soft top replacement

[marty64]

hi chaps, i am going to replace my soft top with another i bought last summer, my question is, is that are they difficult to get off? and is it a one man and his wife kinda job?

if they are to difficult i ll probably leave it.

marty :dude:

[gbcarson]

imported post

When the chap who replaced mine recently removed the old one, he did it using a stanley knife and a 3/8 drill bit!

My only advice would be to just make sure that you don't damage the frame in any way when pulling the old one off. Once you've got it off, you have a chance to check the frame for missing/loose bolts etc.

Having watched him fit the new hood (superb job by the way) I'd have to say that it's not a job I would tackle myself and I consider myself to be relatively handy with a spanner.

Kudos to you though if you're going to have a go.

[Marco Polo]

imported post

G'day Marty,

To get the old roof off just use a stanley knife and cut it around theframe hoops and sides etc. This will give you a fair idea how to attach the new one.

Pull the rubber seals from the ends and sides of the frame,this will expose their retainers, you will need to drill their securing rivets out.

Once the frame is bare have a look for seized bolts, missing nuts, bent frames etc. These will need to be replaced or straightened as required. In my experience, ( I've done 3 now)the main hoop behind the that is behind the "B" pillars and also the "J" shaped bars that hold the rear hoop will need straightening. The main hoop can bereturned to it's original shapeon the car using blocks of wood/levers as required. The "J" shaped bars will need to be heated using gas welding gear to be returned to their original profile.

I obtained some drawings from a "local" (Brisbane) Triumph workshop so I knew the correct profiles

There is no point in replacing the hood if the frame is not in good condition.

Ireplaced all the shouldered hinge bolts onmy frame with high tensile dome headed allen bolts and copied the original shoulders using brass ona lathe. I reassembled using graphite grease.

The framewas stove enamelled before reassembly.

It sounds over the top, but my roof is now so easy to put up and down my kids can do it! Also my wife doesn't break her nails!

Renewing the soft top is reasonably straight forward, the "Practical Classics" Stag restoration guide gives a good"how to" guide.

Another tip is to lay the new roof over your renovated frame for a few days to get the wrinkles out and last but most important tip is don't cut or glueanything on the replacement roof unless you are absolutely sure!

Hope this helps,

regards,

Raoul