Custom made perplex wind-blockers between Twin Hoop rollbar

[Mr Morlock]

In Sydney Plastral trading ( 2 9695 3222 also check website) sell a variety of plastics including sheet- these people are experts . Best thing is take some advice on what to buy from someone who actually knows the product they sell- Bunnings will have no idea . I would guess PC may be best but maybe not. PC has excellent impact resistance but for automotive applications such as headlamp lenses ( on virtually all cars) these lenses are hard coated as they will discolour and deteriorate very quickly. Since PC is used on roofing it must be treated for external applications. If you can get the name of a fabricator you may be able to get it cut to profile.

[Lokiel]

i like the thought of perspex but doesn't it go milky in sunlight?

I have the MX5 Plus Twin hoop roll bar and made a custom one from perspex:



I'll try and get some better/closer pics of it later.

The roll bar had two small holes on the horizontal beam between the hoops so here's what I did:

Purchased:
1. Sheet of perspex from Bunnings (plus walked out with a lot of other stuff I NEVER intended to buy - DAMN THEM!)
2. Length of aluminium U-shaped channel from Bunnings that would allow the perspex to sit in.
3. Double-sided tape (white unfortunately, couldn't find black anywhere ).
4. U-shaped rubber from Clarke Rubber that would allow me to seat the perspex into the aluminium U-shaped channel to avoid rattles&squeaks.
5. Big zip ties that fit arount the roll bar.
6. Black rubber hose that allowed the zip-ties to fit.
7. 2 pvc studs that would fit firmly in the two small holes mentioned above.

Steps:
1. Cut the u-shaped aluminium to fit between the hoops and painted it black.
2. Glued the 2 pvc studs onto the bottom of the aluminium so that the u-shaped aluminium channel fits between the twin hoops and into its 2 small holes.
3. Attached double-sided tape to U-shaped aluminium channel and fixed it between twin hoops.
4. Cut the perspex to required size (Hint: Make a cardboard template - you can easily get it to the right size/shape - I kept mine the same height as the original windblocker)
5. Drilled two holes on each side of perspex to attach it to the roll bar hoops.
6. Glued U-shaped rubber to side and bottom of perspex and inserted it into U-shaped aluminium channel.
7. Threaded 4 zip-ties into black rubber hose (didn't want them scraping the paint) and zip-tied perspex to twin hoops.

I couldn't keep the perspex clean and it always looked smeared so I "smoked it" with VHT Night Shade and it looks much better (the photo above is BEFORE I smoked it).

Keeping the custom windblocker at the same height as the original means that there are no visibility issues now that I've smoked it.

UNFORTUNATELY I can no longer simply reach over from the driver's seat to pull the roof up This is why the OEM windblocker was hinged.

[Lokiel]

Here's some quick photos I took this morning of my DIY windblocker:

Rear View


Front View


Rear 3/4 Closeup View


You can see the where the 2 pvc studs are - at the gaps along the white double-sided tape (must find some black double-sided tape soon).


Eventually, when I get the time, I'd like to make something like this:
http://www.miata.net/garage/windblock3.html
(I'd keep the centre bit the same height as it is now though for visibility reasons).

[Mr Morlock]

the Miata item uses acrylic not PC- interesting

[Old Dude]

I think the biggest problem for us all is coming up with a design, that would preferably fold down and still enable us to raise the top from the driver seat whilst seated.

[Hammer]

Nice work. I like.

I have the RB Style 2 Bar on my NB. Though while the factory blocker was fitted back, it still allow plenty of back draft. I think I'll try this to see if it cuts the wind buffetting down.

[BadBong]

Thanks for the detailed instructions mate - appreciated.

What do you guys think about the 'sliding door' design along the horizontal beam of the roll bar?

I was originally hoping that there would be more room between the back of the seats and the hoops as it's better to fit the sliding door in front of the hoops than behind to counter the force of the wind.

[MX5-SP]

Maybe I should start this as a different topic as I had the same problem, but came up with a different solution using the original wind-blocker.

First off, I have a single-hoop TorqueBox rollbar, so my solution might not apply to the double-hoop roll-bar (although I can't see why not). Ann and I really noticed the need for a wind-blocker on the Bum-freezer trip this weekend as wind-blocker had been removed to fit the roll-bar which up to now had not been a problem, but this weekend we were getting an icy blast around our ears from behind. It was quite uncomfortable. So I had started thinking of a way to solve the problem, including using perspex, but I wanted to retain the original look'n'feel, and perspex didn't suit my tastes. So here's what I came up with:









A couple of points:

1. The wind-blocker has been turned around and now flips forward, so I do have to stop the car and tip the seats to flick the wind-blocker up. This is an acceptable tradeoff as I'll probably leave it up all the time, but it means stopping the car to alter the position if required.
2. I retained the use of the map pocket by undoing the holding clips and feeding the mesh under and behind. I had to refit the holding clips on the other side.
3. I still need to 'finish' the fittings cover on the passenger-side, and also fit a press-stud for the map-pocket, but I'm looking for something to clip the hand-held radio in position, so I haven't decided what to do for that yet.
4. I did drill some holes and made a couple of slits in the side to accommodate the roll-bar frame.
5. I might have lost some (minor) seat adjustment, but not for my driving style as I do like a more upright position.

The pix have shown up some marks, dust and scratches that I didn't notice previously, so I'll do something about that.

Overall time to fit was about 2-3 hours as I was feeling my way and trying out some variations. I reckon it could be done in about 1 hour with the final design known and instructions. There are no special tools required. And with the exception of the press-stud, there's nothing to buy. I used 2 stainless steel self tappers to screw into the roll bar - it ain't likely to move.

I took it for a short test drive this evening and it works really well. I wish I had done it before the weekend trip!

[Lokiel]

Maybe I should start this as a different topic as I had the same problem, but came up with a different solution using the original wind-blocker.

I prefer specific information all in the one thread - it makes it easier to find rather than being scattered all over the place.

[MX5-SP]

Maybe I should start this as a different topic as I had the same problem, but came up with a different solution using the original wind-blocker.

I prefer specific information all in the one thread - it makes it easier to find rather than being scattered all over the place.

I see the logic in that, and on hindsight it would have been better to start a new topic and just point to it in here if people are interested. My rationale for putting here though was to show folk they didn't need to go down the path of inserting a perspex add-on if they still have their original wind-blocker. But now that the Edit Button has been removed my contribution is here to stay - unless one of the moderators wishes to make the necessary amendment.

[BadBong]

Well, regardless of where is the 'ideal' place to put this info - there's really only 3 threads with info on DIY windblockers so let's just stick with this and make sure we have all our info here in one place.

On another note, I went to Clark Rubber at Mascot yesterday (They were mighty helpful!) and saw quite a few bits and pieces that would be useful for our project. (i.e. groved rubber tubes that allows the perspex to slide along)

I'm leaning more and more towards the sliding door idea but will need to have the bar fitted first before i can test out my theory.

[Mr Morlock]

MX5SP had an excellent and interesting suggestion about retaining the original. An owner who fits or buys a car with a roll bar may feel there is too much turbulence and one solution may well be to retain the original deflector. Readers can select what they want on any subject.

[Benny]

Just a thought for those who want to put in a wind-blocker.
When driving, the force of the air is coming from behind you, not from the front, so if you have a wind-blocker, you only need something that prevents it from coming forward, not backward, as the wind will help hold it up.

Therefore, you should be thinking of having it hinge towards the rear of the car, and not the front.
This will make it a lot easier to fold down so you can raise the roof.

[nick viner]

I made mine out of lexan off cut bought from a plastics company in Geelong.
I had two tee shaped machine screw bolts with black plastic heads. They came off a sailboat canopy and do a really good job. carefully drill and tap holes in the back of the bars. I only used two near the top of the hoops and soft one sided foam tape on the bottom to stop rattles. I also took out the oem wind blocker.
I'm not interested in lifting my hood from inside the car after shoulder surgery, I can't do it.
I have no probs with getting out to pull it up.
My advise would be to take the plastic as far to the outsides of the car as you can to stop as much air rushing in from the rear of the car as possible. you can go quite high with the screen.
By the way, by buying an off cut I only had to pay $ 15.00 for it and cut it with a jig saw whilst the paper was still on the plastic.A linisher then smooths and rounds the edges. I keep it flat on the bottom of the boot in a pillow case when not in use.
All this is fitted to a 2002 LE.. Hope this is of some help.
It works for me.
Cheers Nick.

[Old Dude]

Any pictures Nick?
Cheers
Dale