Wind blocker

[regularman]

Some people at the spridget 50th told me about making their own wind blocker. I have some discarded lexan piecse from my work. i would appreciate any dimensions and info on this.

 

[jlaird]

https://www.morspeedperformance.com/wind_blockers.cfm

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Kim, I'll send a bunch of pics your way via e-mail. This one was made from a MGB Tonneau Bar that I simply cut 2" or so out of the middle of the 2 piece bar that slips together. I fit into the tonneau bar clips by the tops brackets. They are a fraction bigger than the Spridget mount so I added a small 1/8" or so notch to allow them to fit and drilled for a safety retainer clip so this did not become a big wing at 70 mph. You could do the same thing with a piece of steel stock.

I will say the difference in cockpit turbulence is unbelieveable. I can wear a ball cap at 70 mph and it stays on without needing a vise tight ballcap fit on my head. I can hear the readio and it really makes a tremendous difference in driving quality. And yet that is snow in the background, with windblocker on, windows up, sans top, a 32 degree sunny day is quite pleasant.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Here is the picture

 

[regularman]

I have a tonneau but I don't have any tonneau bar or mounts, but I could come up with something like that. Thanks for all the pics.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Again this one was made from an MGB Bar I shortened. I'll bet if you ask the list you'll find lots of tonneau maounts and you can improvise from there. Just be sure to safety pin it. At 75 mph lots of wind force/ side wind to worry about esp when going by large trucks.My total cost including lexan, nuts & bolts and used tonneau bar was < $50. I really like the way this one turned out. Biggest challenge was getting holes drilled straight for mounting lexan to the tonneau bar. Measure three times, drill once.

 

[Luke_Healey]

The 64,000 dollar question:

How much do these things help? I have short hair and am usually wearing a ball cap since I don't have sun visors. However, my wife refuses to ride in the car because her long hair blows straight forward from the back of her head and blocks her face during the whole drive.

I don't currently have a top. So if one of these would stop that, I'll hop to bending some pipe and attaching plexiglass...

 

[jlaird]

I have been told that you can lay a sheet of paper on the passanger seat and it will stay there.

 

[tony barnhill]

Jerri loves mine - I have 2! You can carry on a normal conversation at speed & your wife's hair is never mussed afterwad!

Plus, it has the added benefit of reflecting high beams back onto the idiot behind you who never dims them!

 

[jvandyke]

I might have to investigate this too. No tonneau bar though, anyone want to sell one?

 

[jlaird]

Think I will put one on my birthday list. Would make wife happy I think.

 

[jvandyke]

Talked to a buddy the other day, former biker companion, for 17 years we boys would take our bikes on a long weekend road trip (upper Michigan, often across the Mac bridge into the U.P. but at least Lelenaue, Traverse City area) then some idiot (me) sold the bike and bought an old car (Opel GT) took the car last year with buddies on bikes, worked fine for me. Opel was recently destroyed, now it may be the Midget's turn (to take the trip, NOT get destroyed). If the wife goes too, a wind blocker would be the ticket! Three days in the Midget and she might well appreciate the blocker a LOT!

 

[Luke_Healey]

I might have to investigate this too. No tonneau bar though, anyone want to sell one?

If I make one, I'm not sacrificing the tonneau bar. I'll make it out of copper pipe and wood. The pipe to fit in where the tonneau cover does, and the wood to sandwhich the plexiglass.

That, or I'll use U bolts to make it temporarilly attach to the tonneau bar with wing nuts, so I can take it off or adjust the angle.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Guys a couple of thoughts. I did use a Toneau from an MGB just shortened 2" or so, bar is two piece. If you mount it behind the seat as I did need to account for the fact that windblocker needs to tilt forward so top can be raised.

Also please, please safety pin it where it attaches to the tonneau bracket so it does not depart the car inadvertently when you least expect it.

Use aluminum bar stock 1" on each side to sandwich the lexan. If you don't you'll have lots of vibration and movement of the Lexan. On my current setup, windblocker on Spridget w Rollbar, a single pice of aluminum on the bottom was not enough to keep from vibrating at speed, needed to go with a sandwich.

 

[v8mgbal]

what about making it out of aluminum angle and bolting it to it.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

That will work just fine. I might consider steel angle iron for the lower braces, at least for one of the pieces going across the back, you could use some 1/2" or 3/4" aluminum Angle Iron stock at least for one of the pieces going across the back, sandwich lexan between that and a flat piece of aluminum stock. I think that is how the bar that had the link to it was fabricated. Just make sure it can tilt forward so top can go up/down.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

That will work just fine. I might consider steel angle iron for the lower braces, at least for one of the pieces going across the back, you could use some 1/2" or 3/4" aluminum Angle Iron stock at least for one of the pieces going across the back, sandwich lexan between that and a flat piece of aluminum stock. I think that is how the bar that had the link to it was fabricated. Just make sure it can tilt forward so top can go up/down.

 

[jvandyke]

What about using those 4 bolts (two on each side) on top of the wheel hump (on a MKI Midget) that were originally for??? shoulder belts? Maybe mount something to that?

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Maybe on a MK1 but on post 65 Spridgets Top Folds down in that space.

 

[Luke_Healey]

Post 66. My 66 is a roadster, so the top detaches from the car.