatch car, then remove and reshape the hatch to a style you like.

IMHO, the verts have a certain appeal to them... Its like an old skewl roadster and you do get noticed in it... I like them stock or w/ certain body kits...

Funny... b/c to me it looks pretty good for a race car... Think about it... the only major things that it is gone is the rag top and winshield +a pillars....

I was actually thinking of a lift-off top, like they sell for the Miata. The car would keep the rag top unless the owner decided to customize the hell out of the car. The only thing you would need would be the top and a couple of mounting points at the rear. The hasps at the front would work for both the soft and hard tops.

I saw somewhere on this forum a hard toped vert. The car was red, and the top was also a red fiberblass. It did not look very good. Essentially it looked exactly the same as the vert's raised position. (I think that's what he molded it after.) I have had 2 verts, and I think the car looks better then most with the top up, but for me, I rarely see it with the top up, cause I leave it down rain or shine! Try searching this forum for the hard top. I quickly looked, but couldn't find it.

To be honest. I wouldn't mind removing all the convertible parts of the car and having a detachable hard top. Then get one of those leather covers that snaps over the cabin to keep the rain out, just incase I don't have access to the hard top at that moment.

No, I know what you meant. I just thought it was interesting he wants to chop a coupe into a vert and you want a vert with a top. Personally I like my Vert the way it is: up, down, targa. Would be interested in seeing what one would look like with a top like you're looking for.

Save yourself the trouble, swap your car with this guy!

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...3&page=1&pp=15

LOL, I just saw this thread. If you're interested in a trade PM me. I have 2 coupes to choose from, I don't know the condition of your vert.

i must post my 3 cents worth.

If you want to do it you need to make a frame in mdf, then you need to use stretch fleece over it and glass the fleece, then bondo and sand it smooth, make a mold and then you have a fiberglass peice.

Using sheetmetal would cost and ass arm and leg to have them fab and then to cover in FG? WHats the point. Way too much. Just have the audio shop do it from the beginning.