cool hardtop.....oh well

[jvandyke]

This is the kind I like, not factory as he says I don't think.
It's not too far, but $500.....better not.

ebay link

 

[mightymidget]

never understood why people do not prep the items for sell, it like leave it dirty so you cann't see the real condition. how long does it take to throw ajax on the top and clean it?

 

[RickB]

I looked at that one too, but it really looks like a Bugeye top, no matter what the seller says.
They are different, the cockpit of a Bugeye is shorter from back to front than the MK1 Midget or the MK2 Sprite.

He says:
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]Q: I have a Bugeye and a MKII Sprite they are not interchangeable.
A: Yes, they are. The factory hardtop that I have used on my Bugeye originally came on a Mk 2 Sprite I bought. It fit on the Mk 2 just fine. [/QUOTE]

Yes, that might work. If you have a MK2 Sprite hardtop it would a a bit longer from front to back. The windscreens are the same so it would simply fit back farther on the Bugeye than on the MK2.

From my own experience, going the other way doesn't work.
A top made for a Bugeye is too short for the MK1 Midget / MK2 Sprite.

 

[jvandyke]

Good, I feel better letting it go then. That would really put me in the dog house if I laid out $500, drove across the state to get it and it didn't fit. Thanks for saving my marriage.

 

[Guest]

never understood why people do not prep the items for sell, it like leave it dirty so you cann't see the real condition. how long does it take to throw ajax on the top and clean it?

......cause it has flaws that will be easily seen if washed......like cracked gelcoat.

I've seen stuff look worse after it was washed.

 

[RickB]

The Bugeye top I sold was like that when I got it.
I washed it up and it did look worse, but when I sell something I like the buyer to know just what they are getting.
I didn't get $500 for it, actually about half that.
But I'm comfortable knowing the buyer wasn't fooled or tricked, which is how I would want to be treated.

 

[Brian_James]

From my own experience, going the other way doesn't work.
A top made for a Bugeye is too short for the MK1 Midget / MK2 Sprite.

The back of the factory hardtop on my bugeye sits well back from the opening. That top looks like a Bugeye top to me, but I'm not making any promises.

Brian

 

[Dug]

It is the style that associated to a MKI sprite. The distance from the center of the windscreen mounting to the center of the rear lip of this specific hard top is approx 42” - 42-1/2”. If someone with a MKI midget or MKII sprite could measure the distance from the middle of the windscreen to center of the chrome retainers, what is it?
I think anyone who has ever bought a MKI top 20 + years after it was made will tell you they all have stress cracks from that time forward and especially now, some are just hidden by a fresher gel coat and paint.
Dug

 

[RickB]

Dug, just to be clear are we to measure level across the cockpit from the point where the windscreen meets above the dash to a line between the centers of the chrome retainers?

Also, on my MK1 Midget the chrome bits are gone and there are two holes, is a line between the holes the same thing?

 

[Dug]

Yes, horizontally, but I measured mine from the top of the windscreen (not the bottom). Remember were not needing to split a 1/8” or even a ¼” it’s the rough measurement.
I have a MKII sprite stored a bit to far to run out and measure.
Dug

 

[RickB]

If it stops raining for a bit I'll go out and pull the tarp back and measure.
Right, I think we are looking at a couple inches difference, not a fraction of an inch.

 

[Billm]

Actually a factory or factory style hardtop for a Bugeye or a MkII will fit both.
The short one that Rick had was a special short, extremely lightweight one which I had never seen before and was too short for a MkII.
The only difference between the Bugeye and the MkII types is the style with the Bugeye one being "rounded" (like the one in the above ad) and the MkII one is "flatter" more like a MkIII & MkIV one.
BillM

 

[RickB]

Measuring horizontally across from the point where the windscreen meets above the dash to the point between the two holes where the chrome retainer fits on my MK1 is about 47".

 

[RickB]

Well I certainly defer to your knowledge Bill, but isn't the cockpit of the MK2 a bit longer from front to back? Will the aluminum surround pieces interchange between a Bugeye & a MK2?

 

[Brian_James]

Well I certainly defer to your knowledge Bill, but isn't the cockpit of the MK2 a bit longer from front to back? Will the aluminum surround pieces interchange between a Bugeye & a MK2?

No the aluminum surround pieces won't interchange, but the rear of the Bugeye hardtop sits well back from the cockpit surround.

Brian

 

[Brian_James]

Here is a picture of a my factory hardtop on my bugeye. I will post a picture of the rear inside next.
Brian

 

[Brian_James]

Here is a picture inside. The hardtop sits at least 12" behind the rear of the cockpit surround. You can see the soft top hook on the left side of the picture. The hardtop sits to the rear of the soft top mounting points.

Brian

 

[jvandyke]

Holey Crow,
$817!!!!!! I guess I'll never have a hardtop then, yikes, that's just nuts, it's not even nice!
unbelievable...isn't it?

 

[tony barnhill]

There's one born every day!

 

[tdskip]

Yeah Tony, but where are you going to find another one. I've seen a couple floating around but they all seen to be bought up pretty quickly. Having one would make the car more usable, so seems like it would be nice to have.