We always drive with the hood down. On long trips noise and wind are fatiguing. Our Drophead Coupe, BENE, with its fixed windshield and side windows has comparatively good wind protection. I added headrests when I rebuilt the seats and that added a bit of protection from the rear. In 2024 we were planning a tour in Spain organized by Classics On The Road. The itinerary promised 100+ miles per day for seven days; … maybe even more wind protection was called for. I used some leftover acrylic sheet to make wind deflectors to mount on the headrests. (For more information on headrests see the “Seats, Seat Belts, and Headrests” section in this website.) It was an easy task and the results worked better than expected. Recently I was asked to make a set for another car providing the opportunity to document the process for anyone interested.
Materials required: four 1/4″ dia. hanger bolts, Four knobs with threaded inserts and two sheets of 14″ thick clear acrylic sheet (protective paper covered). The kobs and hanger bolts were sourced from my local hardware store, the plastic from MAKERSTOCK.COM although it is also available at most Lowe’s and Home Depot stores.
Cut Acrylic into two 9″x20 1/2″ blanks with one corner cut to a 2″ radius . The two 1/4″ diameter holes are located to fit the individual headrests.
Peel the paper off the plastic and sand the edges with 220 grit wet or dry sandpaper. Continue sanding/polishing with increasingly finer grits.
Install and go touring:
