Bob,
Stayfast is the name of a canvas material. I believe it was developed
for boat and awning applications. It is far stronger, more durable and
colorfast than the canvas MG used in the 1950s. You see it used on the
cloth tops of metal-topped cars to make them look like convertibles (or
something other than what they are) Vinyl is, well, vinyl, with all its
benefits and disadvantages.
My TD is on its third canvas top. This one is 20+ years old, plain
canvas of the time (not Stayfast) and is showing its age. Rarely wet, it
has faded and shrunk a bit and is not a color match any longer for
original canvas on the sidecurtains. About 15 years old is the vinyl
tonneau. I bought vinyl instead of canvas thinking that if the car were
ever caught in the rain the vinyl tonneau would be more waterproof than
canvas, and if the top were up I would put over it a plastic tarpaulin
that I carry for the purpose.
The vinyl looks like vinyl. Although it has the pattern of cloth, it
has the shine of vinyl. It has bothered me for years and, I am happy to
report, the material is failing and I now have a new stayfast tonneau
that is soon to be fitted to the car.
My .02---get the Stayfast top & sidecurtain material from Moss, or look
for another vendor who makes them from another type of canvas. The
suggestion to look for another canvas than Stayfast is simply one of
color--the dark tan offered by Moss is not the color that MGs had when
they left Abingdon. Stayfast doesn't fade, though if it did it would be
about the right color in 2 or 3 years of fading. Ask Moss for a sample.
Though not original color, it may look great with the ivory car and your
upholstery.
I don't think that the vinyl looks right on tops and sidecurtains.
This is not to say that it is not a superior material--it is definitely
better stuff than canvas of the 1950s, but it simply does not look right.
All manufacturers use it these days, but I don't think you would be
satisfied with its appearance.
Bob
On Wed, 16 May 2001 22:33:49 -0500 "Bob D." <bobmgtd@home.com> writes:
> I need to get the "weather" equipment for my TD. I see Moss offers a
> choice
> between something called stayfast and vinyl.
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