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After some chatter on our TR7
forum it came to light that there's a number of Triumph TR7
DHC owners out there, who were not aware of the correct procedure
of hood stowage.... in fact being a FHC owner it was about one
month after picking up a Triumph TR7 DHC (now called TRickett)
before we realised the error of our ways!
Folding the roof down incorrectly can crease the rear window
and/or quarter lights with the potential effect of splitting those
windows. At the very least the creases are likely to diminish
your visibility.
Many people 'cheat' on the rear window by unzipping it and laying
it down first, this certainly helps extend the lifespan and is
better than introducing a crease, but it doesn't help those rear
quarters.
So here we have a TriumphTR7.com's pictorial 'How To' on folding
your convertible's roof...
Step 1: Detach The Hood From The Frame.
Certainly I didn't twig this to start with….
The hood is attached to the middle frame bar, but it's only via
Velcro (see Fig 1.0)! Nope I didn't know this either! Thanks to
Phil Hoyle from the TR Drivers Club for that nugget of information.
Step 2 - Remove Hood From The Frame.
With the hood no longer attached to the front bar we are able
to push the bar backwards (see Figs 2.1 and 2.2) without fouling
the hood itself.
Note that the bar can be pushed back with the hood attached but
this will introduce a fold, aside from making correct stowage
impossible!
As the hood is no longer attached to the middle of the frame
we can effectively lift it off the frame - see Fig 2.3 and lay
it over the rear deck. This allows us to fold the frame correctly
- no force is necessary for the frame to be folded quite flat.
Step 3- Fold The Quarter Lights
Pull the hood flat along the rear deck to minimise creasing. Now
fold each quarter light in, onto the hood (fig 3.0).
Take care not to crease the window, those practised in Origami
should not, at this point, be tempted to make a large boat as
this will certainly require additional creases.
Step 4- Stow The Hood
With the frame safely stored and the quarter lights folded in
you can now flip the hood over into the storage compartment -
see Fig 4.0 which is viewed from the front of your Triumph TR7
convertible.
The window will be flat, avoiding any creases. The entire stored
roof itself is actually more compact than had you left the hood
fixed to the frame; this in turn means that the cover is easier
to fit, with no unsightly lumps (see fig 4.1) to marr the terrific
lines of your Triumph TR7 convertible.
One thing is blatantly obvious though…. It's much easier
to open and close the large webasto's that are installed in many
of the fixed head TR7's - see..... you've bought the wrong car!
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