TRnorm Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 I'm considering a Honeybourne Surrey and have found much helpful stuff on the Forums. But not clear what the options are for a "stowable" roof section. I think I noted Stuart said he has the Honeybourne backlight with the standard Triumph middle. Can Stuart or anyone else elaborate of this for me? Many thanks Norman Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 (edited) The standard Surrey soft centre section and frame will happily fit the Honeybourne rear section and you can also use an original steel or ally solid roof section as well. With thanks to Julian Stephens for the picture. Stuart. Edited September 18, 2014 by stuart Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TRnorm Posted September 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 Thanks Stuart - that's very clear. Norman Quote Link to post Share on other sites
andyhall Posted September 20, 2014 Report Share Posted September 20, 2014 Hi, So does that mean the Honeybourne f/glass centre section fits the original backlight?? Thanks Andy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted September 20, 2014 Report Share Posted September 20, 2014 Hi, So does that mean the Honeybourne f/glass centre section fits the original backlight?? Thanks Andy Yes they are all interchangeable. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mark69 Posted September 20, 2014 Report Share Posted September 20, 2014 Can you fit a Surrey top to a 6? Mark. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted September 21, 2014 Report Share Posted September 21, 2014 Can you fit a Surrey top to a 6? Mark. Course you can and I personally think they look good with one on. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mark69 Posted September 21, 2014 Report Share Posted September 21, 2014 Looks good. I take it from the pics that's an early prototype judging from the badging ,bumpers and lights. Thanks Stuart Mark. Just noticed boot hinges nice touch.! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
graeme Posted September 21, 2014 Report Share Posted September 21, 2014 (edited) Looks good. I take it from the pics that's an early prototype judging from the badging ,bumpers and lights. Thanks Stuart Mark. Just noticed boot hinges nice touch.! Mark, The pictures Stuart has posted are actually a TR4A which I believe still exists as a TR4A. It was mocked up with TR6 panels for the pics. Some pics of the car as it is now. http://www.tr-register.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/27349-tr5-related-period-ads/page-3 Cheers Graeme Edited September 21, 2014 by graeme Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AHTR4 Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 Hi All, I have been through all of the honeybourne posts and still have some questions which for which i would be much obliged if anybody was able to help? I currently have a lightweight one-piece hardtop with a plexiglass backlight with ventilation holes which is unpractical for weekend use (photo attached). I would like to remove this and replace it with a honeybourne backlight. 1) There are currently 4 anchor botls linking the hard top to the leading edge of the rear scuttle. Honeybourne apparently has 9 mounting points. Is it usual to have to drill these additional holes on UK cars that were not initially fitted with a surrey? 2) Is it possible to fit a canvas/mohair surrey from a (moss or rimmer etc) to the backlight / screenand and if so does any modification need to take place? Alternatively is there a way of making a fibre-glass top more easily removable (on a temporary basis) to slot on and off depending on the weather? As I understand it, there are four mounting bolts which presumably take some time to remove/refit. 3) Does the removable hard top fit in the boot? 4) How does the backlight interact with the windows - again i have plexiglass windows which fit somewhat "loosely" with the current hard top arrangement which may be an issue. On a separate note, has anybody had any experience of re-spraying a roll cage in-situ? Is there an easy way of doing this? Your input would be very much appreciated. Many thanks, Alex Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 In answer to your questions. 1 The rear deck and tonneau extensions will possibly already have the holes if they are original. The tonneau extensions have a captive nut in the top front which would take a stud and the rear deck should have 5 holes already. 2 Yes the Surrey conversion kit will fit same as original. 3 No 4 It should line up OK with original Glass windows so if your perspex ones are the same shape then it should be OK. If you are painting with the top removed its only really a case of being a bit good with your masking and use a small touchup gun as its easier to get round it and take your time, seats out as well will help. A lot of it will be covered with padding anyway so you dont need to be really fussy. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AHTR4 Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 Thanks a lot Stuart. Kind of you to provide the answers. If there are no tonneau holes is it normal practice/safe to drill them? In terms of painting the roll cage, do you think that this could be done at home or should it go to a spray booth? Your car looks fantastic with the dark minilites. How long does it take to bolt your hard top on and off? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 If the tonneau extensions dont have the holes then yes you can drill them. The forward one will need a rivnut in it then to take the forward stud and the second one back is only applicable if you still have original TR4 tonneau extensions as they arent waisted as the 4a ones are. If they have been replaced with TR4a ones then the second bolt hole isnt applicable. You could quite easily paint the roll cage with aerosols or using a small spray gun and cellulose at home no problem provided you have masked everything off. It takes a couple of minutes to remove the centre roof section as its only held on with four bolts. I have an original steel roof though the Honeybourne fibre one is the same.The rear section is a pretty much permanent fitting now though you can remove them in an hour or so with a bit of fiddling. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AHTR4 Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Thanks a lot Stuart. If you were going to get one or the other (a fibreglass surrey or a mohair surrey) what would you advise? It strikes me that because the hard top cannot be stored in the car, the only times you could take the roof of is on a sunday jaunt when you were confident that it wasnt going to rain and you were coming home, but it would mean that if you went on a roadtrip or rally your would be confined to having the roof on for the duration? Have i understood this correctly and are the soft surrey tops watertight and easy to fit? Thanks very much for your help, it is much appreciated. Alex Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Hi Alex, the hard top would normally stay on - not the sort of thing to take off half way through a trip. Very good for the winter period. However the soft top that fits between the front screen and the rear surrey frame works very well. They are water tight (but can leak if you allow them to) and can be taken off in a minute or two and put back on in five minutes. For any type of day (except when it is actually raining) the top can stay in the boot.. Have an umbrella handy as it will keep you dry in the sudden down pour - prefer golf brollies as they are just big enough and popper could be fitted to line up with the frame studs for a more permanent fixture. The square brollies are bigger but the popper studs would be in the middle of thin material. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AHTR4 Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Thanks Roger, So it sounds to me that the soft top is the best option for me given that i want to have a roof that can be taken off for long trips and the soft top is waterproof. i dont intend on using the car regularly through the winter apart from when its dry. I didnt quite understand what you meant for with regards to the poppers though? I was going to buy a backlight from honeybourne, where would you recommend i go to buy the soft top - Revington, Moss, etc? Thanks a lot for your advice. Alex Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fireman049 Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 I'm not a fan of Surrey tops but I have to admit that the TR6 looks much smarter with the Surrey top as opposed to the hardtop. Tom. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Hi Alex, Moss do a good frame for the fabric roof. Moss, Jon Skinner, TRShop all do fabric tops in different material - Vinyl, Double Duck, Mohair (it is a shame that the Crimple is now endangered. A crimplene roof would be neat). The poppers - when you come to put on an umbrella you will see the point. At each corner of the roof there is a male popper receptacle for the fabric roof. You can insert the female popper into the umbrella fabric to line up the poppers and hence pop the umbrella in place. This stops the brolly flyingoff when parked. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AHTR4 Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Thanks Roger. That sounds like a clever solution for the umbrella. I will look into the retailers that you recommend. Alex Quote Link to post Share on other sites
McMuttley Posted December 2, 2014 Report Share Posted December 2, 2014 Alex, if you look carefully, you will note that Roger also has a hat that pops into the poppers. This is not considered to be a stylish option ! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Alex TBH unless you are willing to spend the time like I did to get the Honeybourne rear to look exactly the same as an original then I would just buy a complete one from them and fit that. When you fit it it is good to have the hard roof to set it up with and get the windows sitting correctly, if you dont have one then I suspect there may be someone local who you could borrow one from. On the subject of the soft centre section I would go for a Vinyl as they will roll up easily to fit in a small space in the boot and you dont need to worry so much about keeping them clean unlike Mohair. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NickR Posted July 19, 2015 Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 Hi all, I have bought a second hand GRP back light and surrey top, which I am trying to fit to my TR6. It came with lots of bits, and i am trying to assemble it before I fit it. At the moment, I am having trouble getting the seal between the backlight and the car to fit to the bottom of the backlight. It is quite difficult to push onto the GRP frame. One reason is that the GRP lip at the bottom is not a uniform thickness, and it is very difficult to push it one the thicker areas, and if I do, then it comes off. There was some evidence that a previous seal had been glued on with evostick type contact adhesive. Is this the right thing to do, or does it just push on. Given the time that it is taking me to push the seal on, I do not think that i would get round the whole perimeter before the glue had set. Any advice will be received with thanks, Nick Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted July 20, 2015 Report Share Posted July 20, 2015 Try using AT1987 http://www.sealsdirect.co.uk/shopping.asp?intDepartmentId=68#90 Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NickR Posted July 29, 2015 Report Share Posted July 29, 2015 Stuart, Many thanks. I bought the seal, and, although not the cheapest seal in the world, it is a very simple fit so worth spending the money to save time and frustration (and probably failure to get the other one). Nick Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Ashworth Posted July 29, 2015 Report Share Posted July 29, 2015 I hae a Honeybourne Surrey with soft centre section and it's just fine. It was on the car when I bought it. I believe that Revington do a split roof system if you want a hard top that you can take off as you travel. All the best. Dave Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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