Best sources for convertible tops ?

[silver7]

Hey guys been a while since I've logged in , been getting a few updates from Basil lately and figured I'd stop by and take a look!!

Starting to look into replacing my original roof on the TR7 and I was wondering where you guys get your roofs from?
I want to stick to standard black vinyl grained (no mohair) and personally would love tinted plastic windows.......
(I've tried searching for the company I though had produced them a while back , but can no longer find them, it was possible "bestop" , they were primarily a Jeep supplier, but had listings for TR7's)

Any feedback on quality and pricing would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

 

[DNK]

Have you tried all the possible culprits??
Google TR7 top?

 

[silver7]

yeah Don, I've googled lots and been on the bay .....kinda lookin for real world experiences to decide which company should get my green backs

 

[Andrew Mace]

The subject came up on one of the e-mail lists I'm on, and the suggestion was to check -- of all places -- rockauto.com ! Sure enough, they list Robbins tops at prices much better than I've seen anywhere else. NFI, but I am now thinking seriously again about getting a new top for the '67 Herald!

 

[LarryK]

Yes! Get a Robbins. The best trim shop in our area uses Robbins when it comes to the LBCs. He says they fit right the first time and are spot on for ease of installing. I used Robbins on the Spitfire 1500 and it went on really well and looked good and the windows are strong.

 

[macilona]

i don't have personal experience, but a tr friend of mine suggests www.lbcarco.com. they have a wide selection, including styles with zipper rear window, which has definite advantages for comfortable driving.

 

[GBRandy]

Do not get a Robbins. Get an EzOn.

I have used these guys with great success. Topsonline.com

NFI...and yes they sell Robbins if you must.

 

[silver7]

thanks for the info guys !

Not a big difference in price between the robbins and ezon...... decisions!

 

[sabot]

A question for all, do any of these tops come with the fittings installed? Or were there to many variances from the factory?.

 

[dklawson]

I bought our Spit's EzOn top from BP-Northwest. It came with all the snaps installed and it fit well.

 

[WedgeWorks]

I have yet to see a TR7 replacement top unless its NOS that has the side snaps already installed.

 

[Geo Hahn]

A question for all, do any of these tops come with the fittings installed? Or were there to many variances from the factory?.

My experience is limited to TR3A & TR4. For the former there were too many variations, the top comes with no hardware installed. For the TR4 the last one I did came w/o installed hardware though I recall a time when they were supplied with everything in place. Most recently I bought a slightly used TR4 top that fit perfectly -- would never do that with a TR3 but the TR4 was a more consistent build I think.

 

[GBRandy]

Every top I have installed did not have the hardware installed. You want it without them installed. The location of the snap bases is inconsistent and pre-installed hardware makes wrinkles far more likely.

 

[Andrew Mace]

Back in the day, some AMCO tops came with fasteners installed. I know the AMCO Spitfire Mk3 top I bought way back when did...and it fit fine. I also think I remember that the TR3A AMCO top I bought in the early 1970s had the Tenax snaps preinstalled on the front, although the Lift-the-Dot fasteners across the back were NOT preinstalled. It easily could be a problem on a TR2 or TR3/3A, but it really shouldn't be a problem on the later cars. However, as old as the cars all are now, there's little guarantee that the body fittings are still where they were originally.

 

[TR4nut]

Yes, Amco and perhaps others preinstalled snaps, and for my TR4 it has worked just fine. Probably more variability to worry about on the sidescreens though - I have an uninstalled Amco top and they only preinstalled the fron Tenax fasteners for the windscreen, but not the lift the dots for the body locations.