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A few ideas from a new owner - wind screen and back support

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Old 02-10-2009 | 11:29 AM
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Default A few ideas from a new owner - wind screen and back support

Bought a 2005 roadster limited the other week. Nice little car. Perfect for FL. Also been perusing your Crossfire Forum. Tons of great info and sure looks like a swell group of people - maybe too many democrats, tho. A few things I've come up with while fooling with the car and searching the Forum:

WINDSCREEN billangiep, one of the members, came of with a great idea for a windscreen. You've probably seen it in the Forum. Thanks, Bill. I puttered around the garage and made one off of his model and offer some thoughts.

1. Making the template: You should probably stop bugging Bill for a copy of the template and make one of your own specific to your car, since all cars probably have slight differences in measurements side-to-side, top-to-bottom and such, as mine does, and surely if you care about those little tiny marks on the ruler. Just get a piece of 24"x24" cardboard, put the seat-back forward a bit, rest it on the umbrella hooks, and mash the cardboard against the rear cockpit bulkhead using the seat-back recline switches. Trace out the bulkhead top and the roll bars onto the cardboard template carefully with a pen. Decide how you would like the top to be ... I wanted mine to mirror the top of the windshield, so the wife and I just mashed the half-finished cardboard template against the top of the windshield frame and carefully traced out the top of it onto the windcsreen template. Ta-da. Be sure to mark the template 'front' and 'back' as you fool with it. Makes a difference, I found out, again, because all cars are probably just a bit different.

2. I used plain 'ol 1/4" pexiglass. Maybe Lexan is better, I don't know. Just cut the windscreen out carefully with a jigsaw using the template you just made. You can really plane the edges of the thing down precisely with a variable speed saw, fitting it often to the car itself, back and forth to your workbench. When I was satisfied with the fit of mine (about an 1/128" clearance all around, not), I sanded the edges down with various grits, ending up polishing the edges with 1500b paper.

3. I found some black 1/4x3/8 foam weather striping laying around the garage and formed a simple gasket where the windcreen rests on the rear bulkhead, only, but not on the roll bars. Bill used some type of velcro strapping to secure his. I used plain 'ol black electrical ties for mine, located and secured via a small hole in the new windscreen near the bottom of the roll-bars where they exit the bulkhead. Snug 'em up tight. Can't hardly see 'em.

Funny thing is, this widscreen actually works! I feel very little backdraft up to 45mph or so. Also, if you really take time to polish the edges and use electrical ties near the bottom of the roll bars like I said, the new item is virtually invisible. I'd include a pic of the new winsdscreen with this thread, but you wouldn't be able to see it.

Thanks for a great idea, billangiep. This windscreen cost me about twenty bucks, compared to hundreds of dollars the bandits on the net want for something probably less attractive and functional.

BACK SUPPORT I'm rather tall and found that, regardless of how nice the car is, I couldn't find any comfortable setting on the eight-way drivers seat in the confined cockpit. Just can't find a setting that gets me reclined and supports my achin'-old lower back without shoving my knees into the bolster. So went to store and bought a nice $12 elongated-bowl toilet seat cover in a color to match my gray-on-black interior nicely. Don't laugh quite yet.

Get one and try it. Find a toilet seat cover you're fond of, but keep the cardboard thingy it comes with. It's sort of egg-shaped. Go in the house and steal an old throw-pillow from the wife, and use the stuffing to custom fit your lower back support pillow. Quit laughing. Stuff the toilet seat, with the cardboard backing still in place just like you bought it, and stuff mostly down in the 'bottom' of it (the fat end of the egg). The sit in your seat with it at your lower back. Knead it, stuff it, oh baby work it and re-stuff it until you like just how it feels.

Added bonus: flip it around and lay it on the seat so your wife can use it like a telephone book when she drives and she'll stop complaining that the 'damn silly little car you bought is too short'. Now you can laugh, jackass. Toss it in the trunk when you go racing. Don't tell the wife about the pillow.

CUP HOLDER One thing you should tell us newbies right off is to never, I mean never ever, search 'cup holder'. Jeeeeez. The only thing anyone can find to complain about this nice little car is the damn cup holder. My cup holder works OK, but I'd rather have that nifty little storage bin that I've seen somewhere in the Forum. It would fit my pack of cigarettes and a lighter just fine. Where can I get one?
 

Last edited by dwightdmagee; 09-02-2009 at 06:05 PM.
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Old 02-10-2009 | 11:35 AM
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Default Re: A few ideas from a new owner - wind screen and back support

I...I...I can't stop laughing!

I can get the Mopar # for the cup/bin tonight.
 
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Old 02-10-2009 | 01:25 PM
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Default Re: A few ideas from a new owner - wind screen and back support

Dude I got tears in my eyes!

When I stop laughing I'm heading to store for one of those egg shaped supports... HA !


Respectfully,


Paul (MisterTaz)
 
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Old 02-10-2009 | 02:28 PM
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Default Re: A few ideas from a new owner - wind screen and back support

Originally Posted by MisterTaz
Dude I got tears in my eyes!

When I stop laughing I'm heading to store for one of those egg shaped supports... HA !


Respectfully,


Paul (MisterTaz)
I'll tell you what's fun: I've also been on the Solstice and Skye forums the past couple days masquerading as an owner, agreeing how wonderful the Sol is, but dickin' em about this curious Crossfire car I saw once and how it might really be a better ride. Great pastime for an old retired jackass.
 
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Old 02-10-2009 | 02:35 PM
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Default Re: A few ideas from a new owner - wind screen and back support

Originally Posted by dwightdmagee
I'll tell you what's fun: I've also been on the Solstice and Skye forums the past couple days masquerading as an owner, agreeing how wonderful the Sol is, but dickin' em about this curious Crossfire car I saw once and how it might really be a better ride. Great pastime for an old retired jackass.
Yeh, we get a few of their kind in here as well from time-to-time.

How bout some pics of that toilet seat back support?


Oh, if you're still under warranty, you can break your cupholder and the dealer will install the bin for free.
 
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Old 02-10-2009 | 03:39 PM
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Default Re: A few ideas from a new owner - wind screen and back support

 
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Old 02-10-2009 | 03:42 PM
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Default Re: A few ideas from a new owner - wind screen and back support

Originally Posted by James1549
OK, ya' beat me to it!
 
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Old 02-10-2009 | 03:47 PM
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Default Re: A few ideas from a new owner - wind screen and back support

Good one Dwight !! But I've got to see a photo! Is it fury and soft?
 
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Old 02-10-2009 | 04:58 PM
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Default Re: A few ideas from a new owner - wind screen and back support

Originally Posted by billangiep
Good one Dwight !! But I've got to see a photo! Is it fury and soft?
I ain't tellin', but the wife loves it......takes two AA's. Suppose you could hook it up to the cigarrete lighter if you are clever enough.
 
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Old 03-09-2009 | 09:51 PM
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Default Re: A few ideas from a new owner - wind screen and back support

Originally Posted by dwightdmagee
Bought a 2005 roadster limited the other week. Nice little car. Perfect for FL. Also been perusing your Crossfire Forum... a lot of great info and looks like a swell group of people - a couple democrats, tho. A few things I've come up with while fooling with the car and searching the Forum:

WINDSCREEN Billangiep, one of the members, came of with a great idea for a windscreen. You've probably seen it in the Forum. Thanks, Bill. I puttered around the garage and made one off of his model and offer some thoughts.

1. You should probably stop bugging Bill for a copy of the template and make one of your own specific to your car, since all cars probably have slight differences in measurements side-to-side, top-to-bottom and such, as mine does, and surely if you care about those little marks on the ruler. Just get a piece of 24"x24" cardboard, put the seat-back forward a bit, rest it on the umbrella hooks, and mash the cardboard against the rear cockpit bulkhead using the seat-back recline switch. Trace out the bulkhead top and the roll bars onto the cardboard template carefully with a pen. Decide how you would like the top to be....I wanted mine to mirror the top of the windshield, so I just mashed the half-finished cardboard template against the top of the windshield frame and carefully traced out the top of it onto the windcsreen template. Ta-da. Be sure to mark the template 'front' and 'back' as you fool with it. Makes a difference, I found out, again, because all cars are probably different.

2. I used plain 'ol pexiglass. Maybe Lexan is better, I don't know. Just cut the windscreen out carefully with a jigsaw using the template you just made. You can really plane the edges of the thing down precisely with a variable speed saw, fitting it often to the car itself, back and forth to your workbench. When I was satisfied with the fit of mine (about an 1/128" clearance all around, not), I sanded the edges down with various grits, ending up polishing the edges with 1500b paper.

3. I had some black 1/4x3/8 foam weather striping laying around and formed a simple gasket where the windcreen rests on the rear bulkhead, only. Nothing on the roll bars. Bill used some type of velcro strapping to secure his. I used plain 'ol black electrical ties for mine, located and secured via a small hole in the new windscreen near the bottom of the roll-bars where they exit the bulkhead. Snug 'em up tight.

Funny thing is, this widscreen actually works! I feel very little backdraft up to 50mph or so. Also, if you really take time to polish the edges and use electrical ties near the bottom of the roll bars, the thing is virtually invisible. I'd include a pic of the winsdscreen with this thread, but you wouldn't be able to see it.

Thanks for a great idea, Billangiep. This windscreen cost me about fifteen bucks, compared to hundreds of dollars the bandits want for something probably less attractive and functional.

BACK SUPPORT I'm rather tall and found that, regardless of how nice the car is, I couldn't find any comfortable setting on the eight-way drivers seat in the confined cockpit. Just can't find a setting that gets me reclined and supports my achin'-old lower back without shoving my knees into the bolster, too. So went to store and bought a nice $12 elongated-bowl toilet seat cover in a color to match my gray-on-black interior nicely. Don't laugh quite yet.

Get one and try it. Find a toilet seat cover you fond of, but keep the cardboard thingy it comes with. It's sort of egg-shaped. Go in the house and find an old throw-pillow your wife will let you sacrifice, and use the stuffing to custom make your lower back support pillow. Quit laughing. Stuff the toilet seat, with the cardboard backing still in place like you bought it, only down in the 'bottom' of it (the fat end of the egg), and sit in your seat with it at your lower back. Knead it, stuff it, oh baby work it and re-stuff it until you like how it feels.

Added bonus: flip it around and lay it on the seat so your wife can use it like a telephone book when she drives and she'll stop complaining that the 'damn silly little car you bought is too short'. Now you can laugh, jackass.

CUP HOLDER One thing you should tell newbies right off is to never, I mean never ever, search 'cup holder'. Jeeeeez. The only thing anyone can find to complain about regarding this nice little car is the damn cup holder. My cup holder OK, but I'd rather have that nifty little storage bin that I've seen somewhere in the Forum. It would fit my pack of cigarettes and a lighter just fine. Where can I get one? Help.
A $20 wind screen for the newbies.
 

Last edited by dwightdmagee; 09-02-2009 at 05:54 PM.
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Old 09-02-2009 | 05:52 PM
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Default a twenty dollar windscreen for the newbies

Originally Posted by dwightdmagee
Bought a 2005 roadster limited the other week. Nice little car. Perfect for FL. Also been perusing your Crossfire Forum. Tons of great info and sure looks like a swell group of people - maybe too many democrats, tho. A few things I've come up with while fooling with the car and searching the Forum:

WINDSCREEN billangiep, one of the members, came of with a great idea for a windscreen. You've probably seen it in the Forum. Thanks, Bill. I puttered around the garage and made one off of his model and offer some thoughts.

1. Making the template: You should probably stop bugging Bill for a copy of the template and make one of your own specific to your car, since all cars probably have slight differences in measurements side-to-side, top-to-bottom and such, as mine does, and surely if you care about those little tiny marks on the ruler. Just get a piece of 24"x24" cardboard, put the seat-back forward a bit, rest it on the umbrella hooks, and mash the cardboard against the rear cockpit bulkhead using the seat-back recline switches. Trace out the bulkhead top and the roll bars onto the cardboard template carefully with a pen. Decide how you would like the top to be ... I wanted mine to mirror the top of the windshield, so the wife and I just mashed the half-finished cardboard template against the top of the windshield frame and carefully traced out the top of it onto the windcsreen template. Ta-da. Be sure to mark the template 'front' and 'back' as you fool with it. Makes a difference, I found out, again, because all cars are probably just a bit different.

2. I used plain 'ol 1/4" pexiglass. Maybe Lexan is better, I don't know. Just cut the windscreen out carefully with a jigsaw using the template you just made. You can really plane the edges of the thing down precisely with a variable speed saw, fitting it often to the car itself, back and forth to your workbench. When I was satisfied with the fit of mine (about an 1/128" clearance all around, not), I sanded the edges down with various grits, ending up polishing the edges with 1500b paper.

3. I found some black 1/4x3/8 foam weather striping laying around the garage and formed a simple gasket where the windcreen rests on the rear bulkhead, only, but not on the roll bars. Bill used some type of velcro strapping to secure his. I used plain 'ol black electrical ties for mine, located and secured via a small hole in the new windscreen near the bottom of the roll-bars where they exit the bulkhead. Snug 'em up tight. Can't hardly see 'em.

Funny thing is, this widscreen actually works! I feel very little backdraft up to 45mph or so. Also, if you really take time to polish the edges and use electrical ties near the bottom of the roll bars like I said, the new item is virtually invisible. I'd include a pic of the new winsdscreen with this thread, but you wouldn't be able to see it.

Thanks for a great idea, billangiep. This windscreen cost me about twenty bucks, compared to hundreds of dollars the bandits on the net want for something probably less attractive and functional.

BACK SUPPORT I'm rather tall and found that, regardless of how nice the car is, I couldn't find any comfortable setting on the eight-way drivers seat in the confined cockpit. Just can't find a setting that gets me reclined and supports my achin'-old lower back without shoving my knees into the bolster. So went to store and bought a nice $12 elongated-bowl toilet seat cover in a color to match my gray-on-black interior nicely. Don't laugh quite yet.

Get one and try it. Find a toilet seat cover you're fond of, but keep the cardboard thingy it comes with. It's sort of egg-shaped. Go in the house and steal an old throw-pillow from the wife, and use the stuffing to custom fit your lower back support pillow. Quit laughing. Stuff the toilet seat, with the cardboard backing still in place just like you bought it, and stuff mostly down in the 'bottom' of it (the fat end of the egg). The sit in your seat with it at your lower back. Knead it, stuff it, oh baby work it and re-stuff it until you like just how it feels.

Added bonus: flip it around and lay it on the seat so your wife can use it like a telephone book when she drives and she'll stop complaining that the 'damn silly little car you bought is too short'. Now you can laugh, jackass. Toss it in the trunk when you go racing. Don't tell the wife about the pillow.

CUP HOLDER One thing you should tell us newbies right off is to never, I mean never ever, search 'cup holder'. Jeeeeez. The only thing anyone can find to complain about this nice little car is the damn cup holder. My cup holder works OK, but I'd rather have that nifty little storage bin that I've seen somewhere in the Forum. It would fit my pack of cigarettes and a lighter just fine. Where can I get one?
......bump - a twenty-dollar windscreen for the newbies
 

Last edited by dwightdmagee; 09-02-2009 at 06:06 PM.
  #12 (permalink)  
Old 09-05-2009 | 06:20 PM
32krazy!'s Avatar
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From: murfreesboro,tn
Default Re: A few ideas from a new owner - wind screen and back support

for something different try a honda s200 areoscreen . i found mine on ebay for 50$ there is also a website that has a larger glass if you want. i find the oem size to be perfect. drilled 2 holes 2 bolts with nylock nuts and your done!
 

Last edited by 32krazy!; 04-12-2011 at 09:56 AM.
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Old 09-05-2009 | 06:27 PM
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From: murfreesboro,tn
Default Re: A few ideas from a new owner - wind screen and back support

double post disregard
 
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Old 09-06-2009 | 12:16 AM
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Default Re: A few ideas from a new owner - wind screen and back support

could send A PICTURE?!
 
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Old 09-06-2009 | 01:49 PM
hcarter's Avatar
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From: Kingsport Tn.
Default Re: A few ideas from a new owner - wind screen and back support

Originally Posted by 32krazy!
for something different try a honda s200 areoscreen . i found mine on ebay for 50$ there is also a website that has a larger glass if you want. i find the oem size to be perfect. drilled 2 holes 2 bolts with nylock nuts and your done!


The Honda s2000 screen looks shorter in height does it keep the wind down ok . ( it looks good I like it )
 
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