Poppers for Westermann half doors

[ducatidentist]

Hi all.

Can I please get a bit of advice. I am going for a switchable set up between windscreen and brooklands.  I commute in my car if the weather is good but need rain protection when parked at work for passing showers.

I currently use a long nose showercap but obviously this won't fit with the brooklands as it relies on the windscreen to get some tension. 

I was going to get the soft bits lightweight tonneau but have read on some blogs that the extra poppers for these have to have precise location IF I get half doors in the future.

TL:DR

So my question is how do the westermann half doors stay on. Is it a middle popper and a popper on the bow over the rear wheels? There doesn't seem to be a front popper as the front edge seems to tuck inside the scuttle. If I get a tonneau for now and stick a popper in the middle would that work with the westermann doors by making sure I place the popper on that in the same location?

Also any other suggestions for weather protection when using brooklands?

Thanks!

[7_Malc]

While I cannot comment on the Westermann Door fittings, I can confirm that a tonneau cover and the long nose tower cap are more than adequate protection when parked up. The tonneau effectively seals off the cabin area, and the shower cap adds an extra layer of rain protection - even without the windscreen in place. I just lay it over the Brooklands screens and loop around the mirrors as with the full screen. Yes, you might get a slight puddle in the shower cap if the rain is heavy, but this can be poured away easily before removal and then you have a dry tonneau cover underneath.

If the poppers on the tonneau and doors are not aligned, you can tuck the tonneau inside the door and just rely on the 'top' poppers to hold it in place, but I would not recommend driving with it held so loosely. Or lay it over the outside of the half door, and cover with the showercap as usual. 

[ducatidentist]

@7_Malc that's great thanks

I don't plan on driving with a half tonneau, it will just be for use when parked up. Hence looking at the cheaper lightweight tonneau from SBFS rather than the zipped one.

Edited December 12, 2023 by coolcatshaft

[7_Malc]

Unless you always have a passenger, driving with the half tonneau in place is highly recommended - it really changes the aero on the car and makes the cockpit a calmer place to be on a blustery / damp day.  

[ducatidentist]

Thanks I suppose it makes sense to go for the zipped tonneau for the little bit extra to give you that option if needed

[graearea]

I made some brackets that attach the front of my 2nd hand doors (not westermans but very similar) to the rear windscreen hole.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CoXMI7etdnV/

they don't pivot (but could be made to) and they're not as neat as they would be if they were inside the scuttle.

 

Edited December 16, 2023 by graearea

[ducatidentist]

Something like @L66TEY lambo hinges? That sounds great. I'm getting a brooklands set up so it would be mounted to the stanchion as it uses the same fixings as the windscreen.

[ducatidentist]

For any others looking for the same answer as me, I have now spoken to a couple of people such as @Shortshiftand @MTW who have westermann doors and they seem to be reasonably straightforward to locate to existing body poppers.

I have just bought a second hand tonneau which has existing poppers so will use that as a guide to add new poppers to my car to be able to fit the tonneau for now. And in the future if I get round to adding half doors will then add poppers to those to match locations already on the car.

Thanks all

[graearea]

1 hour ago, ducatidentist said:

Something like @L66TEY lambo hinges? That sounds great. I'm getting a brooklands set up so it would be mounted to the stanchion as it uses the same fixings as the windscreen.

they were his old doors. so full of holes... 😄