How to protect cockpit in a downpour

[Jamo]

Juan....dumbass!!!! LMFAO.

Reminds me of the time a cop was talking to me as he was writing me up and noticed my radar detector. Pointed to it with his pen..."Didn't have it on?" Me..."No."

I could see him laughing in the mirror when he got in his car.

[Dwight]

Jamo I have the cover loaned out to Ron but I'll get a pic ASAP.

Left the house in the rain going to a car show. I got the wettest I have ever been stopped at red lights. But I continued

[Dwight]

a few year back it rain while we were at a car show. Cover them up and wait.

Dwight

[Dwight]

if your driving and it start to rain, just lean forward and drive faster. My longest trip in the rain was the return trip from 2012 London Cobra Show, 301 miles of a 535 mile trip.
One year we drove 70 miles in the rain before we pulled into a truck stop and waited 5 or 6 hours to continue.

Dwight

[froggyman]

Jamo, Man, that one experience will not look good on my resumé. I laugh now, it was not fun then at all. Took me a while before I could tell my right hand that we had to break up our relationship. Heh, heh... Seems like the older we get the more we have to learn how to cover our asses.

Originally Posted by Jamo

Juan....dumbass!!!! LMFAO.

Reminds me of the time a cop was talking to me as he was writing me up and noticed my radar detector. Pointed to it with his pen..."Didn't have it on?" Me..."No."

I could see him laughing in the mirror when he got in his car.

[Jamo]

Don't feel bad, I recall our fearless leader here (Brent) thinking it would be a good idea to swap his full windshield for a little racing shield before he started the long drive from Washington to Reno for one of the Bash get togethers. His wifey didn't like not having a windshield in front of her. She really didn't like it when it started raining.

Our worst rain trip was going up to Redding for a Kool April Nites, but most asspecially on the way coming home. Turk kept trying to light his cigs at about 70mph in light rain, which was fun to watch. On the way back, after we split off from Buckley to head straight down to Davis, Turk and I hit just a solid wall of rain and standing water for miles. Just flat soaked...no windshield wipers, nothing. Every now and then a truck would pass by (cuz we was crawling in the right lane on Billboards) and just flat dump water onto and into the cars. We didn't make it...we died.

[Darth Menace]

so is there a fold-up soft top that can fit in the trunk? and be pulled out/installed and driven? even if it looks bad it would still be nicer than getting the interior and yourself wet

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by Jamo

. His wifey didn't like not having a windshield in front of her. She really didn't like it when it started raining. .

Is he now divorced or simply dead?

[JBCOBRA]

Good one

Originally Posted by DanEC

Is he now divorced or simply dead?

[Frank Messina]

You didn't indicate what replica you bought so I'll just throw this out there. Car Cover World has a custom cover for FFR cars. Weathershield is the fabric to get. Nothing sticks to it, will not scratch the paint even if you throw it over a dirty car. Folds up small. I store mine in the carry bag that came with it in my trunk. Just be sure you can rest your hand on the side pipes before pulling it on.

[lvhdude]

Originally Posted by froggyman

I am all for any kind of top. I have had three Cobras and all of them have had either a soft top or a hardtop. You see, you never know when you are going to need it. That does not guarantee that you will not get soaked really soaked even though you have one.

Ask my wife Cindy. LET ME TELL YOU A STORY:

After I got my second Cobra, a Unique 289 FIA with a soft top, we were ready and up for our first Unique Shades of The Past get together in Pigeon Forge, TN. MY NEW and beautiful car was immaculate, wire wheels really pretty, trunk full of shiny tools, I am not much of a mechanic but the TOOLS sure looked good in the trunk, and cleaning equipment and two small bags. The Weekend Weather was promising US a beautiful Sunny weekend all weekend, soooo, I left my soft top home. Now my biggest 1st mistake was not telling Cindy that I was going to leave the top home. Why? With such a beautiful Sunny weekend ahead, why bother her with this silly tidbit of information. March ahead sailor. No one will know the difference.

Well, after a beautiful two days at Pigeon Forge, on Saturday night I overheard a couple mentioning that those people heading to Kentucky might get a darn hard downpour at about mid day Sunday, WHAAAAAT? Where that come from?

I did not sleep that night so on Sunday morning we got up early at my own initiative, but my wife was not aware of the impending Downpour heading our way. So I decided to solve the problem, leave by 6 in the morning and avoid the Mid Day crisis, right? No one would get wet, problem solved. Not so fast SAILOR, second mistake was not telling Cindy my real reason for leaving early, she instead insisted angrily to spend some time Sunday morning talking with the other Spouses and saying their goodbyes. "NOW I AM WORRIED, I AM BEGINNING TO FEEL LIKE I AM IN HIGH SCHOOL AND AM ABOUT TO GO DOWN TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE AND CONFESS THAT I AM THE ONE THAT TIED LITTLE PAPER BAGS ON THE KITTENS LEGS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SCHOOL YARD AND WATCH THE CAT SHAKE LIKE A MACHINE GUN." We will get soaked, and Cindy is not aware of the Downpour awaiting her across the border into Kentucky. SOONER OR LATER I AM GOING TO HAVE TO CONFESS, BUT NOOO, THIRD BIGGEST MISTAKE.

After a late, late start we are heading North and up to the Kentucky State line when Cindy mentions that the skies are looking dark in the horizon. I said, nervously, nahhh I think we can outrun it, Cindy says, please STOP AND PUT THE SOFT TOP ON THIS DAMN CAR NOW!

4th BIGGEST mistake, I said DON'T WORRY, I am driving around it and we will not get wet anyway. A little further Cindy says "Juan the road ahead looks damp, don't be stubborn and pull over at this gas station and put the soft top on." 5th BIGGEST mistake not confessing right then and there as I was looking for some apartment complex under cover and avoid the rain and then confess.

As we proceed forward Cindy notices water drops on the windshield, NOW I FEEL LIKE AM GETTING CAUGHT WITH MY PANTS AROUND MY ANKLES YOU SEE, and she says "Juan it is going to start..." then a car pulls in front of us at a red light, and the words came out from Cindy... "TO RAIN" as we stopped at the light, it felt like 55 gallons of water dropped on top of Cindy, and I am looking at her and I swear she looks like a WET POODLE ON PROZAC, dang 6th BIGGEST mistake I act and turn the dinky windshield wipers on right away, at which time the WET POODLE ON PROZAK has turned to me with fangs fully displayed and says, WHAAAAAT? ARE YOU KIDDIN??

Finally pulled under cover of a building nearby, and she says "I suppose now you are going to put the top on?" WELL 7TH BIGGEST MISTAKE, I DECIDED I HAD TO CONFESS THAT I COULD NOT BECAUSE I HAD LEFT THE SOFT TOP HOME. At this time the POODLE ON PROZAK LOOKS AND ACTS MORE LIKE A TAZMANIAN DEVIL and tells me... "You knew this and did not tell me all this time? You had a trunkfull of gadgets and shiny tools and no soft top. WHAT KIND ON AN IDIOT YOU THINK...."

You can imagine the rest of the trip home. "I CAN TELL YOU WITH 100% CERTAINTY I WILL NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT A TOP. I WILL LEAVE THE GADGETS HOME." It is not fun riding with an excited, and out of control Tazmanian Devil in you Cobra, too close and dangerous for comfort.

Put the top in the trunk first.

Dude! That is a hilarious story! I am truly Laughing my ass off. I am in wears valley for a few weeks with the Harley, and I've been caught a few times already in the rain. Great stuff! My Cobra's still in the construction stages, so I'm learning what to look forward to. Thanks for shareing.

[saturnkk]

Originally Posted by my427cobra

What we all need is for a supplier to produce one of those giant clear poly/plastic "shower caps" that were available briefly 6 or 8 years ago.

They were a clear plastic with an elastisized edge that fit over the whole car. I recollect seeing pics of people sitting in the car with the cover on during a rain storm ( not driving or car running of course). Can't remember if it extended over the side pipes ( hot side pipes would be an issue).

I don't have any pics but one of the forum regulars might remember the product or where they came from.

Cheers
Greg

Here ya go:

Streetrod Ratrod Hotrod Muscle Car Plastic Car Cover Dust Cover Rain Cover | eBay

$22.75 with free shipping. Ordered mine Monday...

[cdog]

The OP asked about stationary parking:

I have done a lot of cross-country travelling in my SPF.

Typically, when I park the car, I put on the tonneau cover. This protects the car against rain, and gives a modicum of security when leaving the car out in a resort parking lot or something like that...

Now, the tonneau isn't 100% waterproof. It does leak a bit, and it's best to park the car on an uphill grade, or water will come in the back and enter the cockpit behind the seats. I've had to bale water out of the driver's side footwell with a cup.

The nice thing is that carpet dries quickly in the sun and doesn't ever seem to suffer any ill-effects.

For an occasional afternoon thunderstorm, a tonneau cover is a perfect solution.

Driving in the rain, your choices are to a) bear it or b) put on the crappy soft top. Either way, it kinda sucks. The soft top is bearable, and I've driven for a few days in a row with it on during bad weather spells.

[fordracing65]

Uhhhh, why not a water proof car cover, just put it on, let it rain, then take it off. I have one that can withstand a hurricane without a drop getting inside, weighs about 2oz and can fold up to the size of 12x12 inches...Covercraft brand...goes on in under 30 seconds...

[mdross1]

Originally Posted by Steve Gallegos

I took my frame from my soft top and made a bimini top. It attaches to the windshield using bows bought from ERA. They slide into the grove on the top on of the windshield. The back has two straps that attach to the buttons on the car that is used for the regular top. The back and sides are open. It works well up to about 55 mph,then the middle of the top starts to flap. I have plexyglass windows that I made that fit in the doors, with these on I can drive at 65+ without the top flapping. I am going to put another bar across the middle of the top so the top won't flap.I also have wind guards, very fine screen, on and between the two roll bars to stop the wind from coming in the back. Keeps the rain and sun off and keeps the wife happy.

Our car was a pain with the top constantly pounding off the top of the head at speed.I took a couple of pieces of wood had laying around from pickup bed covers fabricated brackets to mount on windshield frame near center and attach at top bow diagonaly.They work great and look good to.
Mother and I have ridden Harleys for as long as we have been married and the rain is not a big deal to us.The cobra in the rain is certainly a step up except for seeing what's around us.

[SPF1061]

Originally Posted by Bobcat

I ran a HPDE in the rain at VIR several years ago and noticed that once I got moving up to about 100 mph , rain/water in the cockpit wasn`t a problem.

100 mph in a Cobra in the rain!!!
Why is my butt hole twitching?

[SPF1061]

Originally Posted by fordracing65

Uhhhh, why not a water proof car cover, just put it on, let it rain, then take it off. I have one that can withstand a hurricane without a drop getting inside, weighs about 2oz and can fold up to the size of 12x12 inches...Covercraft brand...goes on in under 30 seconds...

I have one (California Custom) as well. Overall, the best solution, I think. To state the obvious, you really have to be careful to keep the cover clear of the sidepipes when you put it on a "hot" car.

[Dwight]

sorry Jamo I'm so slow about posting the pic of the Miata cover.

Dwight

[Robert McLinden]

A little off topic but the best solution I have every seen was while I was walking downtown one summer, guessing 50 years ago. As I was waiting to cross a street along comes a chap in a 2600 Alfa Spyder (only chaps are allowed to drive Alfa's). He had a split tonneau with the zipper down the center. On the drivers side he had a Poncho zipped in. It tightly fit over his head and had a visor. He was wearing racing type goggles. There was a clear plastic insert where it covered the steering wheel which allowed at least some instrument panel viewing and the electric wipers were working. It shocked me so much I still can picture it quite clearly. Never seen one since. In those days just seeing an Alfa running in the rain was quite something.