More Saratoga Madness on eBay
03-31-2004, 11:07 AM
#16
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Zero,
If I was you, I'd buy the Saratoga on eBay or borrow one from someone who has one on the list, and use it as the mold. Fab the brakets directly from the Saratoga. Basically, recreate the Saratoga. Then sell them on here for $200 a pop and you'll sell a crap load of them.
-Matt
If I was you, I'd buy the Saratoga on eBay or borrow one from someone who has one on the list, and use it as the mold. Fab the brakets directly from the Saratoga. Basically, recreate the Saratoga. Then sell them on here for $200 a pop and you'll sell a crap load of them.
-Matt
03-31-2004, 11:11 AM
#17
Originally posted by Techno Duck
Also the fact that i dont know how well the stuff would hold up in the event (knock on wood of course) that one ever got into an accident.
Also the fact that i dont know how well the stuff would hold up in the event (knock on wood of course) that one ever got into an accident.
Just look at the way the early sunroofs mount, it's not as though they are a structural portion of the car, I'd expect my sunroof to just pop out if I got hit hard enough.
Besides, after looking at some crashed 944 pictures, it seems like it takes a hell of an impact to buckle the roofline. The majority of the 944 pics I've seen have still had straight doors, and a straight roofline, unless the car was T-boned.
03-31-2004, 11:31 AM
#18
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Saratoga made two type of glass tops for our cars: First generation has a wide frame around the perimeter which resulted in leakage/wind noise problems. Second generation has a narrow frame and is less prone to leakage and wind noise. They were avilable in bronze and smoke grey colors. I believe they also made a one piece roof for early t-top 'Vetts. They produced a fine product. Shame they went bust. I'd buy one in a heartbeat for $500.
03-31-2004, 01:04 PM
#21
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i like the lexan idea. you could make the panels for cheap (read: replaceable if after a few years you got some crazing) and make the hardware removeable. epoxy the mount point to the lexan and if you ever wanted to reuse it you just get rid of the epoxy and re-epoxy them to the new roof.
hmmm wheels turning in head....
-Mike-
hmmm wheels turning in head....
-Mike-
03-31-2004, 01:26 PM
#22
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First off, there is no way in hell even if I had a saratoga top to replicate, that I could do them for $200. The glass alone will be $200 - $400 CDN, depending on the drilling and forming required.
sorry, wish I could though.
Although, a saratoga top would be handy to work off.
I have a couple stupid questions. On the saratoga tops, does the hardware have screws that come through the glass, and hold it on? Or is the hardware siliconed right to the underside of the glass?
If it's siliconed right to the underside, that would drop the cost of the glass a little (not a lot).
I was giving some more thought to the weatherstripping, and I think the best way would be to have a big seal on the car itself, which would partially raise the roof, so it would sit flush with the roof line (otherwise it would be recessed), and so it would seal decently.
My biggest worry is that it will leak. There is no good way to weatherstrip the edges of the roof like our current sunroof panels are. I would have to attach a metal flange, shaped like the edge of our roofs, and put weatherstripping on it too, and I think that would be very ugly.
However, there does have to be a metal trim on the edge. Remember that the glass will be tempered, and if you give it just the right tap in the right spot on the edge, the entire panel will shatter. It's tough to do intentionally, but if it starts happening by accident, people will get mad.
All of that considered, it's not too difficult to do. Simply duplicate the hardware and mounting style of the saratoga tops, and find a place to duplicate the glass, and it's done.
The lexan idea is not a bad idea. It's a little harder to apply tint to lexan, but you can actually tint the lexan itself, so that problem is solved. If the cost is low enough, it would be reasonable to replace it in 5-10 years when it gets scratched. But if it's kept in the sunroof case, and well taken care of, I could see it going 20 years before it starts to really yellow.
I will try to ask a couple local places that work with lexan what an approximate cost would be.
I think it would save about 5-7lbs over the factory roof, plus it will look cool =)
On the downside, the glass roof would probably weigh 25lbs, which I think is more than the factory roof.
Well, I'm done thinking out loud =)
sorry, wish I could though.
Although, a saratoga top would be handy to work off.
I have a couple stupid questions. On the saratoga tops, does the hardware have screws that come through the glass, and hold it on? Or is the hardware siliconed right to the underside of the glass?
If it's siliconed right to the underside, that would drop the cost of the glass a little (not a lot).
I was giving some more thought to the weatherstripping, and I think the best way would be to have a big seal on the car itself, which would partially raise the roof, so it would sit flush with the roof line (otherwise it would be recessed), and so it would seal decently.
My biggest worry is that it will leak. There is no good way to weatherstrip the edges of the roof like our current sunroof panels are. I would have to attach a metal flange, shaped like the edge of our roofs, and put weatherstripping on it too, and I think that would be very ugly.
However, there does have to be a metal trim on the edge. Remember that the glass will be tempered, and if you give it just the right tap in the right spot on the edge, the entire panel will shatter. It's tough to do intentionally, but if it starts happening by accident, people will get mad.
All of that considered, it's not too difficult to do. Simply duplicate the hardware and mounting style of the saratoga tops, and find a place to duplicate the glass, and it's done.
The lexan idea is not a bad idea. It's a little harder to apply tint to lexan, but you can actually tint the lexan itself, so that problem is solved. If the cost is low enough, it would be reasonable to replace it in 5-10 years when it gets scratched. But if it's kept in the sunroof case, and well taken care of, I could see it going 20 years before it starts to really yellow.
I will try to ask a couple local places that work with lexan what an approximate cost would be.
I think it would save about 5-7lbs over the factory roof, plus it will look cool =)
On the downside, the glass roof would probably weigh 25lbs, which I think is more than the factory roof.
Well, I'm done thinking out loud =)
03-31-2004, 01:46 PM
#23
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Just for grins, I called the Saratoga company this morning and spoke to a guy there...He says they still get calls for the 944 roof; he doesn't think there are any molds laying around, that they were all destroyed (bummer)...He says they get a call from putzes like me every few months nosing around trying to figure out how to get the roof back into production...He referred me to another guy who has been there for awhile...I left my contact info with his voicemail concerning the matter; I doubt I'll hear back but will post if I do...
03-31-2004, 02:55 PM
#24
Does anyone know what the targa roof of a C4 Vette is made of? I'm not sure if it's lexan or some form of polycarbonite, but those seem to hold up to the elements quite nicely. They don't weigh much, and appear to resist scratching fairly decently.
The T-tops of the 4th Gen F-body are made of the same material.
That material might be worth looking into.
The T-tops of the 4th Gen F-body are made of the same material.
That material might be worth looking into.
lol
