hard top

[Jrrose69]

hey all I am getting close to mounting the body on my 33 and I have read that some guys had some issues with the hard top wanting to separate under extreme conditions. I'm not planning on doing anything more then cruising BUT the question I have has anyone ever made there top permanent??? is there any reasons why this would not be a good idea??? (access to some things) I do not post much here I can not seem to figure out how to post pics or in some instances even open some of your pics you post. anyway I am just curious if making the hard top permeant is even a option. thank you all for looking and help

[myjones]

Jr
A few people have bonded the top to the body and glassed in the seam for a cleaner look. Any rollbar, cage or hoop would be trapped in place but that's not something
you should ever have to remove anyway.
If you don't want to go back and forth between a hardtop and a roadster it doesn't matter. The "trouble" people had seemed to be the nut-serts pulling out of the top under the windshield. The issue was that the fiberglass was thick/deep enough there that the inserts weren't getting down into the metal mesh embedded in that area for proper purchase so the nut-serts pulled loose. IIRC it was Mathew P that has counter bored a bit bigger hole before he drilled the proper size hole for the insert so it got down into the mesh for a good bond. The original poster on this issue was drag racing and having tire shake off the line so it was putting a lot of stress on the body and the front of the hardtop started lifting from the cowl a bit. I plan to epoxy some J bolts in mine so they have that leg above the mesh at a 90* angle. I will have to be careful when installing the top with those exposed studs instead of the threaded sockets being there but it should be a safer fastener.
DB
7L Hemi33

[erlihemi]

There are several places I used deeper rivnut inserts. You need an insert that compresses and mushrooms past the supporting material. Many of the inserts supplied are not long enough in reach. I also use body washers to help prevent pull through where I can get to both sides also. I also use washers on the fastener side and ble loctite as appropriate.

There are some disappointing features on the 33. The roof and windshield mounting are just one of them.

[NAZ]

There are rivet nuts made specifically for plastics that are better suited for applications directly into fiberglass (no metal backing plates). I get mine through McMaster-Carr but you may have a better source near you. The nut body is made similar to a drywall type fastener -- it has leaves that expand when tightened that eliminate pull through. However, they need plenty of room to open so they will not work in the windshield area of the hard top. Check out part number 97217A393 in the McMaster-Carr catalog for an example. I used these to mount my hard top in the rear and part number 97217A376 for mounting my firewall to the body. They can be used alone or with a flat washer as a backup to spread the load over a larger footprint. Having used both for many years I actually prefer the ones made for plastics over the standard type for many sheet thin metal applications.

[Jrrose69]

Ausome i will check those fasteners out thank you guys for the ideas and thoughts ausome info

[Jrrose69]

56084 here is what i have done so far

[myjones]

56084 here is what i have done so far
I see you are building the anti-gravity version of the kit, very nice :)

7L Hemi33

[Jrrose69]

I see you are building the anti-gravity version of the kit, very nice :)

7L Hemi33

Thank you