Advice for Newbie

[Guest]

Hello all, thanks for allowing me to join the forum on a temporary basis (I hope to become a member and stick around)

By way of introduction I am a serial classic car owner and I'm now looking for a Stag as I have admired them for many years and it is now or never. I have spent hours (no, every waking moment) looking around to build up my knowledge and I'm hoping to start the search in earnest shortly when I can hopefully view and buy a lovely Stag.

My days of laying on the cold, wet garage floor are gone as my old bones won't take it so it is likely I am going to buy from a trader. My searches seem to keep coming back to a certain establishment to the south of Birmingham and am looking for advice as to if they may be a safe bet or if there is any other places I may look. (I appreciate the forum is not here to discuss specific traders, good or bad)

I have seen what looks to be a nice Stag in a "general" classic dealer but it is only equipped with a convertible top but I really like the look of a hard top, plus it has steel wheels with trims (It is a Mark one so it is in keeping with the standard model) and I would prefer alloys or wires. I really can't make my mind up if that should be a deal breaker?

All general advice very welcome

Thanks for listening.

[Wheelz]

If you have to keep the car outside then a hard top might be a good idea, but otherwise, IMO its just a big lump that gets in the way when stored!
Dont worry about the steel wheels. Stag alloys are plentiful, easy to swap, and not expensive.

Look vary carefully with expert help at the engine, as they are tricky to rebuild properly, and can be costly. A good one will last a long time though.

Good luck with your search.

[wilf]

Haven't fitted my hard top in 11 years! Hardly ever put the canvas roof up, either.

Anyway Denis - welcome. Like any marque, Triumphs and Stags have their foibles. The very best thing you could do is to meet up with your local SOC group, and canvas their help when you find one you fancy - an expert eye run over a car is invaluable. Do you have the budget for a top notch restored vehicle if you don't want to spanner on it yourself? ANother route would be to buy one form a knowledgeable enthusiast SOC member - again your local group will know of any such for sale.

Whereabouts do you live?

[AJLC]

Welcome to the journey of Stag ownership. If you plan to use the car regularly during autumn, winter and early spring a hardtop will be beneficial, if only for the heated rear window -provided it works! For the rest of the time you need plenty of space or a winch arrangement to store the hardtop. Steel wheels or alloys depends on whether you consider originality to be important or not. As you know steel wheels were on earlier mk 1's but many were retro fitted with alloys during there 50 yrs or so. Hood was also different on mk 1 in case you weren't aware or are looking at originality. The SOC magazine is a good place to look for Stags for sale as well. With a 50 yr old car buying from the trade doesn't neccessarily provide much additional protection. Enjoy.

[Guest]

Thanks for the advice. Interesting to hear the hard top isn't that well considered. I have watched a vid with one being fitted / removed and it does look a bit of a lump.

Not sure if there is a local group, I can't say I have seen any Stags around. I live on the Isle of Wight.

[Guest]

Meant to add, thanks for the welcome. (I can't edit the post)

[jbuckl]

Welcome. Unless it’s a daily driver / all year car, the hard-top can be a useless item. Even the soft top is only needed if caught out by rain. The car is most often enjoyable in dry weather, so neither the soft or hard top are that important, although a working smart softop is nice. (Apologies to the hard - core daily drivers)
Theres often very well cherished stags for sale. Some are in the magazine, amongst other places.
Try to get an experienced local member to help with inspection if possible.
The dealer in south Birmingham (triumph stag shop) sold a car to my next door neighbour.
He has been happy with it, keeping it well maintained &improved, it’s pretty much the tidiest car in the area…. But there’s a few others too.

[StagJonno]

Welcome, Denis. Definitely get your membership sorted. Not sure which Area covers the Isle of Wight, but Carl Fuss, one of the Vice Chairmen, is based in Hampshire so I'm sure he can provide you with appropriate contacts - his contact details are in the monthly mag..

Equally (or possibly more) important as an engine in good condition, is a sound body and someone knowledgable of the main rust points will be a valuable companion when you go to look at a potential buy. I know from a member in the North East wanted a good stag and was prepared to spend to achieve that goal. He bought from a trader who promised gave assurances on quality and agreed to do some remedials. These assurances turned out to be lacking in substance. Don't recall the full details, though believe litigation was involved, and he did manage to get money returned such that the guy got what he wanted. I know a couple of other guys who used traders and they were overall happy. So no rule of thumb! Personally, I would start with looking at those cars advertised by club members, either in the StagMag, or on the website.

I'm another one who finds the hardtop more of a storage hassle. I bought the Stag for its convertible attributes and also not keen on taking it out with salt on the roads. Whilst it looks great when on (a third option, really) it does require 2 x strong people to install/ remove, unless you go for a hand winch/ motorised lifting arrangement. In 7 years, the only time mine has been on was when I picked the car up from the previous owner. Since then it's been stored on a wheeled stand (minimises the space taken if you don't have a high ceiling. Only kept it as it has the Reg No engraved on the rear window.

Good luck with your search - I'm sure you'll enjoy your wise choice

[jbuckl]

+1 My hardtop winch has been useful…. To keep it out of the way mostly. In 30 years it’s only been on the car when I’ve needed to move it…. 3 times :- once when I bought the car, then when I moved & most recently for a period of storage.

[DJT]

The hard top goes on mine every winter. I do not like driving the car far with the soft top up - mine is original with no lining so is dark inside, and with no rear quarter visibility - and the hard top transforms the Stag into a different vehicle; light, airy and warm. I spent a lot of time and effort restoring the hard top from a rusty mess 18 years ago, so that is another reason for using it.

[JJF]

Agree DJT, transforms the look of the car.
Completion of the car, on or off.
Each to their own.

[Guest]

I have seen somewhere on the web a company who are / were manufacturing new hardtops, but at a lot of money.

Are the original hard tops interchangeable with Mk1's and later models? I wonder if I did end up buying a Stag without the hard top, as a bit of a project look around at a later stage for one.

Again, thanks for your knowledgeable advice.

I have had a private message but for some reason I can only see a truncated version of it and can't reply. I'm not ignoring the sender

[DJT]

Hard tops are fully interchangeable. Main difference being the colour of the glass. Mk1 Stags have clear glass, Mk2 Stags have Sundym tinted glass. The hard tops were produced to match.

[Guest]

Hard tops are fully interchangeable. Main difference being the colour of the glass. Mk1 Stags have clear glass, Mk2 Stags have Sundym tinted glass. The hard tops were produced to match.

Thanks, that is worth noting.

[Lingen]

And the later ones came with ventilators in the rear pillars to reduce steaming up. Useful if the HRW doesn't work any more.
Mike.