Mike -
NO INSTRUCTIONS ARE PROVIDED (but it's always the
customer's fault if things don't go right).
The shop that attempted to install the top is recognized as
one of the best Austin Healey restoration shops in the North-
east. They installed the last top (an AMCO) on my TR6 back
in 1989, and have installed Robbins tops on many Concours-
winning Austin Healeys with no problems. I'm not suggesting
everything they make has potential problems, just their current
run of TR6 tops.
Dennis
Culligan
Mike Madden <MMadden@samhealth.org> on 08/06/2002 01:46:26 PM
To: Dennis N Culligan/Sterling Forest/IBM@IBMUS, corey.sherman@RCN.COM
cc: triumphs@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: Recommendations on replacement Top
I haven't done the top yet, but I just finished the installation of a full
tonneau from Robbins. I am impressed with the quality and the fit. I was
hoping that their top would be just as good.
I did the install myself and it went well. Even without instructions.
Robbins refused to send me instructions. I think they want to encourage
professional installations, but I'm not even sure that the provide
instructions to installers. I wonder if they provide instructions for the
top??
Mike Madden
1980 TR8
-----Original Message-----
From: Dennis N Culligan [mailto:dncullig@us.ibm.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 06, 2002 9:47 AM
To: corey.sherman@RCN.COM
Cc: triumphs@autox.team.net
Subject: Recommendations on replacement Top
Corey wrote:
>that my 1871 TR6 top (which looks good) developed a rather nasty tear
That's a real early car you've got there!
>] Replacement recommendations
>_ Vinyl or Fabric
>_ Big Three, UK or a Custom shop
>_ With or without Reflective strips
I purchased a Robbins top (with zip out rear window and reflective
strip)
in late June from TRF (note that I was orig- inally told that they were out
of stock (surprise, surprise), but when the gentleman went and looked
(after
I told him I'd contact Moss Motors rather than have a B/O), he found that
they had just gotten in a new supply).
I took it and my '76 TR6 to a professional British restoration shop for
installation. They laid the new top over the old top (the ONLY problem w/
the old top was that the zipper in the back window was shot) and it looked
like the new one should fit, so they carefully removed my old top and began
the installation of the new one.
Once it was connected to the rear rail and placed on the car, 2 problems
became immediately apparent: 1) The top was too long from the rear rail up
to where the rear bow is (if you attached the snaps at the rear bow to the
rear top bow, the rear window sagged), and 2) the sides of the top were way
too short (there was a gap between the side of the door glass and the top
itself on both sides). Also, the vinyl area between the rear window and
the
3/4 windows was considerably narrower than the top we removed - so much so
that the straps showed through the 3/4 windows!
I contacted TRF and was told I'd have to talk to John Swauger. Rather
than calling me, they contacted Robbins and had THEM call me (ATTENTION
ROADSTER FACTORY - I DIDN'T BUY THE TOP FROM ROBBINS, I BOUGHT IT FROM TRF
-
YOU SHOULD STAND BEHIND WHAT YOU SELL). Of course, "Scott" from Robbins
didn't even give me a chance to explain the problems before he decided that
the top was not installed correctly and it wasn't their problem. I told
him
that it WAS their problem and that he should contact TRF because I had
already sent the top back (installed snaps and all) and told my credit card
company NOT to pay TRF (we all know how easy it is to get $$ back from
Charles).
I've heard nothing else from either party (it's only been a week and a
half) and I doubt I will. Shop time in a British res- toration shop is not
cheap - it cost me close to $200 to find out that that top didn't
fit(remove
old top, attempt to install new top, re-install old top). In the meantime,
I
had a couple of snaps installed on the rear window of the old top so now I
can once again open and close the rear window (however it's far from
weatherproof).
The moral of the story - CAVEAT EMPTOR. Oh, and if anybody else has
had a problem with a RECENTLY purchased Robbins top, I'd be interested in
hearing about it.
Dennis Culligan
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