<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto">Sorry everyone but I’m having a chuckle at the expense of those you having soft top fitting probs. Someone commented the original patterns should have been tested on the car the top was designed to fit, or words to that effect? <div><br></div><div>If it makes you feel any better, I have many memories of watching men on the line trying to fit tops, tonneaux and soft top covers to cars when they were new. They had major problems too and that part of the line was always a continuous sound track of oaths and expletives of getting the damned things to fit when the mTerial was cold, unyielding, inflexible and just plain cussed.</div><div><br></div><div>Take heart. You’re not alone and you’re not the first by any means.</div><div><br></div><div>Jonmac<br><br><div id="AppleMailSignature" dir="ltr">Vote for Guy Fawkes! The only man who entered Parliament with honest intentions.</div><div dir="ltr"><br>On 29 Dec 2020, at 17:58, David Friedlander <<a href="mailto:forzion7@gmail.com">forzion7@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#000099">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....</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#000099"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#000099">Dave</div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Dec 29, 2020 at 12:53 PM dave <<a href="mailto:dave@ranteer.com">dave@ranteer.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div lang="EN-US" style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div class="gmail-m_3077276246423130986WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal">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<u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal">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<u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><div style="border-right:none;border-bottom:none;border-left:none;border-top:1pt solid rgb(225,225,225);padding:3pt 0in 0in"><p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> Triumphs <<a href="mailto:triumphs-bounces@autox.team.net" target="_blank">triumphs-bounces@autox.team.net</a>> <b>On Behalf Of </b>David Friedlander<br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, December 29, 2020 11:01 AM<br><b>To:</b> DAVID MASSEY <<a href="mailto:dave1massey@cs.com" target="_blank">dave1massey@cs.com</a>><br><b>Cc:</b> <a href="mailto:triumphs@autox.team.net" target="_blank">triumphs@autox.team.net</a>; <a href="mailto:dave@mdmackay.ca" target="_blank">dave@mdmackay.ca</a><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [TR] New TR6 top<u></u><u></u></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:rgb(0,0,153)">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....<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:rgb(0,0,153)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:rgb(0,0,153)">Dave Friedlander<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:rgb(0,0,153)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:rgb(0,0,153)">Dave<u></u><u></u></span></p></div></div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><div><div><p class="MsoNormal">On Tue, Dec 29, 2020 at 11:51 AM DAVID MASSEY <<a href="mailto:dave1massey@cs.com" target="_blank">dave1massey@cs.com</a>> wrote:<u></u><u></u></p></div><blockquote style="border-top:none;border-right:none;border-bottom:none;border-left:1pt solid rgb(204,204,204);padding:0in 0in 0in 6pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in"><div><div><div id="gmail-m_3077276246423130986gmail-m_-4886593744213825898yiv8638386929"><div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">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.<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">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.<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">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.<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">Or buy your top years before you install it.<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">Dave </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"><u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div><div id="gmail-m_3077276246423130986gmail-m_-4886593744213825898yiv8638386929yqtfd03937"><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">-----Original Message-----<br>From: Dave MacKay <<a href="mailto:dave@mdmackay.ca" target="_blank">dave@mdmackay.ca</a>><br>To: <a href="mailto:triumphs@autox.team.net" target="_blank">triumphs@autox.team.net</a><br>Sent: Mon, Dec 28, 2020 4:41 pm<br>Subject: Re: [TR] New TR6 top<u></u><u></u></span></p><div id="gmail-m_3077276246423130986gmail-m_-4886593744213825898yiv8638386929"><div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">I, too, have had problems with the Robbins tops although my car is a TR3A, not a TR6.<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"> <u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">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.<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"> <u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">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.<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"> <u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">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.<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"> <u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">As always, particularly since you’re dealing with a TR6 not a TR3A, YMMV<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"> <u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black">Good luck,<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"> <u></u><u></u></span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p class="MsoNormal">** <a href="mailto:triumphs@autox.team.net" target="_blank">triumphs@autox.team.net</a> **<br><br>Donate: <a href="http://www.team.net/donate.html" target="_blank">http://www.team.net/donate.html</a><br>Archive: <a href="http://www.team.net/pipermail/triumphs" target="_blank">http://www.team.net/pipermail/triumphs</a> <a href="http://www.team.net/archive" target="_blank">http://www.team.net/archive</a><br><br>Unsubscribe/Manage: <a href="http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/triumphs/forzion7@gmail.com" target="_blank">http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/triumphs/forzion7@gmail.com</a><u></u><u></u></p></blockquote></div></div></div>** <a href="mailto:triumphs@autox.team.net" target="_blank">triumphs@autox.team.net</a> **<br>
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