• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Hardtop for Austin Healey 3000 BJ8

Share this page

I look forward to hearing P F top review , I would still take the plunge and spend more money if it is as good as it looks in the limited pictures I have viewed
Happy Holidays
Phil
 
Phil--

You said "I have the Nical hard top for my BJ7, as Steve mentioned it was a very tough fit. Drove me crazy for months, Nick told me its how they all fit."

The biggest problem I had with my hardtop was fitting the rear window. The one that Nick gave me in North Carolina when I bought the top was too small for the opening. He sent me a new one and then the fun began--because the BN1-2 top is so thin it would flex when pushed against and it was impossible to exert sufficient force against the top to jimmy the rear window into the aperture.

Finally I bought two of the rear window stays that were used on the factory tops and once I mounted them they triangulated the opening and made it stable enough to work the window into the rubber molding. I like the looks of the stays anyway as it captures the original appearance.
 
Michael Oritt said:
Phil--

You said "I have the Nical hard top for my BJ7, as Steve mentioned it was a very tough fit. Drove me crazy for months, Nick told me its how they all fit."

The biggest problem I had with my hardtop was fitting the rear window. The one that Nick gave me in North Carolina when I bought the top was too small for the opening. He sent me a new one and then the fun began--because the BN1-2 top is so thin it would flex when pushed against and it was impossible to exert sufficient force against the top to jimmy the rear window into the aperture.

Finally I bought two of the rear window stays that were used on the factory tops and once I mounted them they triangulated the opening and made it stable enough to work the window into the rubber molding. I like the looks of the stays anyway as it captures the original appearance.
Click to expand...
can you post pics of the "stays" that you purchased to stable I even the top and where did you purchase them. My BJ8 7 year restoration is done except for installing the new Nical hardtop.
Thanks!
 
Patrick--

They are shown in the Moss Motors catalogue as part #18 under "hardtops" though they are n/a. I got mine from.....Nical.
 
I think I have 200 plus hours fitting the rear window, on the BJ 7/ Bj8 top, I think the top is more rigid and using the window stays would not really help. Not that it really maters, its your car but the BJ 7 and BJ8 did not have window stays. It's about getting the window lined up so u can drill the screw holes, I think Pete F tops are shipped assembled.
 
Patrick--

You asked for pictures of the stays. See the attached thumbnails. They are fastened to the bottom rail where it slides under the fittings on the back deck of the car.
 

Attachments

  • stay1.jpg
    stay1.jpg
    149.2 KB · Views: 110
  • stay2.jpg
    stay2.jpg
    50.2 KB · Views: 111
  • stay3.jpg
    stay3.jpg
    25.8 KB · Views: 116
Perhaps if we took up a collection and sent Dougie, who lives in Portland, $200.00 he could make sure the top is burned or cut up that so some perfectly innocent Healey does not have to wear the POS. I'm in for $25.00.
 
I have ordered a top for my BT7 from Pete Farmer and he advises that it should be ready for shipment by February 3rd, which is about a 3-week turnaround. I will give my opinion (such as it is!) once I have the top in hand and can determine how much or little trouble it is to "install".
 
Back
Top