looking for top help

birdfan56 · Jul 7, 2014

Hi All, I am in need of some help from a seriesV sunbeam owner in the walnut creek/east bay area. The upholstery professional I am using in walnut creek ca to install my top and tonneau cover would like to have a look at a car with an installed top so he can obtain proper measurements...my car came in pieces and had no old top to work from. Please PM me if you can help me out with this. Thanks, Kevin

Jay Laifman · Jul 12, 2014

If you bought the top from Sunbeam Specialities, they usually have great instructions and are willing to give whatever advice is needed.

Here are two tips. Along the back edge, there is a long metal band to hold the back of the top, and two smaller ones for the sides. The center one goes over the top and screws in. The two sides ones actually do NOT hold the top. They go straight into the lip of the body, holding the seal. The sides of the top are loose there so that it can be folded. They do have a small flap on each side that snaps on top of the body, and down inside the top well.

I've seen those small flaps lie flat on the top of the body, and also seen them an inch or two above the body. Mine were actually above the body. I never understood that and have always assumed mine was just sewn on wrong. But I have seen many others like that. So either it is supposed to be that way, or somehow the top builders got messed up at some point and kept copying each other.

birdfan56 · Jul 17, 2014

Thanks Jay, I did purchase it from SS, and have their instructions....if I can't get a local upholster to take this on, I will do it myself...trying one more in a week. Thanks also for the tip on the side trim, that is helpful info to pass on to the installer. Kevin

Bill Blue · Jul 17, 2014

There is no particular reason you cannot install the top yourself, provided you have some help. My wife and I installed ours in one rather long afternoon.

The most important steps are proper windshield angle and adjustment of the top frame. Things have to be adjusted so the windshield and top frame follow the contour of the side glass. The top frame is pretty easily bent out of shape. After that was determined, the actual installation was pretty straight forward. Until then, nothing made sense.

Bill

Tom H · Jul 17, 2014

Kevin, Have you assembled and installed the top frame? As Bill hinted, before you even look at the fabric, be sure you have the frame in place and fitting. With the frame up, look to see how well the side windows, when up, match the vertical part of the frame on both sides. If the windows do not seal nicely against the weather strips on the vertical part of the frame, you need to do some work around the hinges. It's a tricky bit there as there are TWO pivot points on each side- 1) the obvious pivot where the vertical swings upward, and 2) the base of the vertical where it pivots inward toward the driver, as it goes down and outward as it goes UP.

This area is a chronic weak and confusing area on Alpines.

Tom

See these threads for more:

http://www.sunbeamalpine.org/forum/showthread.php?t=10497

http://www.sunbeamalpine.org/forum/showthread.php?t=11259

http://www.sunbeamalpine.org/forum/showthread.php?t=21355

RootesRich · Jul 17, 2014

Tom beat me to it, but IIRC when your car was at Alex's the frame was in pieces and obviously not installed. This is the issue, not the installation of the soft top on the frame.
I would take the diagram of the frame from the Parts Manual to your upholsterer so he can see how it goes together.

birdfan56 · Jul 21, 2014

The frame WAS assembled and installed prior to its visit to Alex's. The issue was what the finished assembly was supposed to look like as I didn't have an old top for comparison or measurements. It's been quite a while since any shop in this area has installed a soft top on a sunbeam and the one previously used by SS is no longer in business. ( The only thing not on the frame were the trim pieces which are not installed until the material goes onto the frame. ) I truly appreciate all the suggestions and comments. If this last option doesn't pan out, i will just figure out how to install it on my own.

mccormac98 · Jul 21, 2014

Hi Kevin,
I'm in Lafayette with a series 3 that has its original top. If your upholsterer wants to see it, let me know and I can arrange a time.

Cheers,

Bill

birdfan56 · Jul 21, 2014

Thanks Bill, it's going into the shop on the 28th...I will take you up on that offer if this new upholsterer needs to see one in person...pretty sure that would be very helpful for him. In the meantime, i am going to work on improving the frame adjustments as there is opportunity there. kevin

P. Scofield · Jul 21, 2014

ADVICE:

* Do the top in the HOT sun. You need all the heat and streach you can get.
* After determining the overall lenght, through trial and error, do the rear first! Then do the vertical sides along with the quarters or you will have the same wrinkles in the quarters like 9 out of 10 cars I see.

Of course, the ever flex top material is the real secret I hear. (from the UK)
Rick might sell the everflex.

* And lastly, if you didn't order the everflex, return your top and get one!

Here is a good top....
http://newartcars.com/gallery/2634622-sunbeam-tiger.html

Here is the rest of the world......
http://www.forristalls.com/1966 Sunbeam Tiger MK1-A/1966_sunbeam_tiger_mk1a.html

Terrible!! $60,000 and a wrinkled top.
Once you start noticing these tops, you can't get them out of your mind!

RootesRich · Jul 21, 2014

birdfan56 said:
The frame WAS assembled and installed prior to its visit to Alex's. The issue was what the finished assembly was supposed to look like as I didn't have an old top for comparison or measurements. It's been quite a while since any shop in this area has installed a soft top on a sunbeam and the one previously used by SS is no longer in business. ( The only thing not on the frame were the trim pieces which are not installed until the material goes onto the frame. ) I truly appreciate all the suggestions and comments. If this last option doesn't pan out, i will just figure out how to install it on my own.

Where as the majority of the frame was installed (I was mistaken on that part), the front bow and center webbing was not when I saw pics of the car. As was a few other bits on the frame like the velcro strips on the arms. Alex had just documented our preproduction SV's top as an example when you decided to change shops.

Regardless, I would take Bill up on his kind offer to use his car as an example.

Tom H · Jul 21, 2014

Kevin,, You say " The frame WAS assembled and installed prior to its visit to Alex's".

But you did not say that you verified that the frame fits correctly. I hate to beat a dead horse, but before you work on fitting the fabric top, roll the windows up and see that the back edges of the windows match the frame position. Yes, the frame will not yet have the weatherstripping but you will be able to see if the back edge of the windows lines up with the channel where the weatherstrip fits.

See the picture at the beginning of this thread to see the frame problem:
http://www.sunbeamalpine.org/forum/showthread.php?t=10497

Tom

DanR · Jul 21, 2014

What a shame!

Paul, I notice some writing on the bottom left rear of the soft top window but could not pull it up clear enough to read. Can you get it?

DanR

P. Scofield · Jul 22, 2014

DanR said:
Paul, I notice some writing on the bottom left rear of the soft top window but could not pull it up clear enough to read. Can you get it?

DanR

Looks like a brand name and I can't read it. But below that it says "Do not rub dry". "Wash with water soaked cloth........" Bla bla bla.

birdfan56 · Jul 22, 2014

Tom, you are right on the mark...I need to work on the frame fitment prior to next week. All the tips and advice the guys have sent is awesome and will make the process much easier. When I first put the frame on, it was pretty close but now the passenger side has the same gap shown in the photos. Some is from my adjusting the front windshield frame too far aft, which is what i will correct first, then work on the pivots.

birdfan56 · Jul 24, 2014

Thanks to all who sent suggestions, tips and valuable experience on getting proper frame fitment...after correcting the windshield slant, (3rd try was the charm) worked on getting the frame adjusted with the help of my son. after several attempts to get my nice, clean, powder coated frame to work, I decided to try the old rusty one that i had picked up for parts along the way. Bingo! it lined up nearly correctly the first time, needing only horizontal adjustment to pull the ears toward the outboard direction. Whoever had spent the time cleaning and powder coating the "nice" one i picked up started with a very tweaked frame. so now, I am cleaning and refinishing the rusty one. Then its fabric time.