Interior Exterior
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How difficult would it be to design a quick release for a hard top? I have a soft top now, but would like a hard top (like the looks better and I want stripes!). I live in Miami and remove the top frequently. The gullwing top is nice, but too pricey for me. Not sure how the OEM hard top fastens, but I think I read it requires several bolts. Any ideas out there? Wouldn't surprise me if Shinoo or someone else is already working on this.
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Off subject, but do you have a picture of your clear engine lid? Noticed in your sig.
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It only takes 10 minutes or so to put the hardtop on,and it's a 5 minute job to take it off...no biggie
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It only takes 10 minutes or so to put the hardtop on,and it's a 5 minute job to take it off...no biggie
Sure, but compare that to other designs (e.g. Ferrari 348ts) that take perhaps 10 and 5 SECONDS for the corresponding tasks... I think there is some room for improvement.
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Off subject, but do you have a picture of your clear engine lid? Noticed in your sig.
Taking pictures this week!
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Sure, but compare that to other designs (e.g. Ferrari 348ts) that take perhaps 10 and 5 SECONDS for the corresponding tasks... I think there is some room for improvement.
True,but we can't carry our hardtops with us,so it will almost always be done at home(where we leave the top),so it doesn't really matter except to someone who is taking the hardtop off frequently.I also think that it wouldn't be that hard to come up with a tensioning latch of some kind,however I think that this might be one of those issues like the reflectors that turned out not to be that important in the long run...just my two cents
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Yeah I think especially compared to all the fine engineering of this car, the hard-top hardware is curiously primitive. I found this thread in search of an aftermarket cam/clamp system. Even the obsolete Hearst T-tops used on the '79 Trans Am can serve as a lesson to Lotus engineers for a starting point in designing a very simple and quick latch system.
OK my point - I use a great palm sized cordless (screw)driver made by Skil. They call this the "ixo". It has a much higher torque than any other mini driver. It is also smaller and feels much more solid than other models. I got it for under $50 at H.Depot. It clears the body interior at all fastener points, and you can even lock the unit for use as a hand-powered tool. It also looks pretty cool.
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It only takes 10 minutes or so to put the hardtop on,and it's a 5 minute job to take it off...no biggie
Either your way over-exagerating or you need someone to show you how to do it but it usually takes me between 2-3 minutes to take it off or put it on.
Like peck said, its pretty useless to have a quicker way to remove the hardtop since we cant put it anywhere but our garage....
-Seb
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Don't have a hard top myself, but wouldn't it still make sense to have a quick fastener to make it even easier? The honda del sol has the best targa top I've ever experienced... two latches, and you're done... all of 1-2 seconds to complete.
Cade
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Taking pictures this week!
pictures?
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My concern would be that with all the screwing and unscrewing you might damage or wear out a screw or socket.
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Don't have a hard top myself, but wouldn't it still make sense to have a quick fastener to make it even easier? The honda del sol has the best targa top I've ever experienced... two latches, and you're done... all of 1-2 seconds to complete.
Agreed. I just sold my Del Sol and I'm a little sentimental.
That being said, the Del Sol and Elise are entirely different animals... As mentioned before.
You can plop the targa top off the Del Sol into the trunk and drive off. I've done it in traffic waiting for a lifting bridge to come back down. It's similar to the way you'd take the top down/off (our soft top off) in any convertible.
Our hardtop cannot be stored in the vehicle. Consider it similar to the hardtop on Miatas or S2000's (and others). I'm not sure how difficult those are to put on, but I imagine it's more work... takes two people to put on simply due to its size and awkwardness. Basically, put it on for the winter and take it off in spring.
I'm not going to begrudge the possibly 20 total extra minutes each year to put on and take off the hardtop. Especially if you consider how long we spend on this forum... I got a ratcheting screwdriver to simplify the task a little; even getting a powered one just for this application seems overkill to me (I'd be afraid to strip out parts).
Just my 2¢.
-Frank.
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Either your way over-exagerating or you need someone to show you how to do it but it usually takes me between 2-3 minutes to take it off or put it on.
Like peck said, its pretty useless to have a quicker way to remove the hardtop since we cant put it anywhere but our garage....
-Seb
Well,I've only had the hardtop on my car twice since I got it,and I find that lining up the screws actually takes more time than the rest of the process.
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The purpose of this thread was to inquire whether someone had ideas for a quick release, not to spawn a debate whether I need a quick release. I could care less what others think, I'd like to have a quick release for the hardtop.
I'd like a top that I can remove 2-3 times a week, as easily as the softtop. My Elise is a daily driver - top is on going to a client's office, off on the weekend and some week nights. When the top comes off, it will be stored in a garage. The softtop will be in the trunk in case of rain, I don't need the hardtop stored in the Elise.
Seems very reasonable to desire a quick release!
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The purpose of this thread was to inquire whether someone had ideas for a quick release, not to spawn a debate whether I need a quick release. I could care less what others think, ...
Reminds me of the responses you see on the "How can we improve the A/C" threads. Very few people with constructive suggestions, but always plenty of people from Alaska or the Pacific Northwest willing to explain why I don't need A/C anyway....in Phoenix...
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My concern would be that with all the screwing and unscrewing you might damage or wear out a screw or socket.
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My concern would be that with all the screwing and unscrewing you might damage or wear out a screw or socket.
Reminds me of a date I had once...
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Ha, good one Transio. Hey - how's the Yellow Elise?
Here's my idea for a hard top quick release. It is a high end bicycle quick release skewer (holds the wheel on the bike forks). This particular model has a carbon fiber lever and titanium fasteners. The first photo is the original skewer, I'd need to remove the original ti rod and replace it with a ti or steel bolt of the appropriate size (second photo). Should be a strong and elegant solution...
I can see < 2 minute hard top removals in my future...
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Reminds me of the responses you see on the "How can we improve the A/C" threads. Very few people with contructive suggestions, but always plenty of people from Alaska or the Pacific Northwest willing to explain why I don't need A/C anyway....in Phoenix...
Thanks roadrunner!
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a ti or steel bolt of the appropriate size (second photo). Should be a strong and elegant solution...
I can see < 2 minute hard top removals in my future...
But now you will have levers sticking down into the already small cockpit area.
Seriously, that's what the soft top is for. Put it on, and take it off quickly, store it in the boot. If you need the top on while driving to your client, install the sort top - is it really that much less than the hardtop?