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MG TD TF 1500 - transporting ahard top from NH to Western Canada

Transport conundrum, gentlemen:

Abingdon Spares has a hard top, but we are at opposite ends of the continent, and I'm wondering if any of you have any experience/insight/wisdom in freighting big stuff like this chunk of fiberglass from waaay East to waaaay Northwest?

If our Miata hard top is any guide, it's not really that heavy, 50 or 60 pounds or something like that, but it's the packing and the freighting that will just drive a guy to drink [no warm Guinness, please - cold Rickerts sounds a wee bit nicer.]

Any ideas, other than the most obvious one that TD's look really nice with a canvas top?

From sunny and warm Alberta [84 in the shade - finally]

Dave
Dave Jorgensen

Dave,

As you may or may not know, I live only a 5-minute drive from the NY state border and I know quite a few of the truckers in the area. Several of them regularly truck to/from NH and Vermont (only 75 kms away from Rockburn), and my neighbour trucks to Calgary, weekly.

If there's no crisis, I expect you can get it included with a consolidated shipment. If its rush, expect to pay through the nose.

Let me ask around and see what I can come up with.

I assume the HT will be securely crated.

Stand by. Better still, I'll contact you off the BB when I get something.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.

Gordon A. Clark

Dave, I bought my TD hardtop from a gentlemam in California. He built a box type frame around it and covered it with cardboard. It was trucked to St. Louis with no transportation damage to the lightweight top. It was marked lightweight and fragile.
I hope you have the same good luck.
Jim Merz

Dave-

Why not come to the British Invasion in Stowe, VT and Gord and I will be glad to mount it on your T and share a few Speckled Hens.

Paul
Paul Gaynor

Paul,

You forgot to tell Dave that the "Hens" come first. Once we are sufficiently encouraged, we'll tackle the job!

I wouldn't mind going to S. Walpole and picking it up, but I don't have a truck. Once I get it into Canada, I can let my neighbour handle the job and get it to AB.

Let's see how it plays out.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.

Gordon A. Clark

I had a fiberglass top for a TR3 shipped from California to the middle of the US by bus. It was much cheaper than truck freight, and only took 3 days or so. I seem to remember the truck being about $200 and the bus about $70. It was only in a cardboard appliance box of some kind, which they said was about as big as would fit in the luggage area of the bus. Nothing else would fit in there, so not a scratch or dent in the box. I think just wrapping it in a bunch of bubble wrap would get the size down a bit, and the tops are pretty sturdy.

Don't know if this will help to Canada, but it might get closer to you this way. I guess insurance would be a good idea. Greyhound was the shipper, but a more local bus line ran through my town. I had to go meet the bus as it came through, they called and had me pick it up right off the bus, on schedule, with cash for the COD shipment.
Tom


I sold a midget hard top on eBay last year, and finding reasonable shipping was a problem.

Bus seemed the best/cheapest method (I believe I was quoted $25). Other methods were up in the $500 or more range.

Wrapping in bubble wrap would probably be one of the better/easier packing methods if going by bus.

Scott
Scott

Hi Dave: I have found that using the Greyhound bus service is by far the best way to ship bulky items from the USA to Canada (or from Canada to the USA). I get them sent to the bus depot just across the border at Bellingham, WA. and then drive across the line to pick them up. They are not too fussy about how things are packed and I have always received the goods in perfect condition. They will take up to 100 lbs. with the max. dimensions being 82" x 47" x 30" which is a pretty big box!
Hugh Pite in sunny B.C.
Hugh Pite

Thanks gentlemen, all, for your sage advice:

Paul, I'd love to come to Stowe, but it would have to be either in a Miata [gasp] a Taurus wagon [grumble] something all-wheel-drive and German [inset dead faint and then throwing things here] or a Honda VFR [ouch; a loooong way on a sportbike.] The TD is still on the path to 'it'll be finished soon.' I'm aiming for the All British Field Meet here in Edmonton happening in June of 2005 - think I'll make it?

Gord, your idea of north-south and then east-west transport might be a good one - it would be easy for me to get to Calgary to pick it up, as we could duct tape it to the roof of the Taurus [come to think of it, we could duct tape it to the Miata and use IT as the Miata's hard top.

Thanks, also, Hugh and Scott for the idea about Greyhound - I still don't think of them as a freight carrier.

Abingdon's price is high, though, and I'm still hoping that something will turn up soon on eBay - I should have acted sooner on those ones in the spring.

Still cranky after all these years,
Dave
Dave Jorgensen

Dave - Gord,

As I will be towing to Stowe, MKII, flea market spares, etc. I could collect the top from Bob on my way up I-91. If, the name escapes me Gord, comes with his traveler, we could shove it in the back and over the border.

Paul
Paul Gaynor

OR,

I have a Runyan top, with the little side-curtain fillers, which I will probably never get around to using. Needs attention to the mounting to the widscreen area, as there is no hardware extant, but it is sound otherwise. No damage to fibreglass or window.

Paul
Paul Gaynor

If Paul can get it to the BI in Stowe, I can get it across the border to Rockburn. To Calgary from there, is easy.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A. Clark

Gord, I've just sent a note to Paul. I'll be in touch as quickly as I can...

Dave J.
Dave Jorgensen

This thread was discussed between 02/08/2007 and 06/08/2007

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