Creating a bubble top for a kit car, legal? and my aero car design.

[Arashi]

Hi I wish to build my dream car far into the future one day and I was wondering if I can have a custom glass company make me a laminated, safety glass, bubble front windshield and for it to be DOT legal?

Having my own CNC machine to carve the windshield design and if I were to make my own molds for it, it may only cost a few thousand for a company to press the glass shape Im guessing.

Ideally I want it to look like the lower car in the following picture which was designed over an NSX chassis.


My other more attainable idea is to make new A-pillars on a Porsche Boxster with a Lotus Elise windshield.



The Porsche donor design is far less exotic looking, so Im hoping the bubble glass top might be possible to certify it DOT legal if anyone has any insight.

[Cobb]

At one time you could buy a car here with a dome or bubble top, but I think it created too much green house effect and cooking was impossible in direct sun light. Maybe if you blacked out the upper part or used a legal metal tint?

[Frank Lee]

No, I'd say cooking is very possible, even likely, in direct sunlight!

The optics will be difficult, and running a wiper blade effectively across it may be a challenge too. Not to mention replacement cost WHEN it gets the crack/rock chip.

[War_Wagon]

Years ago my friend built a lowrider for the show car circuit. It had a giant glass roof that was contoured to the factory roof shape. The only feasible way to do it was with plexiglass, and even then it was so expensive that I wondered what he actually did for a living to pay for it. I believe you can use plexiglass for sunroofs, maybe even side windows legally (though your area may differ, you'd have to look into it), but not for a windshield. Having it made from proper safety glass would probably be so cost prohibitive that it wouldn't be worth it. And like Frank Lee said, when it get's chipped you'll probably cry.

[dremd]

I know a guy that used to make windshields for motorcycles out of plexi (a certain type worked best).
He would hear the sheets of plexi in an oven that was set to a temp that would make it about as floppy as wet noodle, then draped over a form that was wooden and covered in velvet. Later the edges would be trimmed, sanded, and hardware attached.

There is a windshield film that you will want to look in to, it is crazy durable, but has a life of about 3 years, and is fairly pricey, that said, cheaper than a custom compound curved piece of glass.

Not sure on legality of plexi on cars, my family had a van when I was a kid(86 model) with plexi side windows, they got hazy at the top with what looked like spider cracks (never failed)after about 10 years, but it lived outside in the south, and the windows outlasted the paint by a long shot.

[Cobb]

Sounds like an upside down fish tank.

[Arashi]

[Arashi]

Originally Posted by Cobb

At one time you could buy a car here with a dome or bubble top, but I think it created too much green house effect and cooking was impossible in direct sun light. Maybe if you blacked out the upper part or used a legal metal tint?

Unless some really credible company (which I can show in court after getting fined) can make affordable glass tops and for it to be tinted right in hot spots... Im thinking of scrapping the idea.



The owner and man that inspired the Ferrari P4/5 is planning to make another retro modern car, and that inspired me to make the following
http://i.imgur.com/X15DLLm.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gbl55DYxCI

The roof has a fuselage like design like the original
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ri-330p3-1.jpg
It would be great to use an Enzo windshield or source what the P4/5 uses but that will be hard and expensive to get.


So now Im thinking of further extending the Lotus windshield forward and even stretching (not done yet in the picture) the Porsche donor chassis.

I hope I did the aero overlay right.

[Arashi]

Originally Posted by War_Wagon

Years ago my friend built a lowrider for the show car circuit. It had a giant glass roof that was contoured to the factory roof shape. The only feasible way to do it was with plexiglass, and even then it was so expensive that I wondered what he actually did for a living to pay for it. I believe you can use plexiglass for sunroofs, maybe even side windows legally (though your area may differ, you'd have to look into it), but not for a windshield. Having it made from proper safety glass would probably be so cost prohibitive that it wouldn't be worth it. And like Frank Lee said, when it get's chipped you'll probably cry.

I didnt think about it getting chipped Tempered glass is legal for side and rear windows... but a plexiglass roof would be pretty amazing I can imagine.

Originally Posted by dremd

I know a guy that used to make windshields for motorcycles out of plexi (a certain type worked best).
He would hear the sheets of plexi in an oven that was set to a temp that would make it about as floppy as wet noodle, then draped over a form that was wooden and covered in velvet. Later the edges would be trimmed, sanded, and hardware attached.

There is a windshield film that you will want to look in to, it is crazy durable, but has a life of about 3 years, and is fairly pricey, that said, cheaper than a custom compound curved piece of glass.

Not sure on legality of plexi on cars, my family had a van when I was a kid(86 model) with plexi side windows, they got hazy at the top with what looked like spider cracks (never failed)after about 10 years, but it lived outside in the south, and the windows outlasted the paint by a long shot.

I know Plexiglass can be used for track cars, but not for the road. That plastic melting method is called vacuum forming and Im actually planning to use that method to make my panels for my first kit.
http://i.imgur.com/qijCZ.jpg
Maybe I'll make plexiglass detachable T-tops this way

[Cobb]

I guess for a dome or bubble top you can cut plexi in triangles like that of a base ball hat, then melt and curve them then glue it together. Then use tint film or the vht lens tint spray.