OK, so anyone who's ever driven an FC vert knows that they have some pretty bad blind spots when the top is up. I know that you can get those little convex mirrors you can stick on your side view mirrors to give you some better views. However, I've talked to a couple people who say those don't really help much.

So, I've been thinking about this idea for quite some time. I've seen it on other convertible cars before. Just never on an FC vert probably because it requires custom top work. So, my idea is to have plastic flexible "windows" put in the corners of the rear of the top. Like this SA vert:





More pics of the SA for anyone who is interested:
https://www.rx7club.com/members/brat13bmpt-128145-albums-my-rx7-s2-1982-convertable-519/

Has anyone tried this with an FC vert?

I'm nowhere near my car right now and I can't put the top down to view how the top will fold in that area. My guess is that area experiences some decent folding, so the plastic material to be used will have to be very flexible. I'm sure my upholstery\top shop will be able to source the right material.


I have another ideas that I will attempt to put into action in the next year or so, I hope. One being mini camers hidden behind the vents behind my wheels which would be connected to a carputer with a screen in the dash. Obviously the body kit I'm using will allow me to be able to do that pretty easily:

A tiny camera the size of a nickel with a wide angle lense would hardly be noticable in the upper corner of the vent.


Anyone else have any other ideas for improveing the blind spots on the vert?

 

I don't know about other vert owners, but I tend to back into **** when the top is down, not when it is up.

Items backed into:

Lawnmower
92 Celica Convertible
08 Toyota Tundra, CrewMax

If you are talking about when driving forward, then I am not really bothered by blind spots. Maybe I am just a careful driver?

Seriously, there are major support straps in those corners. Look at the FSM if you haven't been inside an FC top. I think it will look like a load of crap, but that's just my uh, careful opinion.

 

if you really want to install windows consider getting a new top from the material they make the mercedes tops from.
Robbins top used to sell the vert tops in both materials, the cloth material will be far easier for them to sew windows into and work with.

with the money you have into your car you may like the cloth top as a upgrade anyhow.

I think it might look funny, but thats because I have been looking at the top the way it is since 1994 or so.

 

How the **** did you back into a Toyota Tundra? LoL! I'm refering to the blind spots had while driving forward with the top UP when you want to make a lane changes. Checking the blind spot over your shoulder sucks in traffic. If you're driving fast and passing everybody at speed you don't need to really check there as thoroughly. But in traffic there is a much greater chance of a car being in that spot and a careful driver would be always checking those areas when making lane changes.

I know there are support straps\frame back there but I thought thought that was mainly to hold up the rear window and I thought they were above and below the rear window not in the corner areas.

FWIW If I do go through with something like this they would be tinted to match the tint on my rear window and the stitching would not be as visible as it is on that SA.

Already have a new custom top made of same A5S material that Porsche uses. I definitely like it much better than the stock top.

 

fender mount side mirror

 

yeah those blind spots are a bitch, I just try to keep track where the cars are around me so I dont hit anyone and ****, and if you put those covex mirrors on the side views it takes up a lot of room on them cuz the side view mirrors are really small.
I really dont like the look of that top with the plastic windows while it has to be a great convenience while driving, it isnt the most pleasing to the eyes. But whatever works.
It would be cool if you could widen the rear window more, but i doubt it would fold down as well if it was much bigger.

 

getting rid of the back window and making a wider one sounds much nicer, you would lose the glass window and defroster but such is life

porsche material=mercedes material

 

yeah i imagine if you went to a scrap yard you might be able to come across a window which might work or fashion your own out of an existing one, would be interesting to see

 

you would not be able to use glass, you would need the eisenglass like the soft top in the top picture is using

 

plan on driving this in weather that requires the top to be up?

 

true true it might not be as functional, just not a big fan of that plastic stuff or the way it looks on most convertibles,

as for the camera idea, it would be sick to have a small cam in the vent there, i've seen others with some in bumpers and stuff, but the ones that mount on the roll bars are sweet too and the videos usually look less shaky because they are so well mounted down on the roll bar, the mounts are cheap too and less wiring or anything is needed just stick it on when you want and screw on your camera and your ready to go.

 

BIG problem with a camera- it will only show you whats there at that moment, so if a vehicle is on its WAY there it will be too late if you looked to change lanes one minute and went the next.

just look over your shoulder and drive safe, you will now need to drive more aware of whats around you, when I drive my vert I drive thinking everyone is going to smash into me- and I dont have the money in bodywork like you have.

just take it easy thats all.

topics like this remind me of why I like US spec mirrors, how can people drive safe using the wrong mirrors on thier cars?

 

pay attention around you...all cars have quirks...

I got use to the blind spot on the vert

 

well...

you could like stick your head out the window and look behind you.

the blind spots are pretty bad but hopefully everyone just stays away from me.

 

Fender mirrors perhaps? Even then I'm not sure if that would work. They might look sweet on your car anyways.

 

awww come on man u know your not going to be driving that car all the time!! hehehe

 

It's kinduva do-it-yourself deal.


Step 1: Park 5700# of Toyota Tundra 4X4 in Driveway.

Step 2: Back Vert out of garage and around the driveway.

Step 3: BANG!

Pretty much the same way I backed into my wife's Toyota Celica Convertible...and my own lawnmower as well.

HEY! I'm a forward-looking kinda of guy!

 

Don't quite feel like ****** up my fenders to add mirrors that may not help.

Yeah I do that as well. I constantly check my mirrors & blind spots to track the cars around me.

Right, thats why I would get them tinted. To me any windows in a black convertible top should always have some black tint or they don't look right.

That it would, but I think anything bigger than the stock glass would have to be made of the same flexible plastic stuff. If not, folding the top would start to be an issue.

Not really. But sometimes its unavoidable. Also, sometimes after work I just don't feel like taking the time to drop the top and I just wanna get in and go. Up here we also get kinda chilly but good driving days where a jacket would be needed to drive the car with the top down(or the heat blasting).

I plan on getting a mount for my roll bar to mount an in car camera for track day footage. Cameras for rear view on the roll bar wouldn't make much sense unless the top is down. For the angles I want I think the vent cams would work nice. I can put a pair in the front fender vents as well and get some good coverage.

Thats why I would be using cameras with wide angle\fisheye lenses and possibly have 2 cameras per side(one in each fender vent).

Yep, thats the way I drive. Everyones tryin to get me!

Fixed! I don't have the $ to redo this again.. Not for a while at least.

I've always wondered that as well.

Well yeah.. thats what I used to do. But that was with the stock seats and stock restraint system. With what I have now I will be more firmly tucked into my seat. I'll still be able to stick my head out the window but it will take more effort.

I will drive it as much as I can.

 

Juice,

Here you go...



The kid seems to be like Jack as he backs into everything so we got him a license plate surround camera for Christmas a couple years back. This is a Photoshop we did for the card showing him backing over his little brother.

I dont think using a center mount video will work though because it is too far away from where you'll be looking.

Probably the best solution would be to have a glass cutter cut a rounded area from the lower inside corner of your side mirror just big enough for a lipstick camera. Then put a small LCD in the bottom A-pillar gauge pod. You could do it on both sides.

 

What about custom lens' for the side mirrors that are already there?

Super convex or something. Or at least more convex then stock.

For me personally, my FC (non vert) has the side mirrors setup to show me my blindspots. Can't really see down the side of the car but I can easily make a quick glance to check before a lane change.

 

Tinting them black would work and would definitely look a little better then to have them totally clear.
But I can understand the concern with the blind spots, it's not very often that I drive with the top up but when I did to drive into work on the way back when traffic was really bad and I had to change lanes often and sometimes you would get those people who just creep in your blind spot I would have to pull over and take the top down.
My worst fear is me hitting someone while changing lanes in the vert.

Yeah I misread your initial post about the cams for better viewing I thought it was just for recording some track fun, But yeah I mean the cameras are cheap enough to do it and see how it works, plus might just come in handy one day when someone hits your car or ***** with it, I know some people who have the cameras activate with motion when people get too close for security reasons.
But with the money and time invested with your car, id definitely look into a couple different ways to avoid any unnecessary accidents or damage.

 

What about having the extra windows in the shape of rotors? I don't know how much of the blind spots it would reduce but it could look cool.

 

I've personally never had a problem with blind spots.....only water in the road once

 

A fish eye lens is ftw. I HAD a fish eye and it worked really nice.

Heres my set up. I have no reason to use it for blind spots. I just like using it as a back up camera and capturing people behind me lol

 

your kidding with that right?

you drive around with that in your window at all times?