permanent hardtop install
Joined: Jun 2009
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From: Dallas, Tx
Originally Posted by IrishS2k,Oct 16 2009, 10:13 PM
Just got the camera to take pics, batteries dead...but here's the thread that I bookmarked, where I found out about these brakets. Half way down the page has pics.
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showt...65258&st=50&hl=
As you can see the hardtop latches (Which WARNING are screwed in extremely tight, and have loctite)are completely replaced. Which leaves a hole in the hardtop headliner and exposes the paint. With my berlina, it matches my interior so I was lucky with that. You don't have to worry about cutting the interior headliner anymore cause he redesigned them. I'm pretty sure you still have to cut the rear panels a little though. Nothing major, and very easy with a dremel.
I guess this is the closest thing to an s2000 coupe there is, besides that white one. I was actually one of the lucky people to have my soft top slashed / seats stolen
. So I decided to go permanent hardtop. One of the major things I liked about this idea, was the weight loss (Around 100lbs). Some people argue it's not enough weight to justify yanking everything down to the frame. I say weight-loss is awesome, especially in a car like ours 
. On my ap1 S, I had an OEM hardtop on it as well...and it came off maybe 2 times a year. So my main reasons for pulling everything is...I plan on keeping it forever, Not the biggest fan of top down driving, and useless slashed rag top. If you ever plan on selling your S in the future I wouldn't suggest doing this. Definitely weigh the pros and cons. Removing it all was a major PITA, I imagine the Reinstall would be just as bad. And if you sold it without the softtop, you'd obviously take a huge hit. 
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showt...65258&st=50&hl=
As you can see the hardtop latches (Which WARNING are screwed in extremely tight, and have loctite)are completely replaced. Which leaves a hole in the hardtop headliner and exposes the paint. With my berlina, it matches my interior so I was lucky with that. You don't have to worry about cutting the interior headliner anymore cause he redesigned them. I'm pretty sure you still have to cut the rear panels a little though. Nothing major, and very easy with a dremel.
I guess this is the closest thing to an s2000 coupe there is, besides that white one. I was actually one of the lucky people to have my soft top slashed / seats stolen
. So I decided to go permanent hardtop. One of the major things I liked about this idea, was the weight loss (Around 100lbs). Some people argue it's not enough weight to justify yanking everything down to the frame. I say weight-loss is awesome, especially in a car like ours . On my ap1 S, I had an OEM hardtop on it as well...and it came off maybe 2 times a year. So my main reasons for pulling everything is...I plan on keeping it forever, Not the biggest fan of top down driving, and useless slashed rag top. If you ever plan on selling your S in the future I wouldn't suggest doing this. Definitely weigh the pros and cons. Removing it all was a major PITA, I imagine the Reinstall would be just as bad. And if you sold it without the softtop, you'd obviously take a huge hit. i've really been contemplating this ever since i put my hardtop on. the softtop underneath just seems like dead weight and i wish it were gone. it's such a big commitment, though...as i'll likely sell off the components, and no way in heck would i ever want to put them back in.
i have no intention of ever selling the car (at least not for the next decade), so what's the risk?
hmmmm
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Joined: Mar 2006
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While I can see this bracket setup is better than stock, do we have any data or owner feedback that can attest to the strength of this during a rollover on a track or road for that matter.
Would the bolts shear off during a rollover with enough impact? Or would the sheet metal tear?
Is this type of setup commonly used acceptable by the race/track officals? If so, I would say that the track officials have some experience that this bracket mount setup is relatively safe based on what they have seen on the track.
I'm not criticizing this design, just wanted to get some feedback from others that this approach is a proven concept that does fairly well for rollover protection.
Would the bolts shear off during a rollover with enough impact? Or would the sheet metal tear?
Is this type of setup commonly used acceptable by the race/track officals? If so, I would say that the track officials have some experience that this bracket mount setup is relatively safe based on what they have seen on the track.
I'm not criticizing this design, just wanted to get some feedback from others that this approach is a proven concept that does fairly well for rollover protection.
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 403
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From: Utah
Originally Posted by Silverf16,Oct 19 2009, 07:56 PM
While I can see this bracket setup is better than stock, do we have any data or owner feedback that can attest to the strength of this during a rollover on a track or road for that matter.
Would the bolts shear off during a rollover with enough impact? Or would the sheet metal tear?
Is this type of setup commonly used acceptable by the race/track officals? If so, I would say that the track officials have some experience that this bracket mount setup is relatively safe based on what they have seen on the track.
I'm not criticizing this design, just wanted to get some feedback from others that this approach is a proven concept that does fairly well for rollover protection.
Would the bolts shear off during a rollover with enough impact? Or would the sheet metal tear?
Is this type of setup commonly used acceptable by the race/track officals? If so, I would say that the track officials have some experience that this bracket mount setup is relatively safe based on what they have seen on the track.
I'm not criticizing this design, just wanted to get some feedback from others that this approach is a proven concept that does fairly well for rollover protection.
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i'd love to know if bolting the hardtop to the car with these brackets would make the s2k track day legal without a rollcage/rollbar.
the fact that most of the clubs in my area require a cage in verts is a real pain in the ass, which is the main reason why i started this thread. i know putting a half cage in the car would be much more cost effective, but it just got me thinking if you could make a s2k coupe.
it probably varies from club to club but how extensive of a cage do you need to run a vert at track days? would a 4pt roll bar suffice?
the fact that most of the clubs in my area require a cage in verts is a real pain in the ass, which is the main reason why i started this thread. i know putting a half cage in the car would be much more cost effective, but it just got me thinking if you could make a s2k coupe.
it probably varies from club to club but how extensive of a cage do you need to run a vert at track days? would a 4pt roll bar suffice?
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Joined: Mar 2006
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Originally Posted by kanders2,Oct 19 2009, 09:54 PM
i'd love to know if bolting the hardtop to the car with these brackets would make the s2k track day legal without a rollcage/rollbar.
the fact that most of the clubs in my area require a cage in verts is a real pain in the ass, which is the main reason why i started this thread. i know putting a half cage in the car would be much more cost effective, but it just got me thinking if you could make a s2k coupe.
it probably varies from club to club but how extensive of a cage do you need to run a vert at track days? would a 4pt roll bar suffice?
the fact that most of the clubs in my area require a cage in verts is a real pain in the ass, which is the main reason why i started this thread. i know putting a half cage in the car would be much more cost effective, but it just got me thinking if you could make a s2k coupe.
it probably varies from club to club but how extensive of a cage do you need to run a vert at track days? would a 4pt roll bar suffice?
Bottom line, if a bolt-on hardtop meets track requirements, then it should infer that it offers significant rollover protection compared to the too short stock roll hoops
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 2,939
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From: Statesville, NC
Hey, I just remembered that the factory hard top is made of aluminum and the body is steel and you can't weld aluminum to steel. So, if you were to "weld" your hard top to the body, it would just be a "molded" in top and I think cracks would eventually start to appear.
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