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With the carpets cut to size and glued or snapped into place, I now turn my attention to the seats, interior panels and convertible top. Like all other aspects of this project, I need to think about the correct and easiest order of assembly. It would be easy to install the front and rear seats and then install the panels, leaving the top till the end. But after studying the installation of the top, it becomes clear that the best time to install the top is before the panels and seats go in. One needs to climb around inside the interior and the seats would just be in the way. The side panels would block access to areas where the top attaches. So while I'd prefer to do the rest of the interior now and leave the top for another time, it just doesn't make sense to wait.
My desire to leave the top to the end is born of the complexity of the project. As I've said several times, the means of construction in 1965 were far different from the modern methods used today. Whereas modern cars are made up of a collection of sub assemblies, the Healey is made up of many individual components that must be stripped, restored, and bolted up to the other pieces to create the sub-assembly that is then bolted to the car. The convertible top is one of the more challenging assemblies, requiring skills at wood working, upholstery, mechanical fastening and gluing. Today, I am posting the pictures of the parts I will be dealing with. This represents the current state of affairs, and I hope to track the progress on this thread. My mission for today is to try and give you all a sense of the size of the project.
Here are most of the parts that go into the top. Not shown are the metal strips that hold the top to the car and the frams, and the nails and tacks and glue that are used for this assembly. Also not shown is the hardware that fastens the frame to the chassis. Unfortunately the backgroud carpet and rug is not very good contrast for the parts.
The next few are pictures of the same scene, but I'm trying to get a bit closer.
Here is closer shot of the parts on the left side
Here is the right
Here is the canvas top all rolled up
To break this down for you, the major parts are the frame (all in one piece, thank god) the canvas top, the counter springs and thier covers, the front wooden bow, the side wooden bows (2 per side), the metal trim that goes with the wooden rails, the soft grey vinyl that covers the wooden bows, the metal strips that hold the top to the frame and the car, the clips that hold the top to the metal strips, rubber/cloth windlacing that forms the rubber seals between the side windows and the top, the webbing that supports the top between the frame rails, the handle and clasps that hold the top to the windsheild and a number of nails that fasten the top to the wooden bows. Here are some close-ups of the wooden bows that are still covered inthe original vinyl which will have to be stripped off and replace.
These three are close-ups of the front bow:
These are the two wooden bows that frame the side windows and carry both the top and the windlacing:
In this picture, you can see the metal piece that is screwed to the wooden bow and then carries the rubber windlacing
My first step is to strip these wooden bows, clean them up, and then recover them with new vinyl. Stay tuned
British engineering run amuck...... Thankfully the MGA was simple - a frame with a wooden head bow and canvas top. None of the other stuff. Good luck. Forget tacks, use a staple gun.
I know this is easy for me to say but I don't think this project will give you much trouble, LB...just a lot of detail work. In looking over the parts and reading your post it doesn't sound all that different from installing the top on an S2000. Interesting how similar the designs are, even if the materials and fasteners are quite different.
You are wise to do the top first. Otherwise you would almost certainly be removing the seats out of frustration fairly quickly and the interior panels would be next as you found you had to get behind them to anchor the top.
Good luck...looking forward to more pics and tales of British Engineering. (Oxymoron?)
Originally Posted by boltonblue,Feb 19 2010, 07:03 AM
bill is the healey roof permanently mounted?
my sprite roof stayed in the trunk and you snapped it together to put it up.
Yes, Jerry. The Healey 3000 was considered a step up in both performance and luxury from the earlier cars, and the MK III was the pinacle of the "luxury" improvements. The top is permanently attached and it is a true "convertible" rather than a roadster. Like the S2000, the top runs down to a rain gutter in the back that cannot be seen with the top in place. there are five rubber hoses attached to the gutter than drain the water to the underside of the car. One unclsps the top at the two front corners, just as with our S2000s. rather than an electric motor, the top has a handle in the middle of the front bow and the counter springs reduce the force needed to drop the top, such that the top can be raide or lowered without getting out of the car.
I know this is easy for me to say but I don't think this project will give you much trouble, LB...just a lot of detail work. In looking over the parts and reading your post it doesn't sound all that different from installing the top on an S2000. Interesting how similar the designs are, even if the materials and fasteners are quite different.
You are wise to do the top first. Otherwise you would almost certainly be removing the seats out of frustration fairly quickly and the interior panels would be next as you found you had to get behind them to anchor the top.
Good luck...looking forward to more pics and tales of British Engineering. (Oxymoron?)
Thanks for the vote of confidence. But when you are working with fabric, glue, nails and razor knifes, it is pretty easy to make an irreversible mistake. I'll be taking this very slow.
Healey Convertible Top
I think I can fit in the back seat. 