RayM Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Morning all The previous owner of my car fitted a playskool roll bar so the original roof is no good. I thought I saw someone mention a company on here who do custom hoods that are made from Canvas I think, and stretch over the larger roll bars but use the existing stud points. Does anyone know about this company? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrL Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 I have a Playskool MSA rollbar & my standard hood no longer fits either. Soft bits for Sevens will make a new hood but want my car to measure up. Apparently Oxted Trimmings are good too but I have yet to contact them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCB Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Try these links http://forum.wscc.co.uk/forum/index.php?/topic/88368-half-hood-well-34-hood/page__hl__%2Bhalf+%2Bhood__fromsearch__1 http://forum.wscc.co.uk/forum/index.php?/topic/89891-anyone-using-half-a-hood/page__hl__%2Bhalf+%2Bhood__fromsearch__1 HTH Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayM Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 Thanks Guys, Ill have a look at those links etc.... cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chri5 Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Have a nosey at: http://www.softbitsforsevens.co.uk/page3.html got some half roofs on there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayM Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 Ive had a chat with softbits but they want me to take my car to them as they dont have a pattern for my car, I would have thought that its quite a common spec a post 2003 SEIW with a Playskool MSA Roll Bar fitted. I dont really fancy a 400 mile trip just for them to take a few measurements a bit OTT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chri5 Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 yeah me too, not an unusual spec... yeah 400 is a bit over the top just for about 15mins with a tape measure... i'll keep looking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 You don't have to drive the car 400 miles to have it measured. Post it, they measure and post it back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Guys, please, please don't take this the wrong way! But can I just insert a bit of a sanity check; Softbits started making these hoods for Caterhams, Oxted is the company that actually make the soft trim items for Caterham. Both good companies, for sure. But a Cateham is a very different beast, Although there will of course be some variations in build, on the whole because of the way the car is designed and sold, (even in knock down form for builders to assemble). It is orders of magnitude more consistent than a Westfield, (which in turn is orders of magnitude more consistent than some other kits). To give you an idea, it's so consistent that unless you are building one with a completely non spec engine layout or type, you can pretty much buy your nice new aluminium bonnet with the hole for the air filter precut, just by telling them you've got a Duratec on roller barrel TBs. A Westfield with, for example with the ZK bodywork, (the latest version of the tradition shape) isn't, and never has been symmetrical from side to side! A Caterham chassis is supplied with the hand formed/fitted aluminium bodywork already done (by Arch still?) In order to get the Westfield body work looking right in the eyes of the particular builder, they all seem to end up with the tub in ever so slightly different positions, and that's before fitting roll bars or windscreens. (yes, I know there are dimensions given in the build manual, but look back through the archives to see the number of builders that found those didn't quite work). The reality is that Westfields are very much kit cars, with hundreds of minute and sometimes not so minute variations. And that's before you get to non standard roll bars, yes the Playskool one is popular, but there's still not that many about compared to RAC bars. To cope, all the half hood suppliers will ask you to give them certain key dimensions, even when they have a pattern, that's just to accommodate those subtle variations! Sooner or later, I'm sure someone will take a Playskool bar's car in, then they'll have a patern for everyone else Don't forget though we're a small and quite tricky to serve community for something's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayM Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 Guys, please, please don't take this the wrong way! But can I just insert a bit of a sanity check; Softbits started making these hoods for Caterhams, Oxted is the company that actually make the soft trim items for Caterham. Both good companies, for sure. But a Cateham is a very different beast, Although there will of course be some variations in build, on the whole because of the way the car is designed and sold, (even in knock down form for builders to assemble). It is orders of magnitude more consistent than a Westfield, (which in turn is orders of magnitude more consistent than some other kits). To give you an idea, it's so consistent that unless you are building one with a completely non spec engine layout or type, you can pretty much buy your nice new aluminium bonnet with the hole for the air filter precut, just by telling them you've got a Duratec on roller barrel TBs. A Westfield with, for example with the ZK bodywork, (the latest version of the tradition shape) isn't, and never has been symmetrical from side to side! A Caterham chassis is supplied with the hand formed/fitted aluminium bodywork already done (by Arch still?) In order to get the Westfield body work looking right in the eyes of the particular builder, they all seem to end up with the tub in ever so slightly different positions, and that's before fitting roll bars or windscreens. (yes, I know there are dimensions given in the build manual, but look back through the archives to see the number of builders that found those didn't quite work). The reality is that Westfields are very much kit cars, with hundreds of minute and sometimes not so minute variations. And that's before you get to non standard roll bars, yes the Playskool one is popular, but there's still not that many about compared to RAC bars. To cope, all the half hood suppliers will ask you to give them certain key dimensions, even when they have a pattern, that's just to accommodate those subtle variations! Sooner or later, I'm sure someone will take a Playskool bar's car in, then they'll have a patern for everyone else Don't forget though we're a small and quite tricky to serve community for something's Gadgetman I fully understand and agree with your commets. However, I can take as many dimensions and pictures and even draw it up on cad if necessary to try and avoid a 400 mile round trip. Afterall we are talking about a canvas type material here that will flex and stretch a little giving some tolerance. Combine this with the fact that you can fit the press studs to suit and have tentioning straps to pull it all in to place it still seems a little OTT that they (in their words) "need the car for a day" I will as you say wait until someone more local to them has one in and then go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 I think with Softbits there's a bit of added complication as they do seem to be perfectionists, and a little wary of Westfields. (I wonder if maybe they've been caught out in the past and had trouble/complaints?) As you say though, if you can wait, the increasingly popular Playskool stuff is bound to get sorted eventually. I've got a sneaking suspicion that they just may be the sort of good old British cottage industry that thinks CAD is what you call a bounder, before challenging them to a duel! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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