[southtarnation]

*I am in the midst of a almost total restoration of a vintage '89 -4.*
I am contemplating a few mods while I have it torn down this far and would like some additional input on a few ideas.

I would like to mod in the fastback and I know that there is lots of info on and off the forum from members like Axxo who's "guide" will be invaluable as I attempt this but I have a few unanswered questions still. I know I will have many more questions along the way but for now I mostly just have design questions.

My mentor and repeat rv builder (20 some odd times) is a proponent of the sliders, I like the unrestricted view from the tip-over. I have worried about how I might get out if I ever ended up on the lid. I have combed then ongoing/never ending debate for very valid opinions on both.

Some questions I have are, does anyone know of any slider fastback -4's in addition to Sam James's? I understand that most if not all the parts I would need for the conversion (to tipover) are from Harmon Rocket. Are the parts still available? I only see the most basic of websites for the Harmon rocket with only a phone number for John. No way of selecting part number... Do you just call him up? I think the HRII only came in a tip over so where would one get the parts for making it slider? I wonder if parts for the -8 could be used easily?Now I know of course that with enough money or modification any thing can be used but I'm looking for the simplest way to achieve the desired result without taking the stance of not doing it at all or breaking the bank.

Personally I really like the looks of the speed sloped F1 sliding canopy/windshield. My ultimate desire would be new meld that canopy and speed slope on my soon to be fb4. Im certain that the HRIIs are wider then the -4s and that the f1s are wider yet, so it may be too much work and money. aside from the fact that the canopy from team Rocket is way out of my budget when combined with the razorback mod and other upgrades. Are there any -8 sliders out there with speed sloped windscreens? Any with the fb mod?

I wonder if the easiest option would be to see if Todd's canopies would make me a HRII slider with a speed slope? As the HRII canopies are what has been utilized by most others I believe.

For you guys that have sliders on a tandem, are there indents or some way of limiting the canopy from opening all the way and falling out of reach to the restrained pilot?*

Opinions welcome and facts appreciated!

 

[vfrazier]

You asked, so here are my $.02, from a guy who modified his Rocket to get more backseat head and shoulder room. Some of the details are on www.vincesrocket.com

1) sliders are far more work than floppers. Plan on pulling out all of your hair if you make your own one-off slider. A flop over center section with a speed slope front is easy enough as long as you don't expect a rain-proof seal between the two. Carry a roll of electrical tape to seal the small gap when away from home. Don't worry, sliders don't seal either.
2) you don't need any parts from John Harmon (but you can get them there if you want). You only need some cardboard, string, and snips to make the entire turtledeck. Figure out the seatback bulkhead and use the string to figure out the others.
3) build your own canopy frame from 4130 tubing to fit the rest of your work.
4)Todd makes great stuff. He is your soon-to-be best friend on your canopy project.
5) recognize the insanity of such a project before you begin. If you're OK with being insane... rock on!

See, easy as pie.

 

[southtarnation]

Thanks for the tips Vince!

I guess I need to call Todd up. Of the pictures I've seen, a few fb's have a straight line from the crest of the canopy down the deck, others have an obvious bubble that sticks up. How can I be sure to get the former?

I never thought of having a tip over without the windshield attached. That's a pretty good idea. Though over never seen it done on any rv, HR or F1 I don't think... I haven't seen any mention of any speed slopes on Todd's site, guess I'll have to ask him about that. Any one ever heard of a sloped slope on an 8 or 4 before? I wonder if the Team-rocket guys would sell just the windscreen and/ or if it would be to wide to utilize.

Thanks again to all who would like to offer their opinions!

 

[southtarnation]

I stopped in today and saw Sam James' -4 FB slider. He was kind enough to let me try it on and share some tips on his fabrication.

I am convinced after sitting in his, that the canopy bow is not nearly as intrusive as I thought it would be on a narrow airframe and that I would prefer to go the slider route, all things considered.

Sam had fabricated the canopy slides to be on each frame rail and not down the turtle deck for aesthetic reasons but cautioned me that it want necessary and took a bit more work then he thought it would. He also had his canopy made and did not use and -8's or a HR's...

I was looking at the Teamrocket sliding canopy with speed slope setup and noted it utilized the canopy rails as well and not the turtle deck to slide. Though expensive on my 'lil -4 rebuild budget I wonder if it would get me most the way to where I wanted to be with the least amount of fab work...

If someone would be so kind as to measure the distance of the/their F1 canopy from the outside skin on the canopy frame rail to the same place on the opposite side at the forward canopy bow, roll bar location between the seats and at the rear seat back bulkhead i would greatly appreciate it.