All:
I'm having a top made for my TR3 by John Skinner in the UK, and it should be
arriving soon. I'll let you know about the quality, etc. when I get it, but
Skinner has an awfully good reputuation.
No affiliation, business interest, etc, etc.
Dave
David Dressel
Champaign, IL USA
'67 Mk2 3.4 Auto
'60 TR3A
>From: "Dennis N Culligan" <dncullig@us.ibm.com>
>Reply-To: "Dennis N Culligan" <dncullig@us.ibm.com>
>To: Mike Madden <MMadden@samhealth.org>
>CC: triumphs@autox.team.net
>Subject: RE: Recommendations on replacement Top
>Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2002 14:00:17 -0400
>
>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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