Gumball
01-05-2013, 03:43 PM
Here's my first attempt at fitting the soft top to 7074.
I do have one issue, though, that hopefully those of you with the first generation version of the FFR/Whitby soft top can help me with. The typical installation is to put one of the large ferrules through the body on each side of the rear cowl area, just behind the doors, to hold the support bows in place. However, the Mk3 body (at least my late 3.1 version) is 51 1/2" wide at that point and the assembled soft top bows are only 49" across. I can add some spacers to the top bows, but then I'm concerned that I won't have enough material to pull down around the longer bows and have it attach to the "lift-a-dot" posts on the body. The other alternative is to fabricate a couple of mounting pipes that are very similar to the original car - second photo below - and use those to hold the top bows. I haven't decided which route to go (I sort of like the idea of the original looking mounting points, but it will complicate the fitting process). Please share pics if you installed one of these tops on a Mk3 (late version -actually a 3.1).
http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/CCRsAC/FirstFitofTop_zps1b7f2b0a.jpg
Original style bow mounting point on CSX3049:
http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/CCRsAC/CSX3049/img_4288.jpg
I do have one issue, though, that hopefully those of you with the first generation version of the FFR/Whitby soft top can help me with. The typical installation is to put one of the large ferrules through the body on each side of the rear cowl area, just behind the doors, to hold the support bows in place. However, the Mk3 body (at least my late 3.1 version) is 51 1/2" wide at that point and the assembled soft top bows are only 49" across. I can add some spacers to the top bows, but then I'm concerned that I won't have enough material to pull down around the longer bows and have it attach to the "lift-a-dot" posts on the body. The other alternative is to fabricate a couple of mounting pipes that are very similar to the original car - second photo below - and use those to hold the top bows. I haven't decided which route to go (I sort of like the idea of the original looking mounting points, but it will complicate the fitting process). Please share pics if you installed one of these tops on a Mk3 (late version -actually a 3.1).
http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/CCRsAC/FirstFitofTop_zps1b7f2b0a.jpg
Original style bow mounting point on CSX3049:
http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/CCRsAC/CSX3049/img_4288.jpg