I traded a working 94 sentra 2 door for the nonworking 95 4 door 4x4 Sidekick. it wouldnt start.  the poor thing came from a yard full of old Ford trucks in Pendalton. Damn rednecks tried fixing it like it was an old Ford... and pretty much effed up everything.  I bought it to drive to MT hood and the coast and everywhere in between.

It's bone stock, i need to troll CL to getsome 235 75 15 tires to start. Then suspension lift, then a sawsall to the roof. "That top is coming off".  Its a 4 door ... and it WILL be a convertable by July 4th. Any suggestions on who / where I can get someone to build a roll bar / cage to replace the top? I want a basket of sorts built on top of theroll bar to haul crap and sleep at night. I've engineered in my head a tent of sorts for the top of the sidekick. No matter how much it rains, I WILL NOT get rained out I'm new to Portland Oregon... transplanted from Minnesota so I am not wise to the ways of wheelin west coast style. so i don't have pesky experience to stop me from doing stupid sh*t. I'm sure some of you see me out on the trails and  and say "that boy aint right"

It will be a daily driver. somewhere along the way I will have to find a top from a convetable to graft in to provide a basis to secure a canvas top.

Living in Portland and not having a top on that 4 door might be a good way
to get wet 

I think there are a few obstacles to grafting a soft top onto a 4 door, not that
it can't be done, it just seems like a lot of work to me. You might want to look
at putting in a moon roof, that slides open, like the old VW Busses

Wild

Hey, when you get that thing going, let me know and we'll go wheeling! I'm in the area and your experience should make for some good photos/stories. By the way, if you're 4-door has some nice seats/interior, I know a couple guys that would like to trade you out before next fall.

Wild's idea of a moonroof is good but by pushing it further by doing a Citroen 2CV fold back roof would be pretty cool. Basically cut out the entire center room and put a roll up canvas on there like a tonneau cover..

-Eric

I like the Citreon idea... I was thinking along those lines... or like a canvas tonneu cover like on a truck box. Might consider cutting the doors down to make the rig look more truck like. Just have to figure out a way to attach it up front.  I was thinking the front section of a 2 door convertable canvas would be a good place to start. In the back secure it to the rear most hoop of a roll cage.  silicon glue, velcro and bungie straps come to mind. I figure cheap blue tarp will be perfect to figure out all of the sections, then when it is refined I can go to a boat cover place and have them sewup a real cover.

there was a company that converted landcruisers to a roll up canvas sided "out back" type rig. might Google it and find something. (I will look through my stuff if I get time)
it was along the lines of a can-back for domestic pick-up trucks

 From what I re-call of the Portland/ Wa state area, that boy had better be investing in some SCBA tanks if he is serious about cutting the top off. From ehat I remember, THAT particular corner of the lower 48 is the wettest around, with rain measured in FEET not inches per year.   

I found a couple converted FJ Cruisers but none ofthem showed any detail. In my life I have chopped the tops of of 2 mini trucks using a "Raticle" conversion kit. I currently own a Miata (have owned a total of 5). If anyone out there has a 2 door convertible that has been picked to the bone, I'd like to snatch the roof section. the more I work on this the more I think that is my best option. Maybe a rollbar AFTER I get the top cut off - easier to build / install? 

Rain in Oregon? What rain? where? -the great thing about rain is it doesn't pile up and you can't shovel it

Some of you might think Im nuts, but I'd rather be nuts with a convertible 4 door suzuki, than nuts with out one

if you can find "elf" on here he got a 2 door with a solid body from me a while back thats ready for a sawzall by now I reckon.
BTW...you didn't also have a lotus in the past did 'ya?

never did own a lotus. But I have a project currently on hold to put a Ford 5.0 in a miata

I thought you might have been someone I knew. (he had a bunch of miatas too)

Hey thats not a problem with the project , the cage is the hardest because you need to take the dash apart and strip the entire interior out of it , here is some cage pics.

stripping the interior is a piece of cake for me. Seats have already been out for apower wash, dash was out to wash all the dust and gunk out from behind it, carpet is currently out to get a good power wash... so I think I'f got the "make the interior be exterior" thing down.  I just need to get it on the road and a few trips with the misses and then find someone to work with to build a roll cage that matches the body lines so I can wrap her up in canvas so when I bring it back home to the misses and says WTF did you do! I can just look at her and say What? I washed the rims, maybe that s why it looks different.

Thanks for the cage pics... that is generally whatI'm looking for. BTW - you kept it on topic w/ suzuki's because I see th e samurai tucked away in the garage 

If anyone else has cage pic, I'd lve to see them

If your going to remove the top its even easyer to install the cage, I thought that you where just going to have a large sun roof and be able to mount a rack over it

I'm planning to at a minimun do a cabvas sunroof or all teh way to what your pic was. Most Likely some where in the middle. Where in the middle will be decided by how well we can get things to seal up. Someone mentioned rain can be a problem in Oregon.... I'm really hoping to get a top section from a 2 door convertible. Graft that in and use that as the basis to secure things over the driver seat ( I think that is the only seat that matters). I'm figuring some sort of hoop between front and back seats and haven't decided to do the same height hoop in the back and square things off, or taper it off like some sort of dessert racer. Or I could screw it all and do a Mad Max replicar?   Either way, what ever is farthest back will be used to secure the top like a truck tonneau cover. I'm a bit scetchy on side curtains, but I'm sure it will all come to me when the misses is screaming at me for defiling the poor thing. Oh ... if along teh way anyone comes across some good netting material... I'll need some of that too. Have to keep the dog in as we travel across the by ways of America

I found a couple examples of what I'd like to end up.. sort of, maybe not so "blingy"