09-08-2013, 08:22 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-08-2013, 08:35 PM by broncosbybart.)
I have made the windshield frame removable. The hinge is a new stainless hinge that I will try to polish up and not paint. That way the paint won't chip off when folding the windshield down. I welded some 1/4-20 nuts to the underside of the channel that is behind where the dash will be. This will simplify removal/installation of the windshield if need be once it is completed.
I have also started working on the doors. Since the window frames were already hacked off, I decided to purchase a set of Bestop soft uppers and try to mate them up to the hard lower doors. I ended up using DOM tube that was a little bigger than the 2 'legs' that stick down out of the soft upper door frame. The whole concept mirrors what the Heeps do. I'm not sure how sturdy it will be at highway speed, as I've heard plenty of complaints about soft doors flexing and flapping around. The tube that was sunk into the door frame is reinforced to the door and has no movement. The design of the door upper is the part I am not so sure about, but we will see.
Follow along:
The top of the door was already 'plated over' by someone else. I decided to leave that all there and work with what I had. I measure 4 times and then drilled the two 1/2" holes that I needed for setting the DOM tube through the top of the doors. Each piece of DOM was cut to 5" long. You can see the DOM fitting over the 'legs' of the soft uppers in the first two pics.
I taped the DOM to the 'legs' with some electrical tape and slid the whole assembly onto the door. I left about a quarter inch sticking out of the top of the ddor and then tacked the two DOM tubes in place. I then removed the tape that held the DOM to the legs of the soft uppers and removed the uppers to check for fit. They slid in and out of the holes as they should. So I welded the DOM tube in place and then cut the excess off and ground it flush.
The lower part of the DOM (the part inside the door) was reinforced. I cut some 1" square tube to length and welded it down near the bottom of the DOM tube and welded the other end to the side of the inner door. I did this on both the front and the rear tubes. It was kind of hard to get at, but in the end it worked out. The DOM tube has no flex or movement with the upper door in place. I do want to see how it performs on the road. I have my doubts, as the upper seems kind of flexy, but we'll see at some point in the distant future. Enjoy!
I have also started working on the doors. Since the window frames were already hacked off, I decided to purchase a set of Bestop soft uppers and try to mate them up to the hard lower doors. I ended up using DOM tube that was a little bigger than the 2 'legs' that stick down out of the soft upper door frame. The whole concept mirrors what the Heeps do. I'm not sure how sturdy it will be at highway speed, as I've heard plenty of complaints about soft doors flexing and flapping around. The tube that was sunk into the door frame is reinforced to the door and has no movement. The design of the door upper is the part I am not so sure about, but we will see.
Follow along:
The top of the door was already 'plated over' by someone else. I decided to leave that all there and work with what I had. I measure 4 times and then drilled the two 1/2" holes that I needed for setting the DOM tube through the top of the doors. Each piece of DOM was cut to 5" long. You can see the DOM fitting over the 'legs' of the soft uppers in the first two pics.
I taped the DOM to the 'legs' with some electrical tape and slid the whole assembly onto the door. I left about a quarter inch sticking out of the top of the ddor and then tacked the two DOM tubes in place. I then removed the tape that held the DOM to the legs of the soft uppers and removed the uppers to check for fit. They slid in and out of the holes as they should. So I welded the DOM tube in place and then cut the excess off and ground it flush.
The lower part of the DOM (the part inside the door) was reinforced. I cut some 1" square tube to length and welded it down near the bottom of the DOM tube and welded the other end to the side of the inner door. I did this on both the front and the rear tubes. It was kind of hard to get at, but in the end it worked out. The DOM tube has no flex or movement with the upper door in place. I do want to see how it performs on the road. I have my doubts, as the upper seems kind of flexy, but we'll see at some point in the distant future. Enjoy!