Soft top front fixings

[ac]

Hello,

Can anyone give me details/photo's of how the front hoodrail should be fixed to the windscreen frame on a Berlinetta.

On my new purchase it seems to be via 5 or 6 M6 set screws and nuts, which compared with the Cabrio I had is

a) a bit utilitarian

and more importantly

b) slow and fiddly if it starts to rain like it can in Lancashire

Also the hood hasn't been fitted particularly well, so if someone could post some photo's of the way the windows and hood are supposed to come together that would be good as well

thanks,

Andrew

[rog8811]

Re: Soft top front fixings

Awaits responses to this one, I have the same set up with 4 nuts and bolts. I have replaced the hex nuts with wing nuts but it is still a fiddle to get the hood up and down.


Regards Rog

[chris]

Re: Soft top front fixings

I have bolts as well, but with a bit of refinement they do seem to work, and I can put the roof up in a few mins, I will try to take some pictures tomorrow :-)

[B_Williams]

Re: Soft top front fixings

I didn't build mine, but the original owner/builder used 3x over Centre clips which work superbly, though they do rattle a but on a bumpy road when the hood is down.
They look similar to these https://www.europaspares.com/product...e_Catches.html but you would need to check the measurements.
The original bolt holes are utilised to receive some short locating studs, sticking out of the hood's front rail.
The movable part of the clips are screwed to wooden blocks on the hood and the little hooks are bolted directly to the inside of the screen surround.

You can just see the screen clips here, with one directly above the mirror


and the ones on the hood here, with one of the studs sillouetted against the spare wheel cover


Also I've replace the clevis pins & R clips on the hood frame joint with pip pins, making the changeover even easier.
Similar to these, but a bit different in my case http://www.nordet.co.uk/

(I got it for less than that in the end by the way )

[rog8811]

Re: Soft top front fixings

Thanks peak, I can see how all that works! I will start looking for parts!

[Robert in Cumbria]

Re: Soft top front fixings

Over the years I have ridden and driven in many open topped cars, mainly Alvis's. One method which was fairly common was two mushroom shaped dowels which protruded from the bottom of the hood headrail and inserted into two corresponding holes in the top rail of the windscreen, there were two levers which when pushed home latched under the mushroom heads, and clamped the hood rail down with a wedge action. That was very effective and not that complex, I will try to draw a sketch and post it if I can. This particular car was a TA 21/100 1952 with a Tickford Drop head 2 door body.

Have found a photo which almost shows the principle... You can just see the two light coloured levers about a foot in at each side of the top rail of the windscreen.

Alvis TA21.jpg

[rog8811]

Re: Soft top front fixings

I will try to draw a sketch and post it if I can.

Yes please, if I understand your description I think that the top rail of the Marlin screen surround could be a bit small to accept that type of fixing. i would happily be proven wrong though.

[Robert in Cumbria]

Re: Soft top front fixings

It could be reversed, the dowel in the top of the windscreen and the catch in the hood rail?

The key is it has to be dowel located AND pulled down tight.

One crude but effective solution would be two (or more?) antiluces from the back of your Landrover heck (drop down tailboard), attached to the hood rain and pushed through the screen top rail. They have a wedge action. I'm not actually suggesting this, just chucking ideas about. I have seen some bonnet catches like this somewhere.

I just found this:

http://www.cbsonline.co.uk/product/LOCATING__Over-Centre_Fastener_EACH_LOCOC

I don't know how much room there is to work with.

[Robert in Cumbria]

Re: Soft top front fixings

Having given this a little though I can see the Marlin screen frame is a bit slim for that type of fastener.

I dug out the fasteners which I saved from the Healey Abbot I broke in the sixties...

Ha! I just noticed, you can just see the tip of the fastener in the pic of the car.

Screen Shot 2012-09-04 at 09.11.50.jpg

Healey Hood Fastners.jpg

I have outlined suggested mods to the design. These were made from solid brass, it wouldn't be hard to carve something similar from steel or stainless with an angle grinder with a little care, the design is simple enough.

[Dane_Rescueman]

Re: Soft top front fixings

Mine is much the same as the one owned by Chris. I have four studs fixed to the hood. These locate in the screen frame and are tightened using wing nuts. It is fiddly at first but I can now raise the hood in no time. It has always been quick to lower it! It is on the list to change as I don't like the studs sticking up when the hood is lowered. I would probably want clips fitted to the moveable hood as my hardtop uses the same bolt holes for fixing - I wouldn't want to cover these up.

[rog8811]

Re: Soft top front fixings

Funnily enough, I have been looking at a very similar clip, advantage being that the small part is fixed to the screen frame but the handle extends down rather than up.
The guy who has them said he would get dimensions for me to check they will fit. I have sent him this which shows the sizes I need to know...

[rog8811]

Re: Soft top front fixings

When I found the sizes for the catch above it became obvious that it was way too big, I eventually tracked down a smaller one from RS (340-2285)
After a lot of cutting, bending, silver soldering and drilling of brass sheet I have four catch mounts all but done.

catches04.jpg

They seem to be about the right size.

catches03.jpg

As you can see a previous owner of the berli had attached some rather useful plates to the front edge of the screen surround to latch on to!

I am just waiting for some shoulder bolts to arrive so that I can fit it all.

[cameronfurnival]

Re: Soft top front fixings

very nice job Rog - a good solution, maybe you could send in your pics to John Mulvaney for inclusion in Pitstop??

[rog8811]

Re: Soft top front fixings

If they are of use to anyone I will do better pictures and drawings for the mag.

I have redesigned the catch plate, at present the plates are stood off on washers which strains the fixing screws sideways.
By replacing the plate with angle there is no pressure on the screws as it is transferred straight to the underside of the screen frame, the slot in the underside of the angle is just for location of the hook so that it cannot slip off.

catch plate01.jpg

[James]

Re: Soft top front fixings

Hi Andrew,
Not much to add really but all I have done is to throw out the bolts and use M6 plastic "hand fasteners" similar to these on Ebay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M6-hand-fasten-brass-nut-with-plastic-handle-/300775139151?pt=UK_Car_Accessories_Touring_Travel&hash=item460798674f

(You will probably have to copy and paste the link). When the hood is down they are screwed onto the bolts and make them look better but as you say, it takes a little time to put the hood up (whose afraid of a little rain anyway?).