>> 1) Has anyone /ever/ managed to get a water-proof fit on a spit soft-
>> top?
>>
>> Mine has a small gap along the top edge of the door windows (worse on
>> driver side). Fitting a new (and better proportioned) hood helped a
>> little, but I still get wet in all but light rain. The front edge (top
>> of windscreen) also leaks a little in heavy rain. I don't think I have
>> ever seen a perfect fit soft-top on a spit.
>
>What Mk Spitfire is it? My Mk2 seals well across the front - the hood tucks
>under the aluminium screen finisher. Late Spitfires with the over centre
>catches can be adjusted slightly to make the header seal a better fit. The
>levers seem to wear the pins that hold them down . Have you tried a new
>header rail seal? Is the mounting channel secure/ in good condition/ sealed
>to the header rail? Is the aluminium screen capping sealed to the top of the
>windscreen?
Ooops. Forgot to say didn't I. (D'oh!) It is a 1500. I am not too
bothered about the front seal as it does not leak badly, and I suspect
that I could solve it with a some adjustments.
>As for the windows, how much play in the runners is there? How much does the
>window get sucked out when you are travelling. Try replacing o packing out
>the nylon window channel bearings so that they ae a better fit, check the
>weatherstips for a good fit. Has the doorskin been replaced? Is the gap for
>the window too wide so as not to allow the outer and inner door window seals
>to help support the doorglass?
When I had the door fittings apart last year the nylon runners looked
ok. There doesn't seem to be much play. I also thought that the weather
strips were a reasonable fit too. I will have a closer look when I next
take her out. (She has been tucked away in the dry whilst the weather is
so bad).
>Strangely enough, the fit of the doorglass to the hood profile and hardtop
>profile on my car is not as good as the passenger side, even after much
>adjustment. I used new doorglasses, but they both seemed the same when I was
>assembling the windows...
>>
>> 2) Is the seal on a hard-top any better?
>>
>> Now that winter is creeping up I am seriously considering purchase of a
>> hard-top to make winter driving a little more pleasant (no more
>> embarrassing stains on my trousers when I get to work... well, not from
>> the car anyway). Am I about to waste my money?
>
>A hard top does make the inside a little bit quieter and perhaps a little
>less draughty. As mentioned, my drivers side doorglass is not as good a fit
>as the passenger side also, so I still experience a little blowby in rain.
>As the hardtop is more rigid, any play in your door windows will show up
>more than with the soft top in my experience, but you may be OK and you have
>the advantage of being able to use thicker profile doorseal. The front
>header seal on the hardtop is more substantial than on the soft top, and I
>have not found any problems here.
Perhaps I will invest in one. I'm not sure where on earth I am going to
keep it over the summer months though :-(
Cheers.
--
Tom Harvey________________________________________________________________
http://www.tomh.demon.co.uk/ Home: tomh@tomh.demon.co.uk
http://www.tomh.demon.co.uk/jukebox/ Work: tharvey@meditel.co.uk
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