Making a Removable Top

Rat Rods Rule

Help Support Rat Rods Rule:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

cmcdanl

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Messages
171
This was a learning experience for me. I had to do alot of researching to figure out how to do this. So hopefully this helps out those of you that want to make one. Well it took me forever to find the materials i needed. I had no clue what to use for buttons. So i went to alot of hobby stores and looked at snaps. But i couldn't figure out how they worked cause none of them had directions on the box. But eventually i found some from Home Depot that had directions kind of. The snaps i bought required a hole to be drilled in the roof and these put throught the holes and crimped together with a tool. Well the guy who had the car before me drilled holes already cause he was going to make a roof but never finished. So i had to use the holes he already drilled. But i would suggest using snaps that you can screw in. Wayyyyy easier. Here is a picture of what those look like. They can be bought at hardware stores. Or boat stores.
LargeImage.aspx

But this is what i used for the part that goes in my roof, instead of the screw in studs.
DSCN1396.jpg

Well since i was using the holes that were already drilled, i couldn't find a tool that would work to crimp these snaps together. So i kind of made my own. Its crappy but it worked. I found a c-clamp that had a hole in the part that clamps down, And the little tool thing that came with my snap kit fit right in to the hole. Here are some pics.
DSCN1408.jpg

DSCN1401.jpg
 
So then i got a peice of angle iron and another clamp just so i could put the bottom part of the snap through the hole and hold it there. it helped alot. then i just clamped down the c-clamp with the tool and it crimped the two parts together, making one snap. Now only about 50 more!
DSCN1375.jpg

DSCN1373.jpg

DSCN1376.jpg
 
Now that all those snaps are put on the roof its time to put the other part of the snaps on the fabric. For fabric i chose to go with black vinyl. But i got the expensive stuff so it wouldn't stretch too much. This vinyl i can stretch and when i let it go it goes right back. But other vinyls would stay stretched. Which means it would start sagging. So dont buy the cheap stuff. My vinyl cost about $40. So anyways to put the snaps in the fabric, you have to use the two little tools that came with the kit. One tool is the one i used in the c-clamp and the other is just a little round thing that you lay on the ground, then you put the top part of the snap on top of that tool, then you cut a hole in your fabric and slip that part through the fabric, then lay the bottom part of the snap on top of that and use the longer tool to put on top and hammer it until it clamps the two together. I dont have pics of that but i will take some tomorrow and post them. So once you get one of those snaps on then i had to put the fabric on top of the car, snap those two together, line it up for the next snap, cut the hole, take the top off, put the next snap in, put the top back in, snap all the buttons together, line up the next hole, and so on... for every button. So that way you can stretch it to make it tight for every button. Dont try to make a template. it wont come out right. The only way to get a true fit is to do it this way. Here are some pics.
DSCN1377.jpg

DSCN1378.jpg


and here it is with all the snaps finally put in.

DSCN1386.jpg

DSCN1385.jpg
 
But then i had to make a nice edge around it. But i dont know how to sew, so i let my sister have at it for a couple days. It came out great i think. Here are pictures of it finished.
DSCN1410.jpg

DSCN1411.jpg

DSCN1415.jpg

DSCN1418.jpg
 
i was gonna add incase it helps alot of marine (Boating supply stores) carry snaps like that just my 2 cents.Great job on the top looks great.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top