Lets imagine puting the top up, but only as the metal framework,
not the fabric cover. When you do this, if the metal framework
is aligned correctly the pins will fall right into the holes in the
windscreen frame.
Now lets put the fabric onto that metal framework. We use the
framework to hold the fabric in position, and to put tension on
it as the fabric mounts to the back of the car and the front
edge of the framework. There is also some tension side to
side by the snaps alongside the doors. But it is the metal
framework that is providing the tension, not the windscreen.
If the framework were a perfect thing, this tension would not
cause any distortion of it, and the pins in the metal framework
would still align perfectly with the holes in the windscreen frame.
But it's not a perfect frame, so the fabric tension is going to cause
some distortion, and now going to take some adjusting to get it
to close right. We do this via the bolts that hold the framework
to the body of the car. With these we can slide the frame
fore and aft, up and down, and rotate it.
If we've installed the fabric correctly, we can still adjust the top
enough to get the pins to line up with the holes, and hold tension
on the fabric.
I make no claims of great top installation. I've only done one
Spitfire, and my installation isn't perfect. I've got too much
side tension, making the snaps beside the doors quite a bear
to close. I also need to re-do the rear, as I did it via snaps all
the way around, which means I regularly pop all the snaps off
when I go to lower the top. And I have yet to figure out what
a few of the interesting tabs are that hang down from my top.
Since your fabric top is already on, I would not attempt to peel it
off or punch new holes in the fabric. But I would try adjusting
the metal framework a bit.
I may also be misunderstanding the degree of misalignment.
If it's just a few millimeters off, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.
But if you've got to wrestle the top up, then I'd say it's far
off enough to benefit from adjustment.
>>> Michael Hargreave Mawson <OC@46thFoot.com> 10/10 11:53 AM >>>
I just don't understand this. When you fit the soft-top to its frame,
you are told to get it good and tight. I have got mine good and tight.
:-) What this means is that the catches on the front of the frame fall
naturally a few millimetres back from the centre of the holes on the top
of the Windscreen surround. In order to get the catches aligned with
the holes, the whole sort-top has to be given a bit of a tug forwards.
In consequence, once the soft-top is fitted, it must be tugging back on
the windscreen frame, mustn't it? And without this bit of tension, the
fabric of the soft-top would be loose and floppy, wouldn't it?
As you can tell, I don't understand how you can get tension in the
fabric without that tension having an effect on the windscreen frame.
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