Am I mad to want a soft top?

With my 110 pretty much sold, I'm looking for a series as my every day car. But it gets worse, I'm considering a soft top.

Something like this is exactly what I would like;
1980 LAND ROVER Series III Ex Army Soft Top Tax & MOT on eBay (end time 29-Jan-10 22:09:53 GMT)

Thing is, am I mad? It looks like it would be great fun in the summer - camping, overland (might be doing Morocco in the summer), plus I love the looks of a soft top.

What I want to know is how the soft top works - can you take it off partially (i.e. roll it back) and lift the sides up etc? Also, if I took the canvas off in the spring and summer, can I still carry people in the rear seats and drive it about?

And lastly, insurance wise, is it the same to insure as a hard top? It doesn't count as a convertible or something like that does it?

Langers

yes can roll up the sides, had one on my "other" SWB (no longer have her), can be re-water proofed if need be - tad cold in the winter mind but great in the warmer weather......go for it

Like this:





the back and sides roll up. depends on what canvas you get. there are lots of variables.

Not sure I would want one for everyday use, certainly not for overland use. You wont be able to leave it anywhere for 1 second! its not secure at anytime. just one consideration.

cannot comment on top down driving, looking forward to it this summer

G

That's a good point about the security, didn't think about that... but then again, old Landies aren't very secure anyway, even in hard-top form, are they?

see now i want a soft top................ to go over the hard top lol, i reckon thats the only way i'm going to stop the bitch leaking
i guess you wouldn't get the condensation dripping on you in a soft top but the security would worry me i think

you do still get some condensation, or maybe mine is just leaking slightly. Security is the biggest issue. even though I can lock both doors and windows wilth all the sides rolled down, I still dont like leaving it anywhere... especially in Bristol!

G

Hehe, yeah, mine doesn't leak from the roof but the damp carpets make for loads of condensation, particularly on the sunroof where it all drips down straight through the slot of my CD player :doh:

I don't think the security would really bother me too much to be honest, I'm lucky enough to live in a very secure village with very low crime rates, and I rarely have to stop in town for long.

Luckily I'm pretty young and hardy so the cold shouldn't be much of a problem for me in winter time! Think I'm gonna go fer it!

Griffdowg said:

you do still get some condensation, or maybe mine is just leaking slightly. Security is the biggest issue. even though I can lock both doors and windows wilth all the sides rolled down, I still dont like leaving it anywhere... especially in Bristol!

G

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Cant you make some immobalisers to solve that. Perhaps a hidden switch in the starter motor sender wire? Whenvever i leave my landy somwhere uncertain i will sabotage it in many ways, even though its a hard top i wouldent call it secure. You could even take some of the leads with you, that would snooker them unless they came super prapared. If youve got a locking bonnet that could stump them for a while, theyd most probaly give up.

Langers said:

Luckily I'm pretty young and hardy so the cold shouldn't be much of a problem for me in winter time! Think I'm gonna go fer it!

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can always sell it on if you don't like it

woods767 said:

Cant you make some immobalisers to solve that. Perhaps a hidden switch in the starter motor sender wire? Whenvever i leave my landy somwhere uncertain i will sabotage it in many ways, even though its a hard top i wouldent call it secure. You could even take some of the leads with you, that would snooker them unless they came super prapared. If youve got a locking bonnet that could stump them for a while, theyd most probaly give up.

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Agreed, if they wanted to, thieves would have no problem getting into a standard hard top to try to steal it.

On the other hand, with a soft top I suppose your belongings would be more vulnerable as they could just slash it open with a knife and take what they wanted quite easily. I don't leave anything in my car anyway, but if you had to then it would definitely be an issue.

Yea i think stuff like a sterio wouldent be possible. Could get a safe type cubby box to put valubles in. Or even just bolt a safe in the back and weld the nuts to the bolts perhaps.

woods767 said:

Yea i think stuff like a sterio wouldent be possible. Could get a safe type cubby box to put valubles in. Or even just bolt a safe in the back and weld the nuts to the bolts perhaps.

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Yeah, wonder how rugged those 'safe' cubby boxes really are though... could always just knock one together from some 4mm chequer plate and some angle iron, stick a padlock on it, that would work

Griffdowg said:

Like this:

the back and sides roll up. depends on what canvas you get. there are lots of variables.

Not sure I would want one for everyday use, certainly not for overland use. You wont be able to leave it anywhere for 1 second! its not secure at anytime. just one consideration.

cannot comment on top down driving, looking forward to it this summer

G

Click to expand...

I have a little sports that the roof comes down on, a few points.

In the summer with the roof down you get cooked, traveling through towns it can be unbearable. Once up to spead you dont notice any problems, but its akin to being at the beach when its windy, you aint hot but you're getting burnt to fook. If you have a good head of hair fine if you dunt then wear a hat. If you leave it with the top down you wont be able to get in the foker, the seats will roast the arse off you.

If the rain comes on, and it will, you need to stop to put the roof back up and in the process if you can stop right away, most times you cant, you get soaked. Rain coming down at 40 mph is something else, if I can keep the speed up on mine the rain just passes over me, but then when you stop its panic getting the roof back up. Mine does it in a few seconds but its a long time in the rain.

On a positive note its a real gas, traveling through the country side with all the smells and the wind ripping around you. I even put mine down coming home from work in the winter and went off the motorway, fokin loved it. Need good heaters for that tho.

Langers said:

With my 110 pretty much sold, I'm looking for a series as my every day car. But it gets worse, I'm considering a soft top.

Something like this is exactly what I would like;
1980 LAND ROVER Series III Ex Army Soft Top Tax & MOT on eBay (end time 29-Jan-10 22:09:53 GMT)

Thing is, am I mad? It looks like it would be great fun in the summer - camping, overland (might be doing Morocco in the summer), plus I love the looks of a soft top.

What I want to know is how the soft top works - can you take it off partially (i.e. roll it back) and lift the sides up etc? Also, if I took the canvas off in the spring and summer, can I still carry people in the rear seats and drive it about?

And lastly, insurance wise, is it the same to insure as a hard top? It doesn't count as a convertible or something like that does it?

Langers

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One other point I meant to say, the landies are noisy as fook with a canvas roof, not only road noise but the canvas itself whipping about

david451 said:

I have a little sports that the roof comes down on, a few points.

In the summer with the roof down you get cooked, traveling through towns it can be unbearable. Once up to spead you dont notice any problems, but its akin to being at the beach when its windy, you aint hot but you're getting burnt to fook. If you have a good head of hair fine if you dunt then wear a hat. If you leave it with the top down you wont be able to get in the foker, the seats will roast the arse off you.

If the rain comes on, and it will, you need to stop to put the roof back up and in the process if you can stop right away, most times you cant, you get soaked. Rain coming down at 40 mph is something else, if I can keep the speed up on mine the rain just passes over me, but then when you stop its panic getting the roof back up. Mine does it in a few seconds but its a long time in the rain.

On a positive note its a real gas, traveling through the country side with all the smells and the wind ripping around you. I even put mine down coming home from work in the winter and went off the motorway, fokin loved it. Need good heaters for that tho.

Click to expand...

The burning part sounds nasty lol, but I doubt I would take the canvas off completely, just roll the sides and back up and roll the windows down would probably be as much as I'd want to do.

The countryside part is what I'm after, I have great fun even in my CSW, bouncing round the country lanes every day. Love it, I just think if we get a nice summer the soft top will be worth it's weight in gold.

I'm really looking forward to this summer, I'm finishing school and taking a year off, it'll be the first summer in which I can drive as well (just missed it last year, passed in August), and I'm bloody fed up with this weather, it really gets me down after a while. Heard that more snow is expected this weekend... great...