Hamish Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 Hi i have just sourced an original steel hardtop for my 3a but closer inspection reveals a small dent at the front this may have closed up the radius where it fits to the screen. It seems to be a double skin area too initial advice welcome I'm not a welder or panel beater I just have ordinary spanner skills. Thanks H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MennoR Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 Wow very clear to see Thanks to the video. I would turn to one of these dent-repair specialiste who turn up at your house with a van. This part of the roof is very exposed for all to see. Failing to repair this properly is like a sore thumb sticking out! Menno Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MennoR Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 *Spelling mistakes due to thick fingers on a phone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 Good video...... Radius doesn't look very much affected to my eye - but maybe a little - and would fit with the nature of the dent. I'm with Menno on the dent repair specialist, though might depend on the nature of the double skinning. Never had a look at one of those hard-tops. Failing that, a decent bodyshop (not an insurance panel-swapping mill) will be able to tickle that out - perhaps with the tack-on dent pullers as you suggest. Presumably you'll be getting it painted anyway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamish Posted December 11, 2018 Author Share Posted December 11, 2018 10 minutes ago, Nick Jones said: Presumably you'll be getting it painted anyway? Hi Nick its a very good original hardtop with the bonus of all the ancillary parts many not available any more. So a good base for a refurb. The dent is a pain but I am sure fixable and yes it will be a bare metal respray. Considering a contrast of an off white like ermine white I think the lotus cortina colour. Or possibly a Triumph white ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 Agree solid black might be bit much. Not quite sure about solid white either (either shade)...... partial chequered flag or a variation on Steve’s playing cards - clubs or spades in your case. Or stripe(s). Too flash? Could be tried as vinyls so fairly cheap and easy to change...,., Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamish Posted December 12, 2018 Author Share Posted December 12, 2018 (edited) Hi Nick i have time to work out the finish. Cars not powerful or fast enough and I’m certainly not good enough in the sprints etc to be too flash. There is a red tr4 with a b&w checker roof. I want to stay away from metallic (I think) sort of thought broad stripe over the car white on black then back on white ?? a wrap is a good idea CHROME but it needs to fit first. And the roll bar is getting in the way. Its designed to fit under a hard top !! Perhaps after 60 years and 2 rebuilds ( by PO) dimensions have changed. Looking at my cars history it was supplied new with a hardtop and I have found bracket holes in the screen surround so I’m taking it back to its roots it seems. Fitting it is the first challenge tho Edited December 12, 2018 by Hamish Sp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 Dunno about TR3 specifically, but I can tell you that we ALWAYS have a right royal battle getting the hardtop on the Spitfire. In particular getting the bolt threads started. And we had the hardtop fitted when we did the structural welding...…… Vitesse Honeybourne fibreglass job is easier but that only fits where it touches anyway and fixings are very rudimentary. Stripe idea sounds fine to me. You need to practice your photoshop...… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamish Posted December 12, 2018 Author Share Posted December 12, 2018 5 minutes ago, Nick Jones said: Stripe idea sounds fine to me. You need to practice your photoshop...… I need Paul AA to work his photoshop magic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamish Posted January 7, 2019 Author Share Posted January 7, 2019 Another update. I have taken the seats out to facilitate the removal of the roll bar to allow its repositioning. This I hope will allow the hardtop to sit properly on the car and not rest on the roll bar. I don’t weld so I need to wait for others availability to weld up the existing roll bar mounting holes so I can refit properly. Rather than hang about I removed the hood sticks and the capping that goes around the top of the body. This revealed that the hardtop bracket fitting holes were still in place. As the details I have on the car is that it came with a hardtop from new. So now I have the screen brackets loosely fitted. Together with the 5 side and rear beckets loosely fitted with the cappings on top. I had to make a couple of plates and tap threads. I new experience for me. Fitting the rear brackets was hampered as I have a fire wall fitted and sealed with a heat resistant sealant. So I had to go in via the boot over the fuel tank. I got a bit creative using wire to hold the brackets in place until I had one screw on each bracket started on the fixing plate. I then pulled the wire through and fitted the second screw on each bracket as I couldn’t reach through and locate the screw with the arched bracket on my own. I have yet to offer up the hardtop to see it it all lined up as this needs 2 people. I now need to source the hardtop bottom trim and the 5 top of capping brackets. Phone vidoe update here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Good progress Hamish.....those three rear brackets do look a real tease! Rivnuts? Might just fit? Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamish Posted January 7, 2019 Author Share Posted January 7, 2019 Iain the side ones were easy. Rivnuts would be an excellent idea. but I don’t have any So The rear ones need threaded plates making. This I did and tapped some threads. Imperial thanks to rehoming a simple tap and die set from my dad. He’d be pleased. However I could see me dropping the plates in a never to be seen again location and I couldn’t reach from the boot and hold the bracket and screws so had to get creative with welding wire to hold the plate and still remove the wire easily. Just managed it. The hardtop fitting bolt isn’t original but are knurled clamp bolt things that should work well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulAA Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 On 12/12/2018 at 2:31 PM, Hamish said: I need Paul AA to work his photoshop magic. Dang, Hamish, I missed this! If you want some options testing out, send them through! Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamish Posted January 7, 2019 Author Share Posted January 7, 2019 (edited) 11 minutes ago, PaulAA said: Dang, Hamish, I missed this! If you want some options testing out, send them through! Paul Thanks Paul. I may take you up on that. The car is black and will be staying black. The hardtop is a different matter. I fancy an old English white ?? and may be a central stripe on the car ? white stripe on the black car and black stripe on the white roof ? Opposite to this one that cheftush in Canada did and is on YouTube. Ill have to get the (green) hardtop fitting something like !! And take some pics. Edited January 7, 2019 by Hamish Added detail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamish Posted January 9, 2019 Author Share Posted January 9, 2019 And another update. Well the roll bar was in the wrong place too far back by about 2 cm. this is now temporarily repositioned I have drilled the proper sized holes and I need to get the wrong ones welded up. offering up the hardtop now means it’s is resting on the car not the roll bar. an eBay purchase of the rear bottom hardtop trim arrived. 2m of it next day delivery less than £8 bargain. (One of the mainstream suppliers want £50+) so I can mess and giggle the hardtop to fit without fear of damaging the car or the seal the front of the hardtop I think fits really well. Yes there is the drivers side curve to sort and it’s not got the trim that fixes to the hard top but it bolts down fine. i need to concentrate on getting the side and rear brackets to line up now. Not as easy as it seems. Considered moving the hardtop brackets that or on the hardtop but these are slightly adjustable and fit within a box section so I think slotting the arched brackets that fit to the car and dare I say elongating the original body holes will be needed I think. then it’s the capping trim that goes over these body fixing need the holes modifying, again hampered by having original holes in it that aren’t quite the same alignment for my hardtop/car fixings. And rimmer have emailed me to say the chrome capping plates are on the way they said they had all 5 in stock in the 2 sizes. so it’s moving forward slowly thank every one for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamish Posted January 20, 2019 Author Share Posted January 20, 2019 And another update. The “wrong” roll bar mounting holes have been welded up and dressed and painted. The roll bar has been refitted and the wheel arch plates sanded back to bare metal (from the original powder coat that was flaking and rusting) I used Halfords truck bed coat as I wanted a robust finish - this dried to a crackle type finish. So a possible alternative to the Tr3 dash panel finish and with out the oven baking !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamish Posted January 20, 2019 Author Share Posted January 20, 2019 The capping there were bracket mounting holes in the car already that only needed slight elongating to have some adjustment. There were also holes in the Ali capping that had been covered by vinyl these only needed a little opening up. the rimmers shiny capping covers are only thin pressed metal but hopefully do the job. Fitted with little cheese head bolts and nyloc nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamish Posted January 20, 2019 Author Share Posted January 20, 2019 Hardtop rear/side brackets these are simple thick bent steel brackets with a big hole for car fitting and tapped hole for a fixing /adjusting screw to the hard top. These were seized to the bracket but the bracket was loose in the hardtop. Pen oil and heat with a screwdriver didn’t work, considered an impact driver but not with the loose bracket. So had to resort to mole vice grips on the round head. To my delight and relief this worked. The holes on the hardtop for these screws are slightly slotted but also cracked. I plan to have some small plates welded on with elongated holes but as an interim I made some simple Ali washers so a can carry on with the trial fitting to the car. I also added some self adhesive felt pads ( a B and M or pound shop pack ( that is also useful for soft spacers when fitting elec rad fan with the through cable ties!)) the pads I hope will protect the rimmer shiny capping trim parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamish Posted January 20, 2019 Author Share Posted January 20, 2019 Found this picture on the net. And im now wondering if the black car with white roof is the right colour combo ??? perhaps a silver roof !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 Nice work Hamish. Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamish Posted January 21, 2019 Author Share Posted January 21, 2019 Yet another up date - I know you are as bored as I am...... well the roll bar is fitted properly and the capping trims are in place. So this evening I got my ever understanding wife to help me lift the hardtop into place. It took some jiggling to get the brackets all lined up. The front screen ones fit quickly. The rear ones are a little tighter. one of the rear side ones ( passenger side) the roof panel flares out a little but pulls in reasonably. I fitted the drivers sidescreen and it’s reasonably good but still low to the hardtop. I think the hardtop is sitting high at the back but the brackets don’t have anymore adjustment. So my next step is to make new slightly longer brackets with more adjustment to allow the hardtop to sit a little lower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Coming together nicely. Looks like you are winning. In answer to your earlier question about colour, as I think I may have said before, all white (or all silver) might be a bit much, but add some simple graphics such as playing card motif, section of chequer board or perhaps a stripe...... Maybe silver roof with black stripe(s) and matching silver stripe(s) on bonnet and bootlid..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamish Posted January 21, 2019 Author Share Posted January 21, 2019 2 minutes ago, Nick Jones said: Maybe silver roof with black stripe(s) and matching silver stripe(s) on bonnet and bootlid..... Nick i also quite like the silver with black stripe(s) and visa versa option. May have to dump the bonnet and boot number roundals ? Plenty of time to decide tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 9 hours ago, Hamish said: May have to dump the bonnet and boot number roundals ? Or black spots on a white/silver roof? I'm afraid my photoshop skills are not worthy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Hamish, Black with a silver roof? Welcome to the Silverback Club! Very welcome! JOhn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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