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Surrey Top to convertible?


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Hi All

Having finally got my hands on a surrey top for my 5 (its being painted) this is all interesting stuff to me.

I love the look of the surrey, like the bonus of the wind deflector properties, and look forward to having more storage in the back for the long haired general to fill when we go travelling.

Bit confused why Roger is saying there is less room in the back with the surrey in place, although how anyone could shoe horn 2 passengers in the back of a TR5 or 6 with or without a surrey top is beyond me,

even if their names happened to be Oscar Pistorius and Douglas Bader. Surely losing the hood frame must create more space? Worried about how much hassle fitting the fabric section is going to be, having read this and never having done it myself.

I was banking on rarely if ever using the tin lid section.

Cheers

 

Tim

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Tim,

 

Just remember if you want to be safe an anti rollover bar fitted behind the seats and under the Surrey backlight works well.

 

I'm afraid the windscreen frame and backlight frame won't be of much help avoiding crush injuries in the event of an inversion, and whilst you're fitting the surrey backlight fit an alloy rear of cockpit firescreen panel in between the fuel tank and the cockpit, sealed in place and with the original fibreboard in front of it, nobody knows you've fitted it and it's safer.

 

Mick Richards

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As I said before here somewhere:- I have never understood the ''desirability'' of a surrey top -which, in my view, is a not-very-good idea compared to folding hood and proper zipped full tonneau cover



for various reasons:-



The biggest drawback, I feel, being that you cannot use a concealing full tonneau, which is also great to drive 'solo' with [warm lower bits too]. Also, compared to the proper folding hood:- the flimsy canvas thingy takes ages to erect [so you get soaked doing it]. And yes, I know there are dodges to improve its fitting - but the proper hood is still much easier to 'throw up'.



However, with the fixed back window :- I do understand that those drivers/passengers with - urm - "female hair" appreciate the reduced back draught qualities and there is the [slightly] increased luggage room.


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OK, my take is this.

The Surrey is a great thing it is NOT the panacea for all things wind related (?) but it is a lovely thing.

When I had my hood, it took about 5 mins to take of the cover, erect the hood, lock it in place and press the studs into place around the hood.

With my Surrey with the "TR6 screen locking panel thingy" it's a very similar time maybe a minute or two longer to get it nicely tightened (certainly nothing to get worked up about)

My car had a breeze breaker fitted when it had the hood and I found looking through the mesh slightly disconcerting....maybe that was just me.......the clear glass screen on the Surrey I find much easier to live with.

If you are in a situation where you wait until the rain is bucketing down BEFORE you erect the hood.....maybe a soft top isn't for you........just saying....... :rolleyes:

 

Simon

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Hi Tim,

you now have a surrey top. You will find out for yourself how good they are.

They have disadvantages - as I said I could get two adults in the back of my soft top 4A - but that was in the 70's when people were thinner.

 

My surrey top takes less than 5 minutes to fit correctly. Yes I have gadgets that help things along, but I also have gadgets that add to the time but increase the comfort.

 

Indeed the surrey top does protect from wind sweeping back and upsetting ones expensive hair do. BUT it also stops rain whipping back and soaking your back in a very light shower. In fact it will stop most rain if you can keep going at 30mph or so - ALWAYS have a brolly to hand.

 

As Mick has stated the surrey top frame or windscreen will not save you in a serious roll over - it is not a safety device.

 

 

 

Roger

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With the steel roof on in the winter it makes for a nice comfy car too. I do also like the steel top for long fast motorway driving, when your out in the 3rd lane with the the BMW`s and the Mercs I found it noisy and tiring with the hood up. Living where I do long trips are the norm just to get anywhere.

Stuart.

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It's a long time since I owned a windey window TR but I seem to remember that the small side panels forward of the rear deck are relieved on a soft top to clear the hood frame when folded. A factory built Surrey top car has a constant flange about 1" wide for the top to seat onto. I fitted a Surrey top to my soft top car (cost me £25......I said it was a long time ago) and one stud on each side missed the bodywork and sat inside the relieved section.

This could be a problem if fitting a soft top to a Surrey car.

As ever I eagerly await correction

Andrew W

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It's a long time since I owned a windey window TR but I seem to remember that the small side panels forward of the rear deck are relieved on a soft top to clear the hood frame when folded. A factory built Surrey top car has a constant flange about 1" wide for the top to seat onto. I fitted a Surrey top to my soft top car (cost me £25......I said it was a long time ago) and one stud on each side missed the bodywork and sat inside the relieved section.

This could be a problem if fitting a soft top to a Surrey car.

As ever I eagerly await correction

Andrew W

Thats the difference between TR4 and TR4a onwards forward deck extensions. The Surrey top was designed originally to fit the TR4 and when they redesigned the hood frame to be fully folding for the 4a onwards the forward deck extensions where waisted to clear the hood frame so when fitting a Surrey to a TR4a TR5 or TR6 the stud on the underside of the frame each side at that point needs to be cut off.

Stuart.

Edited by stuart
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Thanks for the clarification Stewart. The Surrey top I had was from a Tr4 and when I found the overhanging studs I went back to look at the donor car and assumed that was the difference between a Surrey car and a soft top car.

I'm still learning From things that happened 40 years ago ????

Edited by Drewmotty
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  • 4 years later...
2 hours ago, Andy Moltu said:

Just converted the Surrey on the 4A to use a 6 header rail and Push fit fixings to attach the rear of the hood.

This makes putting up the hood pretty much as simple as it is on the 6.

C'mon Andy, show us a photo of them fitted...give us the good stuff now.

Mick Richards 

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On 1/22/2020 at 4:29 PM, Tony Blackwood said:

I Live in Sydney and have a TR5 Surrey tip but can’t get soft top to fit. Rimmer in UK supplied one but too short!! About to have one tailor made. Rimmer won’t have it that their top doesn’t fit. My hardtop fits perfect proving geometry of car is correct

Tony B

Tony,

I got a new one from Rimmers for my 4A. Hardtop fitted fine.

I couldn't get it to fit at first. Step one was to undo a few bolts on the windscreen base mounts and pull the windscreen back to maximum rake (used a rope to hold there while bolts were tightened.) Stretched the the soft top with weights while it was hanging in the summer sun. 

Then could just get it to go into position. Found after a while the front bit gradually squished down more and more, so it went a bit further under the bit at the front top of the windscreen. After a few fittings it was pretty easy to put into place .

The hardtop still fitted a piece of cake despite me raking the windscreen further back.

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