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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - I finished my soft top installation - pictures

You may recall that I'd begun a soft top installation a few days ago; I finished it up over the weekend, and have updated my photo gallery with the new images, plus captions.

Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/safety_fast/sets/72157623606866759/

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

Having just botched this job with a E-Bay El Cheapo top, it's nice to see it done correctly.

Did you re-use your old header rail seal? I spent more hours getting the new seal to seat in the retainer rail than putting the top on!

I'd be curious to know what you think of driving around with a light-colored top above you and how it changes the feel of the car, if at all.

Richard
R J Reeves

Gryf,

That turned out NICE!...Im so glad it worked out okay...Im sorry I doulbted you, Im definatly coming to you the next time I need a top installed...your whole project is the bang (or da Bomb) ...what ever the new words the youngsters use today to say vary cool.

Prop
Prop

Prop
stay with you hands off the top.......

Gryf
looks real nice, top job man!
Onno Könemann

Hmm, quite the coon dog you have there. Did you check out one of the black-and-tan Miatas before you started? Looks pretty good.
David "trying not to sound jealous" Lieb
David Lieb

No problem there Onno

Installing soft tops are not my cup of tea...thats a sub out Job for certian...luckly my robbinson still looks great...but I would love to have a zip out window installed...Just not by me. Maybe if gyrf is avialable 8 ^ Y

Prop
Prop

>>> Did you re-use your old header rail seal? <<<

Yes, but it's one I installed myself a few years ago to replace the original, which was quite dead.

As for the lighter-colored material, that - plus the zip window - really makes the interior a more pleasant place to be with the top raised. There's plenty of airflow, and it's quite a bit brighter.

Thanks for the compliments!

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

Looks very good.

Also think the internal door pulls look great in Autumn leaf !

R.

richard boobier

Gryf,

Thanks for putting up the photos. I will be installing a new top in the future and seeing your installation photos is very helpful.

I am also planning to have a zip out rear window. My wife and I need to avoid the strong sun and I thought having a removeable window would make driving in mid-day more comforatble. The top won't come down until the sun is low in the sky. I have not driven my car for many years but as I remember there was a lot of buffeting at speed with the top up and windows down.

I looked at the Prestige site and see that they have several types of vinyl. What type of material do you have?

Thanks,
Paul
Paul Noeth

@ Richard:

>>> Also think the internal door pulls look great in Autumn leaf ! <<<

Yes, they do indeed! Again, many thanks. They really complete the picture.

@ Paul:

>>> I looked at the Prestige site and see that they have several types of vinyl. What type of material do you have? <<<

I used the "SV" type, in tan: http://www.prestigeautotrim.com/usa/info/sv_colours.htm

Cheers,

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

Nice job Gryf, and a good job documenting the process for others.
Bill Young

>>> Nice job Gryf, and a good job documenting the process for others. <<<

Thanks, Bill. This was one of those jobs that I'd rehearsed mentally for years, and it was a relief to find that it went in pretty much as expected.

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

Prop, us young kids say sweet or "the sh*t" these days, the sh*t being the best compliment out there and sweet being one quantum level below it. Strange i know, but its en vogue.
You know how kids are.

And, that top is the sh*t Gryf.

Seth Brecklin

Oh, and your wooden dash is pretty amazing too.
Seth Brecklin

Thanks, Seth! Yeah, the dash overlay was a fun little project in itself... so much fun I did it twice. The first time, the finish ended up a lot darker. So a few years later, I took it out, stripped it, and refinished it in a clear poly. The wood itself is Bubinga, which has a really nice grain. It's frequently used in premium guitars, etc.

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

Paul and Gryf, my good friend and fellow Spridget guy here in KC installed a top with the zip out rear window a couple of years ago and loves it. He and his wife make at least one long trip each year in their midget to the NAMGBR meet and found the ventilation made the car much more comfortable on the highway on a hot summer day. He'll have it in Belleview, Ontario this summer. If my car ever needs a top replacement it will be with a Prestige with the zip out rear.
Bill Young

Gryf,

Great job. We installed a new top (sourced from Don's in the UK) a few years back with the zip out window. Really nice on hot summer days as Bill points out.

Regards,

Larry C.
Larry C '69 Midget

Gryf, Haven't been on here for a while but had one question for you. Any inside tips on the final procedure of installing the top? Just messed one up a few days ago. All went according to plan until I tried to close it and for some reason was short. I think I thought it would stretch more than it did. Wish I would have had your pictures when I started. All went great until the final step of closing it up and admiring my work. That is when I found out that i was about an inch too short. Any help on the final fitting would be grateful as I await another top and attempt number 2.
Jerry Frawley

Jerry, when I installed the top or hood on my car I followed much the same sequence as Gryf did except that when I got to the front I just pulled the top material around the header and clamped the header down. Then I pulled the material from the inside until it was tight across the bows and put a piece of masking tape at the front edge of the header. I could then release the tension and use that mark as a guide for placement of the sealing strip retainer and screws or rivets.
Bill Young

That is what I tried but I guess I pulled to tight. Not sure if I had the header tighened or not. Oh well guess I just got to learn a very expensive lesson. Measure or fit 6 times then cut once. Hope to have another top soon to try again. Hate to have my 79 Midget sitting any longer than it needs too. Wife ain't to happy either.
Jerry Frawley

>>> Then I pulled the material from the inside until it was tight across the bows and put a piece of masking tape at the front edge of the header. <<<

Right, same thing I did - except that I used pencil marks instead of tape. Jerry, sorry to hear about your installation! Odd to hear that your top ended up so tight... was it okay at the corners and tight in the middle? Just curious, because the corners really only fit one way, and the only area that can be stretched too tightly is the middle.

Cheers, and better luck with the next one! Again, just take it easy and work bit by bit, checking for proper fit with each step. As expensive as these tops are, the last thing I wanted to do was mess it up. Although it needs to be said that the prices at Prestige are far and away more reasonable than the usual suspects (Moss, VicBrit, etc.), but the quality is still first-rate.

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

Will keep tape trick in mind when the new one gets here. Will definitely take it much slower and measure and test before any cutting this time. Will let you know when it is done.
Jerry Frawley

Im still so glad I never did mine...

Jerry,

Remember Temp is everything...you want to do this on a hot day,,,,and tight this time of year in your part of the country is not bad....id almost leave it for a couple months and see what happens....I know my top is perfect in mid summer, but late fall and early spring I can use it as a drum in the rock group "reo speedwagon"

most likly the weather turned colder as the day went on from when you started thus shrinking the top as you went....thats why measure 6 times cut once wont always work

the naibor that did mine had me lay the top on the sidewalk for a half day before he even started...One thing that I did do was have the top re-sewn with a mono filiment thread...kind of like a fishing line stuff. that really holds all the steaching togather when they are tight

Prop
Prop

This thread was discussed between 13/04/2010 and 19/04/2010

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