Stag Bimini Top

[Rumbo]

A final addition to my Restro Mod Stag is a Bimini top, or as my wife calls it a "Stag Hat"

As our summers are getting longer and hotter I wanted more protection from the sun without the hassle of driving with the soft top up especially for around town motoring.

So I created a Bimini top prototype using some old shade cloth and bent up a flat bar piece of aluminum in the shape of the windscreen top, riveted some small metal hooks that slip into the holes for the soft top and used bungie cord to hold it down. I then took it to a trimmer who made it and also made a cover for the back seats which attach to the soft top hold down handles when the top is stowed and also tensioned up with a bungie cord at the front.

Have tested it at 80kpm and works well, will do a 100kpm test soon. It also reduces the back draft effect so will not need a wind deflector.

The Bimini top take less that 10 seconds to fit and can tuck behind the seats when not used for those better no top motoring conditions.

Bimini top1.jpg

Bimin top2.jpg

[sujitroy]

Nice. I have been thinking of this after seeing something similar on an MG here in California. How do you stop the top flapping around over the widows?

[richardthestag]

Looks good, LR have a similar theme going

bikinisand6_-_copy_1.jpg

[Rumbo]

The sides of the Bimini that run over the top of the door window frame do not flap too much. They are held tight by the tension created by the bungie cords at the rear of the top.

I even have a Velcro strap that wraps around the T bar in the middle of the top to also minimise the movement for the cover at speed.

Nice to drive without having to wear a hat all the time, especially for the passenger.......... looking forward to autumn finally arriving then back to open top motoring days.

[Rigid]

A Yerrus top - to opposite of the Surrey top seen on the TR4.

I'll get my coat.

[Alacrity]

I like this, I have an old knackered hood frame here & am going to do a similar thing using the front top rail from it. As I plan to tour Europe so it would probably be covered in a white to help to keep us cooler. We cooked (us not the car!) driving back from Wales last August & it was a case of run topless & risk getting burnt, or run with the top up & boil - all of us (it was a S/East group trip) opted for top up but boy was it warm! One car also had the heater jammed on!

[Rumbo]

The stag T-Bar makes it easier to create a Bimini top unlike many MG owners who need a separate frame to support it.

The light aluminum bar that has the hooks riveted to it is light weight and allows to top to be fitted one handed and quickly unlike my soft top which I only use when I have too.

I did think about making a Bimini top from an older spare hood front rail but needed another set of latching levers so decided for the lightweight option.