I am getting on well with my restoration withmost internal woodwork now replaced(what was needed),
now I have come to the roof,(I do't think my roof ever had a sliding sun thing,)
My question is,, does the outer roof PVC have a lining or is it stretched over like the early aircraft would have been.
Mine seems to have some sort of wooden affair under the PVC which does'nt seem quite right so before i rip it off I need to know if its correct or not
I can sent you some pictures of my roof if you want.
On the VG2007thread page 6 is also a picture of the roof.
On VG the wood frame was first covered with what i think is horse hair and over that went the leathercloth.
Colin, I have re-roofed two austin 7s and a Humber 9 of our period and I would think they were all the same. You will have battens running front to back. On these you tack on sackcloth, then 'flock', which looks like cotton wool but comes in lengths about half an inch deep. This is just laid over the sackcloth. Then on a warm, or hot day tack on the roof lining. Take your time - a very satisfying job. Highlander.
Thanks for info, halbe has sent pics of his car which is a little earlier but i suspect is the same ,
It seems to have been covered in the old type carpet underfelt( before treadair0 i will have to see if i can get some
I know Woolies sells it but May be able to find a cheaper source.
Um... the '32 SV cars had Pytchley sliding head tops, but many have been covered in over the years when rot set in. Halbe's car, being a fabric saloon, would have had a fixed head roof from new (the OHC coachbuilt saloons had Kopalapso folding heads). If you are missing the Pytchley gear, a good fix would be to copy the Halbe fabric saloon geometry of longitudinal slats, but a small voice in the back of my head is telling me to advise you to contact the Austin 7 fraternity who may be able to supply Pytchley gear for you. Meanwhile another small voice is telling me that maybe a fixed head was an option on '32 saloons? Too many voices in my head - possibly due to too many Martinis tonight.
Correct.....1932,1933 and 1934 season Minor two door saloons were all available in either fixed or sliding head versions.
If I remember correctly, the 32 and 33 cars had rather a strange arrangement whereby the sliding portion and its runners sat on top of the roof whereas the 1934 cars had the more usual (and much neater) Pytchley arrangement with the fixed rear part being recessed and the sliding portion level with the roof line. They all leaked liked a sieve unless re-covered on a regular basis which is why so many have been (usually very badly) covered in which is a great pity. The Pytchley roof was of generous size and makes a huge difference to the driving pleasure of a small thirties car. Most Minor saloons that I have worked on usually have fairly strong residual evidence as to whether they were originally fixed or sliding head vehicles. You cannot of course tell from the Car number....not sure whether the build records would say ....Ian might be able to confirm or deny this ? I suspect that fixed head cars were fairly thin on the ground as the sliding version did not really cost that much more...£5 in the case of the 10/4 comes to mind.
Thank you all,
halbe no much to see,its still covered by the previous restorer,I think i may leave well alone until its on the road, then I dont think it will be too big a job to rectify,
Thank you Paul , where would I get a pic of one in its glory so to speak?
Most of the good pictures that I have seen have been period shots in the Morris Owner Magazine. However, they are unlikely to be of much use if you are trying to build a replica. Harry Edwards of Yesterday's Components in Essex used to sell detailed body drawings of various Morris models including four detailed dimensioned sheets for the Morris Eight (1934 on) Pytchley roof. No good for a '32 pattern roof but it might be worth giving him a call as he may well have the drawings you need.Tel number is 01277 840697. Most difficult things to find will be the runners and slides. The interior locking plate was common to all models, so not particularly rare. You also see the Pytchley oval celluloid badge that goes on the interior trim above your head every now and then. Do you have anything for your car or (assuming it was a sliding head model) has it all been removed and the interior covered up with headlining ?
dont know what's under the roof as it is still covered by a type of black leathercloth which the previous restorer fitted,
I can make out that some hardboard has been placed before and not the felt,
the headlinings still in place.
I know it should't be hard to do but may have to wait until I get more of the car done,but sound of a sliding roof sounds good to me.
The original build records give no clue - just state 'saloon' - so you cannot even differentiate between steel and fabric saloons, which is a pity - particularly for the OHC cars, where a good proportion were fabric.
Hi Colin. When you remove the covering from your roof you will be able to tell, if the original timbers are still there, what type of roof structure it had. If it has slats all the way from front to rear then it was a fixed roof. If the slats finish about half way then it had some sort of sliding or folding roof. You may be able to tell which when you see the wood framing around the front opening.The roof covering would as my Cowley have hessian laid over the slats, then you would have some course horsehair or similar, on top of that some wadding which you can buy in rolls, on top of that you would have your roof covering. It is the padding stage which is important because if this is to thick at the gutter.when the gutter if fitted you will get a bulge above the gutter and it will look awful. You need to take care over feathering out the padding as you work toward the gutter.You do not need so much padding here as the slats are close together. This gives a nice smooth roof over the radius and down to the gutter. People sometimes put to much padding which makes the roof look lumpy when the final covering is put on. This can spoil an otherwise nice restoration.You may if you are careful feel the type of timbers in the roof by gently running your hand over the roof lining. Good luck ,Mike.
Thanks Mike.
I do have some pics of the original restoration and will post them soon, it does look from the photo's that it didn't have a sun roof but you guru's out there will be able to tell me.
I did have a look at John Dewars this morning,( he is giving me first hand advise on my crank and big end bushes and i am pleased to report they are all ok) he has a 32 minor with a hole where the sliding roof used to be and is very interesting it covered with a press studded cover and in in my mind a fantasic little car,
