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Soft top

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T

TOJ

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Hi.

I purchased my Big healey a couple of weeks ago, so please excuse my ingnorance.

I have a 1959 AH BT7 with a ill fitting soft top. The frame for the soft top does not extend to the top of the windscreen, but has only a fixed bar going across and two fold-out bars. The fixed bar is placed in the same mounts as the tonnau bar. The soft top itself is not fastned to these bars but is a seperate piece with a wooden rail at the front. Is this original for my car? If anybody could post some pictures of a BT7 hood seen from the in and outside I would be very grateful.

There are quite a lot of gap between the rear of the sidescreens and the top, and some gap above the sidescreens. Is this normal / acceptable? I don't expect the soft top to be like a modern car, but as it is now I get soaking wet on my right side whenever I drive in the rain...

Where can I buy a top quality and well fitting soft top? Does anyone have experience with hoods from Moss, AH Spares or Don Trimming Co? Is there any point in buying a mohair hood?

Thanx,

T
 
Hi Toj, someone will be along shortly to help you with your top problem.Your problem top sounds like it has shrunk from old age and the stick supports were designed by a drunk.Weather proofing with those tops leaves a bit to be desired so don't be looking for a complete cure.--Fwiw---Keoke- /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cowboy.gif
 
T - I'm a Moss distributor & like the Robbins top...contact me if you need pricing information.
 
Those came with a top??? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif
 
I suspect Keoke is correct in that your top has shrunk over the years. I experienced a similar problem after having my car stored for several years.

I think your description of the top installation is correct, except that there is webbing that “connects” the top to the frame on each side. You can see this in the Moss or AH Spares catalog. There were at least two different soft-top frames used on BT7s, and yours sounds like one of them.

I’d also recommend a Robbins top. However, the top Moss Motors list in their catalog for a BT7 is not a Robbins, but one Moss makes in-house. I bought one believing it was a Robbins, because that is what I was led to believe, and it wouldn’t come close to fitting my BT7. After several phone calls to Moss, I was able to get a refund, including shipping both ways, and Moss ordered a Robbins top for me. I spoke with one of the Robbins brothers and they were very helpful in getting the top pushed ahead in production. Expect to pay as much for a quality installation as you do for the top. It’s not a project I would take on myself, even if I had the 4 hours or more to spare. You can go to Robbins web site https://www.robbinsautotopco.com/homepage.html and find a list of dealers throughout the country. Call around and find the best price, though they will all be very similar in cost. Robbins has different material options. I went with the original British Everflex Vinyl.

I would also suggest you investigate the condition of your wood top bow and the windshield seal and replace them if necessary. It might be a good time to clean, prime, and repaint your soft-top frame as well. Good luck
Ron
 
[ QUOTE ]
Those came with a top??? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

At Healey speed rain is usually horizontal /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif

My understanding of the "top" was that it was actually some type of towel to be used at stoplights or when the wipers again quit /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazyeyes.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazyeyes.gif
 
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/lol.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/lol.gif Top = baseball cap! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
You said the top frame was in the same holes as the tonneau. The top should be at the door and the tonneau about 9 in back

[/ QUOTE ]

It is my understanding that soft-top frames were provided that installed in one or the other sets of holes; the forward holes (also used for the hardtop) and the rear holes (also used for the tonneau cover.) Naturally, the end portion of the frame that installs in the holes were different. My frame installs in the forward holes, but several friends have cars where the frame installs in the rear holes. I think the rear hole installation was more common, but I am not sure of this.
 
The soft top for 6 - cylinder roadsters came in three different types beginning with the 100-Six.

The first type was permanantly attached to the frame and was fitted to cars built at Longbridge until April 1958

The second type had exactly the same frame structure but could be removed from the car. This frame had pegs on the bottom of the main frame rail went into special holes which were different from the holes for the tonneau bar.

A third type was introduced during the life of the 3000s. This had a different type of folding frame. It was made of thicker gauge tube and had two larger diameter pegs which fitted into the holes for the tonneau bar.

You can see photos of these on my web site www.healeysix.net. Go to the page 'Longbridge Top'
 
Thanks for all knowledgeable help!

But I am a little confused. On the first picture in DerekJ's web page two hood frames are shown. Mine looks like the one on the left. None of these extend to the top of the windscreen. But further down the page a sequence is shown for folding, and the hood frame shown there does extend to the windscreen. Which is correct?

Does anybody have any experience with vendors of hoods from the UK? AH Spares, Don Hoods etc?
 
Not sure what you mean about extending to the windscreen.. The metal frame itself does not extend to the windcreen There is a seperate front piece made of wood to which the hood material is attached, this is the piece that clips to the windscreen and its is not part of the metal frame structure..

The photo sequence showing the folding of the top ONLY applies to the early cars where the frame is permanently attached to the body of the car. However you can see the wooden piece in these pictures, and how it clips to the screen, this part is the same on all the tops.
 
I need to clarify my first post. The early hood (top) which was attached to the body of the car was introduced in 1956 and carried through until April 1958. So all Longbridge built BN4s had this top and so did BN4 cars built at Abingdon from Nov 1957 until April 1958. The detachable tops were introduced with the BN6 in Apl 1958 and then on the next series BN4s which were built from Sept 1958 at Abingdon.
 
OK, on the Longbridge built BN4, when we say the frame was attached to the car, is this the one where the posts had wheels that went into a track in each side? That is what mine does, but it is not permanent. The wheels will release at the back of the tracks, allowing the frame to be removed.
 
The one I call permanent is as you describe it. It runs on tracks, of course if you unbolt everything the frame can be removed but the idea is that the frame stays attached to the car when raising or lowering the top. With the later cars this is not the case. The frame is removed from its holes and stored seperately.

Hope this helps clarify the matter
 
OK, that's what I've got. I've spent the better part of three years trying to understand it, because there was nothing but the screw holes for the tracks when I got the car. The tracks that I got to put in the car had the rear of the track slightly spread, which allows the frame to come completely out easily. That is what confused me, since I've never seen the correct set-up. Thanks again.
 
Yep.. they are very fiddly and I guess thats why they were changed for the later type. But as I say, they are meant to stay in the tracks all the time

If your car has or had a two port head (pre Oct 1957)send the details of it to Jim Lesher who is registrar of the Longbridge 2 port head register. We like to keep track of where they all are.
 
Yes it does and yes I will. Thanks
 
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