[TR] New TR6 top

Jeff Scarbrough fishplate at gmail.com
Tue Dec 29 15:01:42 MST 2020


I have a 1976 Spitfire with the original top.  Still fits like a glove.  I
attribute that to the DPO storing the car with the top up.

I also have a 1975 TR6 that was always parked with the top down.  I can't
close the top, and I need to replace it not because it's worn, but because
they let it shrink.

Bottom line: erect your hood when you park your car.

Jeff Scarbrough
Corrosion Acres, Ga.

On Tue, Dec 29, 2020, 16:53 Rochlin Robert <rrochlin at comcast.net> wrote:

> So, does anyone have a canvas top that goes up and down as it should? We
> seem to have trashed Robbins and Prestige.
>  My friend has a Mazda and he can easily grab the top handle from the
> drivers seat and pull it up with little effort. A half century advance in
> engeneering?
> Best,
> Bob
>
> On Dec 29, 2020, at 4:39 PM, John Macartney <John.Macartney at Ukpips.org.uk>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> Vote for Guy Fawkes! The only man who entered Parliament with honest
> intentions.
>
> On 29 Dec 2020, at 17:58, David Friedlander <forzion7 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I have had a Prestige Twilfast-canvas-type top for my TR6 for the last ten
> + years. It still looks and fits great! I had it professionally installed
> and I've had zero regrets. Not sure how you can see the hoodstick through
> the window....
>
> Dave
>
> On Tue, Dec 29, 2020 at 12:53 PM dave <dave at ranteer.com> wrote:
>
>> I have a prestige top on my tr6 and I hate it.  it really is not the
>> right size (too narrow) and the rear window is too large, so you can see
>> the hoodstick through it
>>
>>
>>
>> And, just half a dozen years from having it installed, there are glued
>> portions that have become unglued.  Its really awful, and if my options
>> weren’t so expensive I would replace it
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* Triumphs <triumphs-bounces at autox.team.net> *On Behalf Of *David
>> Friedlander
>> *Sent:* Tuesday, December 29, 2020 11:01 AM
>> *To:* DAVID MASSEY <dave1massey at cs.com>
>> *Cc:* triumphs at autox.team.net; dave at mdmackay.ca
>> *Subject:* Re: [TR] New TR6 top
>>
>>
>>
>> At least the vinyl top has a plasticizer in it. Sunfast tops are NOT
>> going to stretch no matter what or when. When they're tight, they're tight.
>> Not sure I understand why the various manufacturers don't try out their
>> patterns on actual vehicles and adjust them, especially for when they use
>> fabrics that don't stretch. I have a hoodstick cover from Prestige in the
>> UK and have had a real challenge to get it to stretch to fit the
>> lift-the-dot fasteners properly. The manufacturer has never actually fitted
>> one to a real TR3 so I don't know how they derive their patterns....
>>
>>
>>
>> Dave Friedlander
>>
>>
>>
>> Dave
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Dec 29, 2020 at 11:51 AM DAVID MASSEY <dave1massey at cs.com> wrote:
>>
>> The vinyl material used in tops is produced with a plasticizer which is
>> an additive that makes the vinyl soft, pliable and stretchable.  The
>> problem is this product is volatile and will dissipate over time making the
>> top less and less stretchable.  If the top stretched whens installed (and
>> installers don't like wrinkles and the easiest way to remove wrinkles is
>> the stretch the top to remove them) it will become more difficult to erect,
>> especially when cold.  When I rebuilt my TR6 in 1996 a friend gave me a top
>> that was sitting in his basement for 20-odd years (he bought it but his car
>> was totaled before he could get it installed).  I had that top installed
>> and it was a dream to erect and fold the whole time I had it.  I attribute
>> that to the fact that it wasn't stretchable when installed.
>>
>>
>>
>> My advice is to get your top installed when the weather is cold and the
>> material is more resistant to stretching.  The installer will pre-stretch
>> the top less and it will work better in the long run.
>>
>>
>>
>> Here's another anecdote: I bought a tonneau for the TR3 which was, in my
>> opinion, cut about 1 inch too short.  I installed the Lift-A-Dot snaps as
>> close to the edges as I could but still could only install it on a hot day
>> in the sun.  Since this car lives mostly in the garage the tonneau is
>> virtually permanently installed and over the years as the cover gets less
>> stretchy it has become easier to install.  I think the plasticizer has
>> dissipated and the top took a set in the stretched position.  So, this
>> raises a question: What would happen if one slit some garden hose and
>> placed it over the bows and left the top up with a little extra stretch.
>> After a while the top will take a set with extra slack, perhaps making it
>> easier to put up.
>>
>>
>>
>> Or buy your top years before you install it.
>>
>>
>>
>> Dave
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Dave MacKay <dave at mdmackay.ca>
>> To: triumphs at autox.team.net
>> Sent: Mon, Dec 28, 2020 4:41 pm
>> Subject: Re: [TR] New TR6 top
>>
>> I, too, have had problems with the Robbins tops although my car is a
>> TR3A, not a TR6.
>>
>>
>>
>> Like Bob with his TR6, my tonneau (and also a convertible top) is so
>> tight that I can only fit it with great effort even in warm sunny weather.
>> The tonneau was installed by professional installers who complained about
>> the fit. Robbins was responsive when I complained. I even sent my previous
>> tonneau to them so they could see what fit, but the replacement they sent
>> me after that was no better.
>>
>>
>>
>> The top hasn’t stretched or loosened over time. If anything, it may have
>> shrunk because it seems as hard or harder than ever to put on.
>>
>>
>>
>> I would suggest having the top (tonneau or convertible) made by your
>> installer so that you get a good fit. That would have been cheaper for me
>> than buying the Robbins tonneau and having to pay for two installations.
>>
>>
>>
>> As always, particularly since you’re dealing with a TR6 not a TR3A, YMMV
>>
>>
>>
>> Good luck,
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ** triumphs at autox.team.net **
>>
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