Finished pics: AP Engineering Hard Top

Jeff Lemke

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Here are some photos of the final prototype. It looks really good in person and I cannot get the camera to capture the real look of this thing (kind of like the SRT itself). I really like it. The top is pretty light (I'll weight it next week) and comes with headliner. It has a creak somewhere ( going over rr tracks) so I need to find that bug and squash it. It seems to seal good without dripping. List price is $2695 painted. I am working on SCCA approval.

Jeff

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rleminv

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Jeff, you have done an outstanding job capturing the lines that I want preserved with a hardtop for my roadster. Congratulations, when you are ready to take orders could you please PM me and drop a post in this forum that you have done so?

Any idea what freight costs to San Diego would be and can you put DOT glass in the rear window?

Understanding you put a tremendous amount of time and effort designing and manufacturing this, I hope you take the following question knowing I realize you probably already thought of this and discarded it for good reasons. Could the rear window cut-out accept the stock ragtop glass and then even have a connection for the rear window defroster? Possibly even an option?

I look forward to your PM and wish you great success with your product.
Larry
 

SRTRICKY

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Wow looks awesome!! When are they going to be ready to order and how much? Thanks
Ricky
 
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Jeff Lemke

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Jeff, you have done an outstanding job capturing the lines that I want preserved with a hardtop for my roadster. Congratulations, when you are ready to take orders could you please PM me and drop a post in this forum that you have done so?

Any idea what freight costs to San Diego would be and can you put DOT glass in the rear window?

Understanding you put a tremendous amount of time and effort designing and manufacturing this, I hope you take the following question knowing I realize you probably already thought of this and discarded it for good reasons. Could the rear window cut-out accept the stock ragtop glass and then even have a connection for the rear window defroster? Possibly even an option?

I look forward to your PM and wish you great success with your product.
Larry




Thanks, Larry.

I'm taking orders now. I'm not quite sure what the best way to ship this is at this time so I have no idea on price. The original rear window that was supposed to go in here was actual auto safety glass with defogger however my supplier then changed his position on making the glass at a reasonable price.
A rag top window will not fit.

Jeff
 
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Jeff Lemke

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***** great


now you have to make a cool wing to match


vd..

I have something MUCH MORE interesting than that. Mums the word at this point, but I can say that this hard top is only phase 1 of the project. See you in late summer.

Jeff
 
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Jeff Lemke

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Wow looks awesome!! When are they going to be ready to order and how much? Thanks
Ricky

You can order now, and shipping will begin in about 2 weeks. $2695.

Jeff
 

Racer Robbie

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I love it. But you really need to use glass with a defogger that plugs into the stock rear window defogger harness. You price of $2695.00, is that list, or do you have a VCA discounted price?
As I said before, I love it. It is the best looking hard to so far!
Robbie
 

Vipera Russelli

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Looks great! Nice work. So what's the composition? Have you tested it in the rain? What about wind noise at speed?
 
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Jeff Lemke

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Looks great! Nice work. So what's the composition? Have you tested it in the rain? What about wind noise at speed?

From what I can tell so far, everything seems about on par with the soft top.
 
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Jeff Lemke

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I love it. But you really need to use glass with a defogger that plugs into the stock rear window defogger harness. You price of $2695.00, is that list, or do you have a VCA discounted price?
As I said before, I love it. It is the best looking hard to so far!
Robbie

That is list price. I will keep pursuing rear window options, but expect a HUGE price increase if I manage find a way to do it.

Jeff
 

Vipera Russelli

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Looks great! Nice work. So what's the composition? Have you tested it in the rain? What about wind noise at speed?

From what I can tell so far, everything seems about on par with the soft top.
I'm not sure how to read that response. Can you be more specific? Some rag tops leak water and some don't, for example (mine doesn't). And what about composition? What's it made of specifically? Thanks.
 

Andrew/USPWR

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Jeff, do you have a photo from directly behind? A better shot of the back window?







2005 Silver SRT/10
2000 Steel Gray GTS (sold)
 
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Jeff Lemke

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Looks great! Nice work. So what's the composition? Have you tested it in the rain? What about wind noise at speed?

From what I can tell so far, everything seems about on par with the soft top.
I'm not sure how to read that response. Can you be more specific? Some rag tops leak water and some don't, for example (mine doesn't). And what about composition? What's it made of specifically? Thanks.

With a pressure washer, this has not. It is made of fiberglass.

Jeff
 

Viper X

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Looks good.

Keep up the good work.
 
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Jeff Lemke

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here is a comparision shot of the metal crafters top. Very similar, of course, but I did not like the soft edge on a sharp car.

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SRTLEN

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Nice match to the car's lines.
Call me picky but is there another way to mount the rear window with a weather striping that would be more flush? I think that would give it a factory finish look.

Len
 

Michael Hatch

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Great Job. Looks fantastic.
Have you done any strength tests on it with regard to rollover? We saw a very popular make of hardtop come off a car at speed in sebring a few weeks back. The latch must have come undone, the top flew across the track and luckily landed outside the track on hard pavement. The more troubling part is that I heard it shattered into pieces which doesn't give much confidence that it would provide any support in a rollover. Yours being made out of fiberglass sounds like it could be much stronger. thanks and keep going. I suspect you'll have a nice business on your hands once you're completely satisfied with it.
So, we can order it in different stock colors? Thanks
Michael
 
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Jeff Lemke

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Nice match to the car's lines.
Call me picky but is there another way to mount the rear window with a weather striping that would be more flush? I think that would give it a factory finish look.

Len

I need to find a lower trim piece, the window is actually flush.
 

GR8_ASP

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Why not try and glue in with urethane adhesive like a factory window?

I agree the window is the sole distraction. Great job overall. Ket me know if you want a local evaluator at reduced cost :)
 
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Jeff Lemke

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Great Job. Looks fantastic.
Have you done any strength tests on it with regard to rollover? We saw a very popular make of hardtop come off a car at speed in sebring a few weeks back. The latch must have come undone, the top flew across the track and luckily landed outside the track on hard pavement. The more troubling part is that I heard it shattered into pieces which doesn't give much confidence that it would provide any support in a rollover. Yours being made out of fiberglass sounds like it could be much stronger. thanks and keep going. I suspect you'll have a nice business on your hands once you're completely satisfied with it.
So, we can order it in different stock colors? Thanks
Michael



No strengh testing at this point. It feels strong and lightweight, but I can't imagine any piece of fiberglass protecting anyone ina roll over situation. It is best to stick with true roll-over protection IMO.

All stock colors available.

Jeff
 

GR8_ASP

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Agreed. The value of the top in a roll over is keeping you inside. A roll bar is what prevents the outside from coming in. The main thing the top needs to do is prevent becoming shrapnel by disintegrating.
 

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