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Hardtop AH 100/4 Universal Laminations

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1954healey100

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Is there anybody out there who has a Universal Laminations hardtop on his 100? I am trying to figure our how it was mounted to the windscreen and to the body behind the seats. Any pictures would be much appreciated.
 
1954healey100 said:
Is there anybody out there who has a Universal Laminations hardtop on his 100? I am trying to figure our how it was mounted to the windscreen and to the body behind the seats. Any pictures would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Contact Bill Young with the St Johns Austin Healey Club in Jacksonville, FL. I believe he has one.
Patrick
 
Thanks Patrick. Bill sold his UL hardtop some 20 years ago. In the mean time I was able to locate a person in the Netherlands who has one. Best regards, Peter
 
I have a hardtop on my 100, don't know if it is a UL type. I have seen a few like it at varous Healey events.

Picture of the top is on the forum:

Healey 100 Hardtop

The mounting of this top is very crude and simple but it manages to keep it more or less in place. If it's the right top, I'll be glad to send you some pix and more detail on the mounting.

Bill S
NM
 
Healey 100 said:
I have a hardtop on my 100, don't know if it is a UL type. I have seen a few like it at varous Healey events.

Picture of the top is on the forum:

Healey 100 Hardtop

The mounting of this top is very crude and simple but it manages to keep it more or less in place. If it's the right top, I'll be glad to send you some pix and more detail on the mounting.

Bill S
NM
Click to expand...
It appears to be a "Parrish" brand hardtop and has since been aquired by Smoothline.com https://www.smoothline.com/austin_healey.php
Patrick
 
Parrish does look familiar, though some of their tops look a bit wider at the rear pillar. I might add that my top was old, battered and on the car when I bought it in 1973. The car had no soft top or even holes in the upholstery for attaching the top bows. I think the car was probably sold originally with the hardtop, perhaps as a dealer installed feature.
 
Google "Dennis Ferranti Laminations", there is some info and a pic of the MGA UL hardtop which is of a similar era. Interesting that the makers of UL hard tops are still in business today.

A period ad I found yesterday showing AH with UL hardtop
UL%20hardtop.jpg



If it is any help, here are some 100/6 ht latch pics.

ht%20front%20hook.JPG


ht%20rear%20hook.JPG


ht%20rear%20peg.JPG
 
Andy, Do you have access to the hardtop in your photos? If so, would you measure the length of the locating pins shown of the last photo. (From bottom of aluminum trim to bottom of pin.)
The pins on my hardtop barely enter (approx. 1/4")the receiving whole behind the door and often pop out on occasion. I think they may have been shortened somewhere before I got the top. It looks like I could add at up to an inch to the pins and still not hit the bottom of the whole.
 
Hi Rob,

The HT is disassembled atm in the process of being renovated. Here are some pics of the locating pin, you can see the top of the pin is rusted away where the fabric traps moisture against it so that gives some indication of how much actually sticks out.

Cheers,
Andy.


DSC06474.JPG


The end of the pin should show some hacksaw marks or something if yours are cut off
DSC06475.JPG


Pin length is about 2"
DSC06476.JPG
 
Thank you Andy, My pin is also 2 inches so I guess I need to work a little more on the gasket seal between the hardtop and the surround to get a better fit. I know many of the hardtops don't fit the car that closely, especially where it meets the dip in the surround right behind the door. I had to add additional gasket material to fill in that area. I have seen others with the same problem. Rob
 
Hello,
Have you had any luck finding how your Universal Laminations hard top attaches to your car? I too have a very original (albeit unrestored) top for my '54 BN1 and would like to know how it attaches to the rear of the car. My fear is that it is bolted through the shroud. I do have the front mounting hardware that you may wish to see photos of and MAY even know where to obtain a set. These front mounts are to be screwed into the windshield posts.
Dave
 
My BN1 top at the rear is not bolted through the shroud. There is a simple overcenter clamp that hooks the top to the aluminum garnish moulding. There is a small relief filed into the moulding to capture the hook, but otherwise there is no change to the bodywork to hold the top in place.
 
Yes, I will send a picture shortly. I am about take the top out of storage and put it on to travel to Conclave 2011 this weekend.

Bill S
Albuquerque
 
I have recently acquired an aluminium hardtop for a 100/4. I would like to know if any one knows where it could have come from.

John
South Africa
 
Contact Charlie Braum at: cbaustin@verizon.net. Charlie lives in Pittsburgh PA and has several 100 tops of slightly different configurations. He recently posted to the AH email list that he wants to sell them but in any case he should be able to assist.
 
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