so when is this available for purchase? i'm losing interest.

 

I will be ponying up the $ to become a sponsor in the next week or so. I'm selling a few stocks to cover the cost, so it will take a few days until i have the $ in hand. All i need to do is create a DIY for the installs and find a good source for the plastic buckles i will be using for the elastic. Being so close to becoming a sponsor, i feel more comfortable mentioning price... The fully insulated larger liner will be a bit over $200, and the insulated smaller liner will be a little over $100. Both will be available w/o the insulation and a reduced price. The cost of embroidery will depend on the request, but it will be reasonably priced as well. The embroidery on the liner below would cost $35.

The larger liner fits into the trim across the front, velcros in 9 places, and buckles to the frame with 6 elastic straps. The install is simple and easy. Removal only takes 30 seconds. The small liner fits into the trim across the front and velcros in 3 places.

Here are a couple of shots of the insulated back on a small liner:




The one above was created for the former president of the S2K Atlanta club. He wanted to have his car's name embroidered across the front. When the top is dropping/dropped, "VADER II" can be read by ppl coming from the front of the car.

 

I would definitely be in line for one.
As you know the german unit I installed and had for 8 years is toast. The german liner definitely improved the thermal insulation and blocks radiant heat from the closed roof.

It also reduced the sound level but not greatly.
I suspect the lining as you describe it would be better at sound reduction.

I bought the light gray color german unit, primarily to brighten up the interior with the top up. The lighter color is much less claustrophobic and the interior feels larger which is always an effect of lighter colors.
I hope you would consider (and can find the color fabric) light gray unit but I still want one anyway.

Can't wait.

 

Would i consider a light gray unit? Absolutely. I can make one out of basically any fabric as long as it's thin enough to fit in the trim. Gray canvas would look to best. It's more expensive than the vinyl, so the cost would go up. I'm not sure how much more it would be though. I think cloth would also improve sound deadening too. The seamstress i'm working with does a lot of marine reupholstery, so she uses materials that hold to the weather. i'm sourcing my vinyl and canvas through her to try and avoid the degrading problem you had.

 

You da Man!!

 

You mentioned matching the stiching on the CR which got my attention. After reading a couple other posts I noticed you mentioned again that you havent seen/worked on a HT as of yet. No CRs to date have a soft top (that # might change soon) so when/if you decide to look into doing a HT with stich matching I would love to see it.
Thanks again for the hard work.

 

hmmm... that's a good point. I forgot CR's didn't come with soft tops. I don't think i will have time to design a liner for the HT's. I'm moving and starting med school in August, and i don't think i will have time to organize and design that many different products. I'm not eliminating the possibility though. If this venture starts going smoothly and i borrow a HT from someone locally, i may be able to come up with a clean and simple option for you guys. I enjoy the development a whole lot more than production, so i'll probably get bored and HAVE to do it.


*******gbaker: I talked to my seamstress about canvas for awhile yesterday. She says i'm going to have to change up the design to get it to work in canvas. We're going to get together soon to figure out what needs to be done.

 

what is going to be the difference in coverage from the smaller version to the larger?

 

Med School! Sounds like you might need the practice in stitching??! HeHe

Good luck and congrats on being accepted to the School.

Whatever you can come up with on the gray would be good. I suspect there are some types of fleece fabric (outerwear capable) that may provide more allowable stretch and be easier to work than canvas.

All I know is the gray fabric with a foam backing that was in the german version did not last all that long. However I did have the top down a lot and seldom put the boot cover on so that may have assisted the degradation.

 

Med school?

Better get your manufacturing in order beforehand......in a few months you'll be too busy to work on this stuff! (Doc here, trust me, I know)

Your hard work on this is appreciated. This is something I would certainly consider purchasing.