Softline top........ - Page 3

riggs314 · 11-30-2012, 06:18 AM

NS...MG's are pretty simple (and old) cars, they do not have rear defrosters (roadsters). Final year for MG's was '80.

Northern Sol · 11-30-2012, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by riggs314

NS...MG's are pretty simple (and old) cars, they do not have rear defrosters (roadsters). Final year for MG's was '80.

Makes perfect sense! Thanks!

Northern Sol · 11-30-2012, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Northern Sol

Thank you. It is one of my favorite mods!

I am thinking of as follows for my hard top:
Club Racer Top with tinted ( thanks Riggs314) glass and defogger rear window
Haartz Black Viinyl covering
Upgraded black interior liner

I updated post above to reflect what I am now going to do. $$$ wise it will look like this:
$1259.00 Club Racer top - includes $140 discount - thanks Lowlife!
$295.00 Haartz black Vinyl covering
$100.00 Black upgraded / thicker interior liner
$200.00 glass / tinted / defogger rear window
-------------
$1854.00 total

If I am going to do it I might as well " go big or go home"!!!!!

BuzzardT · 11-30-2012, 09:17 AM

I think you will be very happy with that.

riggs314 · 11-30-2012, 09:21 AM

NS,
Congatulations on your decision! Sounds like it will be a nice top. BUT...the worst thing about hardtops is where the heck do you store them in the summer! I just purchased the EDAG top for my solstice...what the heck am I gonna do with it when its top down time. The factory hardtop stays on the MG Midget simply because they are kinda rare and look good when the car goes to car shows. The Smoothline MGB top stays in the back of my pickup with a shell over it all summer...kind of a pain in the butt when I want to haul something. I don't have a barn or friends who will let me store it in their barns!

BuzzardT · 11-30-2012, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by riggs314

NS,
Congatulations on your decision! Sounds like it will be a nice top. BUT...the worst thing about hardtops is where the heck do you store them in the summer! I just purchased the EDAG top for my solstice...what the heck am I gonna do with it when its top down time. The factory hardtop stays on the MG Midget simply because they are kinda rare and look good when the car goes to car shows. The Smoothline MGB top stays in the back of my pickup with a shell over it all summer...kind of a pain in the butt when I want to haul something. I don't have a barn or friends who will let me store it in their barns!

Be sure to post some pictures.

Northern Sol · 11-30-2012, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by riggs314

NS,
Congatulations on your decision! Sounds like it will be a nice top. BUT...the worst thing about hardtops is where the heck do you store them in the summer! I just purchased the EDAG top for my solstice...what the heck am I gonna do with it when its top down time. The factory hardtop stays on the MG Midget simply because they are kinda rare and look good when the car goes to car shows. The Smoothline MGB top stays in the back of my pickup with a shell over it all summer...kind of a pain in the butt when I want to haul something. I don't have a barn or friends who will let me store it in their barns!

I live in a condo. My wife has the large storage locker in the basement. I am not allowed in it

nor do I want to go in it

I have a smaller locker which Is all mine

and is full of my factory parts for my Sol

I will make room for this roof to go in there. I am going to be buying the cart for moving the roof around. I will then be able to remove at my underground parking spot and wheel to the locker one floor below.

Northern Sol · 11-30-2012, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuzzardT

Be sure to post some pictures.

Will do! As mentioned earlier won't be until spring when I get down to their shop and have them line it up and install.

Thank you everyone for your comments and insights! It has really helped me come to a clear decision on what options to get.

This Forum is a great resource!!!!

JRinKY · 12-01-2012, 02:53 PM

Quote:

riggs314: .... BUT...the worst thing about hardtops is where the heck do you store them in the summer! I just purchased the EDAG top for my solstice...what the heck am I gonna do with it when its top down time. .....

Why not hang it from the ceiling of your garage ? That is where mine is going to be.

The EDAG top hangs pretty well from three points: The center front and the two rear corners. Screw or (if you have access above the ceiling) bolt a hook and pulley into your ceiling in line with each of those points, then add a couple of additional pulleys at the top of the wall, and a light-duty boat winch below them where it is easy to reach. Run a rope from each of the main pulleys through the additional pulleys and attach the three to the winch. Turning the winch raises or lowers all three together, and will lift the top nearly flat against the ceiling.

I hoist my utility trailer against the wall of my garage using a similar arrangement, and a friend of mine used to store his trailer "on the ceiling" albeit with five cables instead of three.

Northern Sol · 12-04-2012, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Northern Sol

I updated post above to reflect what I am now going to do. $$$ wise it will look like this:
$1259.00 Club Racer top - includes $140 discount - thanks Lowlife!
$295.00 Haartz black Vinyl covering
$100.00 Black upgraded / thicker interior liner
$200.00 glass / tinted / defogger rear window
-------------
$1854.00 total

If I am going to do it I might as well " go big or go home"!!!!!

Placed order today! Add $200.00 to above for the storage cart.

Now I just have to wait until mid March to pick it up and have them install.

ChopTop · 12-05-2012, 07:55 AM

Dude, you're killing me! Would you be allowed to build a type of temporary hardtop holding frame above your parking space? When I had TJs switching the tops was easy, it was moving/storing it that turned it into a PITA.

Northern Sol · 12-05-2012, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChopTop

Dude, you're killing me! Would you be allowed to build a type of temporary hardtop holding frame above your parking space? When I had TJs switching the tops was easy, it was moving/storing it that turned it into a PITA.

As mentioned earlier I am in a condo so "condo rules" won't allow me to mount anything into the roof above my car unfortunately. However, I have a "car nut" friend in the building and he will help me with removal and installing. I will leave it on for 6 weeks at the beginning of the season and then back on for the last six weeks of the season so should not be that big a deal. I have a locker one floor below and a freight elevator to get it there so should be just fine.

CaliCruiser · 12-29-2012, 02:18 PM

That looks great

Northern Sol · 04-26-2013, 09:34 AM

Final am getting around to this. Ok, around the beginning of April I made my way down to the Smoothline Factory near Cheswick PA. Nice ride down with some flurries going through the hills of Ohio. I got to Smoothline right on time and they had my top waiting for me. Wow, it looked just awesome. The Haartz Vinyl was totally the way to go and upgraded liner was perfect. A real quality product!!!!

Met Jack and his crew and toured the shop.

Install time comes and.....

the GM luggage rack was not factored in! I had sent pictures and was told all would be fine but ...Opps. Needless to say I was disappponted. Jack and I quickly worked out terms to make things right. However, I kept drooling over my hard top. I wanted it so bad but it had to work without removing the luggage rack. For me this is a key point due to no access to trunk once hard top is on.

Jack and his crew took a bunch of measurements and pictures and then offered to make me a custom one where the back window does not come as far out onto the deck lid. They would have it just line up after the edge so that there are no leaks but leaves enough room so the my GM luggage rack could stay on.

If they would make it I offered to come back in September to get it installed. They agreed and made an unfortunate situation into a positive outcome. The drive was about 5 hours but I had a visit to Erie PA and then Niagara Falls factored in so I was cool.

This is a "must mod" in my opinion. Looks stunning and preserves our soft top. Again, after seeing the product I was really impressed. Come September I will post pics once it is installed. If you have the GM Luggage rack you will now be able to use it with the Club Racer Top. Once they make the adjusted mold for mine they can do it for you!