Herald 1200 soft top shrinkage?

[Tom]

Hello, this summer I finally got my 1965 1200 Herald back on the road after being off for 10yrs. During this time the soft top was left on the frame but off the car. It’s a plastic (type of vinyl?) and a light brown colour that matches the car nicely other than fact that it doesn’t appear to fit particularly well, it seems to have shrunk? It’s very tight to get locked into position and does not come down far enough to provide a good seal above and round the doors. It also doesn’t come down far enough on too of the rear wings. The PO appears to have attached some scrappy pieces of vinyl to make up the gap?

I can’t remember how tight it was before I took it off as it was so long ago!

If possible I’d like to keep it as it suits the car ie. a bit scruffy but solis enough. It’s not the end of the world if I can’t fix it as I don’t plan on driving in the rain but it would be nice to fix it.

My questions are….

1.Do these roofs shrink?

2. If they do shrink can they be ‘stretched’ back to size? I wondered about removing the webbing to stretch it?

3. If it can’t be stretched are there any things that can be done to improve things?

thanks, Tom

[Pete Lewis]

vynil does appear to shrink with age 

youre is aparticually poor example  i doubt you will improve it

any idea to streatch it needs a good hot day or some general heat helps abit but with the added tags i suspect it is now just too old and has always been a poor fit 

sorry thats not much help 

Pete

[foshi]

yes they shrink had one i took off stored for a few years ended up like yours . did close better when left out on a very hot summers day. beware pulling it tight on the screen catches can cause problems latter on with door shutting l learnt the hard way paul

[Tom]

Ok I suspected as much. I’d best unclip it then!!
 

I suppose my only options are to replace it or source some vinyl of a similar colour and make some ‘extender’ pieces.

If I go down the replace route any advice on material choice and suppliers would be welcome. My old Spitfire 1500 had a lovely canvas type roof which was lovely if a little leaky at times. I don’t like some of the plastic roofs I’ve seen, a little shiny and cheap looking.

[Chris A]

At the end of each season when the roof has spent months folded it is difficult to fit. I put it in place on a warm day and then it can be clipped to the windscreen. I now put it up a couple of times in summer just to keep it stretched.

I agree with others that yours looks as if it has either never fitted properly or hasn't been stretched often enough.

[PeteH]

Don Hood`s, seem to get frequent Thumbs up on this forum, I think they also supply the TSSC shop?. There are several choices of material, the one on mine was a "mohair" one which has seen (much) better days.

http://www.donhoods.com/sales/triumph.htm

"other supliers are available"😁

Pete

[Tom]

I think it’s been fitted ok as the gaps left to right are the same and it all looks the correct shape, it just looks like it’s been through a hot wash and shrunk equally in all directions. 
 

I think I could fashion some extension ‘flaps’ to make up the left right gaps. The tension front to back seems to all be in the webbing and not the hood itself? I’m wondering I could detach the webbing to release the tension and if that cures the front back problem reattach it in the new position? 

[PeteH]

6 hours ago, Tom said:

I think it’s been fitted ok as the gaps left to right are the same and it all looks the correct shape, it just looks like it’s been through a hot wash and shrunk equally in all directions. 
 

I think I could fashion some extension ‘flaps’ to make up the left right gaps. The tension front to back seems to all be in the webbing and not the hood itself? I’m wondering I could detach the webbing to release the tension and if that cures the front back problem reattach it in the new position? 

From memory I believe the Hood cover has to come off to get at the Webbing?.

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

2 hours ago, PeteH said:

From memory I believe the Hood cover has to come off to get at the Webbing?.

Pete

Yep, it's all underneath the hood, between hood and top of frame, so difficult to get at without hood removal. The material does shrink over time; I have a very good Herald tonneau that has shrunk by about three inches and won't fit any more!

[Chris A]

13 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said:

Yep, it's all underneath the hood, between hood and top of frame, so difficult to get at without hood removal.

Yes so tricky, unless. . . You just cut the webbing then sew in additional lengths where needed 😱

A bodge? Yes because it can been seen . Not really advising that option, honest.

[Tom]

I’ve undone the webbing where it attached to the car at the rear and the hood is still tight so it does look like the tension is in the hood and not the webbing.

What a shame as I like the colour and it’s condition suits the car. I might still try a bodge as to be honest the hood is never really used to keep the rain off but I’ll also keep an eye out for one a similar colour.

[Chris A]

19 minutes ago, Tom said:

I’ve undone the webbing where it attached to the car at the rear and the hood is still tight so it does look like the tension is in the hood and not the webbing.

If I remember correctly the webbing is also fixed in place to the hood frame, so just undoing it at the rear doesn't loosen the tension throughout the whole length. To be sure I would need to go and check mine.

[Josef]

14 hours ago, PeteH said:

Don Hood`s, seem to get frequent Thumbs up on this forum, I think they also supply the TSSC shop?. There are several choices of material, the one on mine was a "mohair" one which has seen (much) better days.

http://www.donhoods.com/sales/triumph.htm

"other supliers are available"😁

Pete

The hood I just got from them for my Spitfire is definitely well made and fitted relatively easily. But the lead time was appalling and not communicated to me at all. I was told a month at first, and it ended up more like four.

[Colin Lindsay]

1 hour ago, Chris A said:

If I remember correctly the webbing is also fixed in place to the hood frame, so just undoing it at the rear doesn't loosen the tension throughout the whole length. To be sure I would need to go and check mine.

The webbing is rivetted to each of the frame cross-members, through metal reinforcing plates all the way from the rear deck to the front rail.

[Chris A]

5 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said:

The material does shrink over time;

That explains why my trousers are too tight .

[Pete Lewis]

you wear vinyl trousers then ???     what ever next   Ha !!

with poppers ????

Pete

[Pete Lewis]

vinyl suffers for years as it get stretched as it is loaded onto a giant roll  to keep the roll tight it tend to be stretched  

when cutting a length off it needs to lay for a period as it will return to size , and that seems to go on for years 

even vinyl flooring is affected 

leather i believe is far more stable ...once its been cured 

Mohair material is more stable than vinyl 

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