Source of correct hood

My orig top is black outside, tan inside.
Ed

I have a related hood material question. Does anyone know of a source for "French Grey" canvas, which is very close to white with a slight greyish tinge. I have searched high and low but can't find it anywhere.

Ron

Robert :
thank you for the response, my top is just like the picture in the judging guide right down to the glued in tensioning device. i would really like to see any photos of your restoration. my e-mail is stevexk8gmail.com

Well I have contacted SNG Barrett, XK's Unlimited, OSJI, Robbins Convertible Tops, BAS, Heritage, Mick Turley in England and the Everflex company in England. The short answer is that the correct material is not available. Everflex indicated that they would make a special run of the original black over tan material with a minimum order of 1000 yards (enough for approximately 400 tops. I did contact some of the manufacturers to see if there was interest in maybe 2 or 3 that wanted to split up an order, but no interest. That leaves me with the following options:

1. clean the interior of the original top as best as possible and put it back on (the outside is in excellent shape

or

2. get a black over tan canvas top which is available so the colors would be right but the material wrong

or

3. get the black over grey or black (both are available) everflex top which is the right material but the wrong color on the interior

I know that wrong is wrong, but as it says in the guide "there are misdemeanors and there are felonies" in this case what would be worse the wrong interior color or the wrong exterior material.

Perhaps the better question is, what is the intent of the judging guidelines in the championship class? Is originality the overriding consideration or is it to be flawless in its condition?

Steve - the other problem is that Stew's series 2 book shows the" glue on" tensioning device, which is plastic on the inside, and labels it as a "lead sack" The earlier cars did indeed have a lead TUBE sewed on, which reached across the entire top. Having gone through this same set of choices eariler this year, I went with Everflex, black over gray, with a sewed on lead tube . It was as close as I could get to the rules..... Send me your email address and I'll send you back a picture history of my '69 restoration, just completed. I used Stew Cleave's Series II 2+2 as a model for the under-bonnet restoration and found it very helpful.

Also, If you want to do it, Eastwood makes a spray-on dye labeled SEM ( in Camel) which can be used to make the inside of the hood tan. I have used it on other flexible vinyl with excellant results. I went with the grey color because all of the Series III cars and some of the Series II cars are grey inside. I do not know where the break-point is, just as I do not know where the change from a lead tube to a plastic tensioning device and strap occured. Sounds like a great question for the AGM .

Well I have contacted SNG Barrett, XK's Unlimited, OSJI, Robbins Convertible Tops, BAS, Heritage, Mick Turley in England and the Everflex company in England. The short answer is that the correct material is not available. Everflex indicated that they would make a special run of the original black over tan material with a minimum order of 1000 yards (enough for approximately 400 tops. I did contact some of the manufacturers to see if there was interest in maybe 2 or 3 that wanted to split up an order, but no interest. That leaves me with the following options:

1. clean the interior of the original top as best as possible and put it back on (the outside is in excellent shape

or

2. get a black over tan canvas top which is available so the colors would be right but the material wrong

or

3. get the black over grey or black (both are available) everflex top which is the right material but the wrong color on the interior

I know that wrong is wrong, but as it says in the guide "there are misdemeanors and there are felonies" in this case what would be worse the wrong interior color or the wrong exterior material.

Perhaps the better question is, what is the intent of the judging guidelines in the championship class? Is originality the overriding consideration or is it to be flawless in its condition?

Steve my position has always been to not re-write the rules but that if demand on the vendors to do it right is there they will. If we accept less than orig. they will supply it. It would seem that Robert has the solution--contact the vendors and ask--sometimes they have just not been asked. Good luck and you have my help when you want it.

Thanks George
After reading the judging guide, it is very apparent that they are well researched and vetted. My original top is exactly as outlined in the guide and the reference materials. My problem is in locating a correct replacement top. Mine is worn after 40 years of life and as yet I am unable to locate a correct black over tan replacement as outlined in the guide. Any help is appreciated

Steve the Judging guide does say that--you say that in your belief that the top you have is original. Have you written Stew Cleve (author of the judging guide)? His contact info is (as is with all the guides) right there on the guide. Judging guides are well vetted and then voted for approval at the AGMs. As far as a deduction that is a hit or miss depending on the quality of judge. Some of our best judges take a lick when they follow poor ones--you can imagine the story.

Thanks Dick and Robert for the responses. this has been a 3 year project and I am getting a little worn out. the reason that I was under the impression that the correct top was Black over tan was due to my reading of the judging guide on the series 2, I have pasted the appropriate paragraph below:

HOOD, FRAME & FITTINGS:
Black vinyl hood on metal frame painted grey with 2 bows (as opposed to 3 bows on Series 1 OTSÔÇÖs). Tan interior with black vinyl header - lead filled damping sack (arrow) between the rear bows to prevent "drummingÔÇØ - clasps thicker than on Series 1s - tie down straps have been reported in black and biscuit See references A, pages 155-156 (152-153) (confirmation request deleted - December 2005)

I did speak with Tony Jordan at Robbins Auto Top yesterday and he called Everflex in England this morning. Today they only produce the Everflex in black over grey.

I have what I believe to be the original hood from the car and I will post a picture of it tomorrow. but it is black over tan with the tensioning bag glued in.

If the judging guide is correct (or at least that is what the judges will go by) and I am doing a true nut and bolt restoration for the purpose of putting the car in the championship division, what is one to do to solve the seeming contradictions? I can get black on black as Dick suggests is the correct top and I currently have a black on grey from SNG Barratt but if I use either of these will I get a deduction during judging given the language in the Judging Guide?

Regards
Steve

The color of the inside of the hood is only the first problem. The second problem is the lead damping bag, which was followed by a glued on tensioning device on the headliner between the top two bows. At some point in Series II production this change was made. This was apparently done because the headliner was no longer a seperate piece, but was bonded to the top, meaning that the lead bag would have been stitched through the top, creating a potential leak. For a discussion of these issues and some pictures of the damping bags and top colors see my thread on June 2011. A presentation was held at the 2010 AGM which addressed these issues. The original hood on your car was probably gray on the inside, with a glued on tensioning device. However, different sources give different information....Incidentally, Robbins tops manufactured an everflex vinyl top for me this year, for a '69, IR9600 ,gray on the inside black on the ouside, lead damping bag and non-zip rear wndow. I accessed them directly through the web and a phone call rather than going through a dealer. Cars with a beige or biscuit headliner seem to have been those with a seperate piece of cloth, under a cloth top. Early ones had a houndstooth check.

Bob

Actually, for a 1969, the correct top is black vinyl inside and out. The canvas tops stopped during the 1967 model year.