Surrey Tops

[JJC]

Any views, experience, or just plain prejudice on what's currently available as after Market items? I only have the soft top and having got the rebuild to the point of an MoT am idly wondering about a Surrey panel. Won't pay price of an original though.

[Malcolm Tatton]

I know lots of people use their hardtops, but mine is an aluminium original lid and spends it's life in the loft. I've owned the car for almost 40 years and can't remember the last time I used the lid. The soft top is fairly watertight, easily stowed in the boot, and quick to fit.

 

I did have a fright when the front pulled out of the frame at speed on the way back to the ferry in Normandy when we were with Stoke group, but apart from that one occasion I've never had any problems with just using the soft top.

 

Having said that I wouldn't sell the lid even with the present prices, but if didn't have one I don't think that I would miss it.

 

Malcolm T

[JJC]

Malcolm - interesting you had the soft top lift. So far as I know all the full hoods positively lock at the front. Would have thought there must be a simple mod possible for the Surrey top. JJC

[Malcolm Tatton]

I put it down to careless fitting in the first place.......Probably not tucked under properly..... Never happened before, don't expect that it will happen again.

 

Malcolm T

[peejay4A]

Malcolm - interesting you had the soft top lift. So far as I know all the full hoods positively lock at the front. Would have thought there must be a simple mod possible for the Surrey top. JJC

 

 

The full hood front locking arrangements are different for 4 and 4A. The 4A has a positive locking toggle setup. Surreys use the 4 style tucking under method whether fitted to a 4 or a 4A.

But you probably knew that.

[JJC]

When you say "tucked under" do you mean the front set behind the ridge in the metal capping or the frame fully pushed into the top of the windscreen? Bear in mind I've not put this together before! I'm about to get a new top made so any thoughts would be most welcome

[Lee Dutton]

I currently have a nice double duck soft top fitted to my 4a and only drive it summer or winter with the hood down (unless it is pouring with rain)

I have a surrey top in the garage and was going to fit it over the winter months, it doesn't have the metal panel (I had one on a TR5 I owned in the past and never used it) shouldn't have sold the car in fact!!! it is now up for sale at twice what I paid for it what is going on!!

anyway back to the 4a I am really not sure now to keep the hood or go for the surrey!!

I notice that it doesn't have the lip under metal strip to the front edge but has the same front header panel with locking arms as the hood which is currently on the car, is this normal?

 

Lee

[mikeyb]

^{I'm slowly learning TR stuff myself so excuse me if I am wrong - but I believe that the TR4 soft top attaches in the same way at the front as the soft surrey cover - therefore the top of the windscreen frame is the same. The TR4a sodt top attaches differently with clamps - a la Spitfire and TR6 etc. Therefore the top of the screen frame on a soft top 4A may not be compatible with a surrey?}

[mikeyb]

Any views, experience, or just plain prejudice on what's currently available as after Market items? I only have the soft top and having got the rebuild to the point of an MoT am idly wondering about a Surrey panel. Won't pay price of an original though.

 

 

There is a fibreglass surrey on Ebay at the moment

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320784219905?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

 

(nothing to do with me!)

[TR 2100]

^{I'm slowly learning TR stuff myself so excuse me if I am wrong - but I believe that the TR4 soft top}

^{attaches in the same way at the front as the soft surrey cover - therefore the top of the windscreen}

^{frame is the same. The TR4a sodt top attaches differently with clamps - a la Spitfire and TR6 etc.}

^{Therefore the top of the screen frame on a soft top 4A may not be compatible with a surrey?}

 

 

That's right.

To fit a surrey (soft) top to a 4A or 5, you need the TR4 windscreen capping,

which is wider and thereby provides the slot for the surrey top or TR4 hood.

 

AlanR

[Tom Fremont]

...and for my part, I almost never use my Surrey soft top . Comparatively ugly, noisy, a !@#$%!! to stuff under the capping, and the fact that I never set out in the rain relegates it to the boot nearly full time. Topless I never leave home without it of course, though I once got caught in a downpour with no shelter for miles so chose to keep driving rather than stop and really soak the works. Cross country it's indispensable and saved my marriage when doing circa 500 miles/ day.

 

The hardtop section completes the aesthetics beautifully, rigidifies the cockpit and makes for easy conversation at 80 mph. Pretty easy to fit, weighing 25 lbs in steel and 1/2 that in alloy.

 

The backlight enables topless motoring with ~ 70% less wind buffeting provided the side windows are up; hugely preferable when doing any distance, with no compromise to visibility aft .

[Tr4Tony]

And in fact Revington TR do a series of conversion bits so that you can use the later soft top clamps from the TR4a, TR5 and TR6 on the front of the 'surrey' frame to do away with the blowing off phenomenum ......

 

The best arrangement is to use a TR5 / TR6 screen surround and the handle type clamps which come with it, and therefore dont interfere with the sunvisor location, plus the front part of a TR5 / TR250 / TR6 hood frame. The 4a arrangement means unclipping the visors when you mount / dismount the surrey top frame which is not much of an inconvenience and you need the clamps and the front of a 4a hoodframe. Similarly the TR5 / TR250 / TR6 arrangement. Lots of bits to collect but all doable.

 

In my experience the Revington TR replica rear screen frame in fibreglass can be made to fit like an original and when fitted its very hard to tell its not a cast alloy one. The repro alloy tops dont fit well and the fibreglass ones tend to look too tall, but do fit reasonably. But if all you want is the rear screen and the soft panel then this is another more cost effective option that does the job very well.

 

Regards Tony