[Healeys] length of cockpit

Team.net lawrence.swift at gmail.com
Mon May 11 12:00:54 MDT 2020


My BT7 hardtop is a bit pride on both sides forward of the rear hold down clamps.

A friend recently restored a hardtop for a customer.  We fitted it on my car and it was perfect.  It did take some work though - primarily bending the locating pins so they fit properly in the locating holes.

Larry

> On May 11, 2020, at 12:32 PM, <simon.lachlan at alexarevel.plus.com> <simon.lachlan at alexarevel.plus.com> wrote:
> 
> 51.5” on mine. Mk11 BT7.
> Mind you, my hardtop isn’t a brilliant fit either. Lengthwise, I’d say it’s good but it seems to sit up a little at the rear centre. It doesn’t quite sit down flush. A few mm out. Nothing too serious.
> Simon
>  
> From: Healeys <healeys-bounces at autox.team.net> On Behalf Of Mirek Sharp
> Sent: 11 May 2020 04:57
> To: healeys at autox.team.net
> Subject: [Healeys] length of cockpit
>  
> Dear listers, I have recently spent a fair bit of time fiddling with getting a good fit for the hardtop on my ’59 BT7.  It is definitely a bit long, and when clipped securely to the windscreen it overhangs the rear cockpit trim just a bit more than I would like (just barely catching the rubber seal  on the hardtop).  It was a challenge getting  a good seal with the side-screens as well and although I eventually achieved an excellent fit on the passenger side, there is still a bit of a gap (1/4”) between the hardtop and the rear of the driver’-side side-screen, for the first 6” above the door.  However, overall, I am relatively happy with the fit as the hardtop was purchased about 7 years ago and did not come factory-fitted back in ’59.
>  
> I understand from talking to others that there is considerable variation in the hardtops; they are not all identical.  Despite this, I have wondered if the issue with the less than perfect fit is because the hardtop is too “long”, or if the distance between my windshield and the rear aluminum cockpit trim is too short.   The latter is possible as the body was removed for repair and paint 6 years ago.  That work was undertaken by my late friend Rich Chrysler and his crew, who knew thing or two about Healeys and whose work is impeccable, thus I am inclined to think it is the hardtop.  Also, I have moved the windscreen as far forward as possible without compromising the fit against the front shroud (there is a shallow “hump” in the shroud which locates the rubber windscreen seal).  The rake is determined by the angle of the side-screens and getting the base of the windscreen pillars satisfactorily located on the rubber pads, so no adjustment there.  The body panels fit beautifully, so I will not contemplate adjusting those to achieve a better fit for the hardtop.  
>  
> So, more out of curiosity than anything else, (and as part of my personal commitment to keep us all productively occupied through the present crisis) I would be grateful if any listers out there with BT7s could measure the distance from the windscreen to the rear aluminum moulding around the cockpit so I can get some idea what variation exists, if any, in the “length” of the cockpit (I don’t know how else to put it).  To ensure the same measuring points are used by all, I suggest the measurement be taken from the centre of the top windscreen frame, at the top of the rear lip of the frame (hook the tape measure over the lip)  to the middle of the aluminum trim at the rear of the cockpit (i.e., along  the centreline of the car).  There is a very short segment of  aluminum trim, about an inch long, held by a single screw, which conveniently denotes the centreline at the rear.
>  
> Many thanks to any of you who can shed some light on this question for me.
>  
> Mirek
> _______________________________________________
> Support Team.Net http://www.team.net/donate.html
> Suggested annual donation  $12.75
> 
> Archive: http://www.team.net/pipermail/healeys http://autox.team.net/archive
> 
> Healeys at autox.team.net
> http://autox.team.net/mailman/listinfo/healeys
> 
> Unsubscribe/Manage: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/healeys/lawrence.swift@gmail.com

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://autox.team.net/pipermail/healeys/attachments/20200511/d9b3fdd8/attachment.htm>


More information about the Healeys mailing list