What next, is there life after the HFS ?

[Alan D.]

Yes here we go again, but not in a hurry!

I'm trying to organize some heated rear hatches. The hatches would be toughened glass, with a screen printed element and hopefully the edge of the screen to be also screen printed, so as to hide the sealing rubber.

The situation at the moment is that one of my rear hatches has been sent to Spain ( never to return) to be assessed and costed. I'm expecting news in about a fortnight.

But there is more, I'm also looking at opening rear side windows for the Mks 1,2 &3 Coupe's. This is of course is in preparation for global warming, when it is so dammed hot in the coupes, that you need all of the windows open, that you can, especially in the dark coloured cars!

The idea is to liberate hinges and catches from a modern car (and I'm open to suggestions) and fit them to a Midas. It has also been suggested, that we could have these windows open electrically with little motors that are available in other cars ( BMW & Seat). How flash is that!

Mike Perkins also has a very good idea on this front, in that he fits small computer fans at various locations in his car and leaves them running all of the time as they use very little current! Thus keeping the car well ventilated and free from humidity and smells. Good for our members who indulge in a bit of "dogging".

This of course is all Rich's fault, as he is upping the quality stakes on the Midas's with stainless steel bushes in his handbrake linkages!

Lets have some ideas?

Alan

[Rich]

Lets have some ideas?

Alan

Now you're asking for it!

I need all the aerodynamic undertrays for mine and was considering making my own from Kevlar or carbon cloth, problem being I know nothing about making composites and don't have a mould.....

[Alan D.]

Good Morning Rich and everybody else,

When you get the CF (carbon fibre) thing sorted, can I place an order for some nice CF door cards and a new dash to replace the horrible Metro one.

Did you know that the word dashboard, comes from horse and carriage days, when the horses would kick up stones and the dashboard at the drivers feet would protect him from the flying stones! (Pedant alert,) just trying to get one up on Geoff Butcher!

I'm off to Scotland now, to change beds and clean for a let!

You've got to be versatile!

Alan

[Geoff Butcher]

Noted, Alan!
Given that the side windows in my Mk 3 are a constant source of water ingress, what are the chances of keeping out the elements with opening ones? I like the idea of the ventilating fans, though...

[manifold]

I reckon opening windows will be a lot drier as we will be able to use a decent rubber to compress against, like, say the minis/metros use etc, rather than the s shaped seal which is (crap) the cause of the problems as the water seaps past it in the corners.

As long as the joint is at the bottom it will be fine.

2003 BMW 2 door 3 series use a piston type motor to open the windows.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2003-BMW-E46-320D-M-TECH-ELECTRIC-REAR-WINDOW-OPENER_W0QQitemZ260310759128QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item260310759128&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1683%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318