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Sunroof?

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TR Tony
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Sunroof?

Postby TR Tony » 25 Jan 2009 17:25

So, leaving aside the rally cars & others like development cars, only a minority of TR7 FHCs were produced without the factory sunroof, & many of those had an aftermarket sunroof added at some stage, so there cannot be that many non sunroof cars left around now.

Some of the knowledgeable people I know through this forum reckon that the factory sunroof is very desirable, but I would love to know what other FHC owners think, especially if you have a non sunroof car!

I have never been in a non sunroof 7, but I do like the purity of line that the non sunroof cars have, just as Harris Mann designed it. Is it just a cosmetic thing or does the factory sunroof really make a difference?

Tony
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<font size="1">1981 2L FHC Cavalry Blue
1980 3.5L V8 DHC Jaguar Regency Red - sadly sold!</font id="size1">

gordon kerr
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Postby gordon kerr » 25 Jan 2009 18:29

<font color="green">The first TR7 I had (OMJ) all those years ago started its life with me as a fixed head with no sunroof. Nice enough car but even here in the UK it was unbearably hot inside when it had been sitting in the sun for an hour or two. Even driving with the windows and air vents open it never really seemed to cool down. So I had a sunroof fitted and what a difference. It still got hot when parked with the sunroof shut but as soon as you openend it all the hot air just disappeared upwards through the hole and the car cooled right down. Driving with the sunroof open is a bit like driving a dhc but you don't get quite so buffeted, it only takes seconds to open or close and unlike the full hood can be done whilst moving if it starts to rain.

You might have guessed from that, that of the possibilities my preferences run:

- fhc with sunroof
- fhc
- dhc

Both GRD and OVC fall into the first category.
</font id="green">

<font color="green">Gordon
GRD 1980 Brooklands Green 2l FHC
OVC 1980 Platinum Silver 3.9l V8 FHC
Bedford, UK.
</font id="green">

Beans
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Postby Beans » 25 Jan 2009 18:34

Agree in that a FHC without a hole in the roof looks much better [8D]

I have a factory sunroof in 't Kreng and I hate it. That's why I have a few roof panels in storage so I can weld up the hole one day ...

If you want wind in the hair motoring buy a DHC [:p]

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<font color="blue"><i>1981 TR7 FHC Sprint (better known as 't Kreng)
1981 TR7 DHC (not very well known yet, but back on the road)
Also a 1980 TR7 DHC, 1980 TR7 DHC FI, 1981 TR7 FHC</font id="blue">
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Marko
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Postby Marko » 25 Jan 2009 18:43

ive got a glass sunroof and i really like it, because it doesn't look like you threw a rag on the roof , and when its open it look like a little spoiler :)

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Postby paul w » 25 Jan 2009 18:45

I must admit to being a dhc lover first.The Grinnall would look better to my eyes without the sunroof,but i must admit i enjoyed it
open in yesterdays sunshine.I'm with Theo on this,if you want open top
motoring,buy a drophead.

See ya. Paul


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colonel bogey
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Postby colonel bogey » 25 Jan 2009 19:24

I agree that the FHC does get hot inside,i certainly make full use of my sunroof in all weathers.


Greg

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danny
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Postby danny » 25 Jan 2009 19:29

It is always non sun roof for me, I don't like the things. I have only ever had one car (Renault Laguna) with a sun roof and it leaked. My young son once opened it when the car was covered in snow, what a mess!

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Danny
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tr8coupe
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Postby tr8coupe » 25 Jan 2009 20:50

[:D]mine has cool air conditioning for those trips to hot places on the continent[:D]

BMW Z1 ( sold)
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RUDDY
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Postby RUDDY » 25 Jan 2009 22:12

Have owned two FHC's , a late one with sunroof in Triton green but when I was looking this time I definately wanted an early non sunroof car, just think is is how I first remember them all those years ago. Luckily I found what I needed/wanted on my doorstep.

Cheers, Paul

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Shauniedawn
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Postby Shauniedawn » 25 Jan 2009 22:14

I do prefer the looks of my tin top FHC.

Image

But, I do like opening the sunroof on the sunroofed one (till it gets too noisy that is).

Shaun

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PeterTR7V8
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Postby PeterTR7V8 » 25 Jan 2009 23:29

I find it strange that so many of you have issues with cabin heat. I have spent the weekend in the car with the sky blue & the mercury in the red & the car's cabin which is predominately black is fairly cool with the window open. The engine generates plenty of heat so maybe it is the Toyota gearbox that makes the difference. And it isn't as if the upholstery & fittings around the gear stick is that well sealed.

If I had to choose between one or the other I think I'd choose the FHC but a Targa would be preferable over a full convertible. I like having the best of both worlds so I'd contemplate a sunroof but would want one that has a removable panel so my wife can stand on the seat drinking from a champagne bottle as we cruise thru town. [8D]

Shaun, your car looks very similar to mine - ie, extremely good! You should see it at the moment though. After 4 days & A 1000Ks it looks like a freshly dug bug cemetary. It is going on display on Saturday so I have some work to do.

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Postby nadg63 » 26 Jan 2009 00:24

That was a major bonus when I came across the car I bought - no bleedin' great hole in the roof! (which turned out to be even more of a bonus when it was decided to turn it into a rally car)

Hasbeen
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Postby Hasbeen » 26 Jan 2009 00:30

Back in the 60s, when, in the rain, you put up the hood of my
Morgan+4, it did not seem to reduce the amount of water comming in,
it just reduced the number of places it came at you from.

My first couple of 7s, with folding roofs were like that. Every pot
hole you hit brought a squirt of water from under the things. I
rather enjoyed the memories it brought back, but after a 500 Km trip
in one of them, in the rain, you were very damp.

My current car has a twin glass panel pop up sunroof. It is really
quite brilliant. With the drivers window 3/4 open, & one sunroof
panel popped, the ventilation is excellent. It is draft free cooling
in hot weather, but it's in the wet that it really shines.

So long as you don't drop below 50KPH, you can leave one up, & no
water comes in. With the drivers window open about 1/5Th, very
little water comes in, particularly at speed, [much less than with
the sunroof closed], & the windscreen, & all other glass is kept fog
free. This is a pretty good trick, when we can get 100% humidity,
30oC temp, with an inch per hour rain. After a recent 500Km drive,
in moderate to heavy rain, I was remarkably dry, as was the inside
of the car.

It takes an hour or two work, every few months to keep the thing
from leaking, when standing in the rain, but its well worth it.

Hasbeen

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Postby omichaelshar » 26 Jan 2009 07:20

The Edrose sunroof is NOT just a cosmetic thing. It is part of the wedge experience.

It transforms an FHC for me. Being tall and wide in the upper body I find sports cars cramped and claustrophobic. The wedge is better than most, but I need more head room. With no sunroof my head frequently bounces up and touches the roof, unless wearing a harness.

With the full-size Edrose sunroof this does not occur. I do need to be conscious about bouncing into the RH head rail, but there is more space, and feels more comfortable.

Like Gordon, I find FHCs with no sunroof too hot. I also like the manual amenity of the design Gordon mentioned. It can be “thrown openâ€￾ in seconds and closed while driving (@ < 80 kph). The rain does not get in unless you are stationary or doing < 30 kph.

Besides, it still ruffles the few follicles I have on top of my head better than any massage received from a hand.

The only reason not to have it is safety. (A worthy consideration.)

Owen

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Postby busheytrader » 28 Jan 2009 18:21

Back in the 80's a pal of mine owned an Inca Yellow sunroofed 7 FHC which he later had Grinnalled to 3.9 Spec etc. It blew apart with rust only a few years after having been "restored"

Over 60mph the material lifted up enough to poke a couple of fingers out through both sides. In the rain it leaked more than my DHC.


Before aircon became a standard accessory, we all put up with hot / warm days by opening the windows and expecting to bake inside. I remember holidays abroad where my Dad wouldn't park unless he could find shade. The car would become an oven and you'd have to put a blanket on the leather seats for risk of burning yourself on them. Aircon has taken all that away from us except when we step inside a Classic without it.

Adam

TR7 V8 DHC Jaguar Solent Blue. 9.35cr Range Rover V8, Holley 390cfm, JWR Dual Port, 214 Cam, Lumention, Tubular Manifolds, Single Pipe Exh, 3.08 Rear, 200lb Spax & Solid Bushes, Anti- Dive, Granada Vented Discs & Calipers, Braided Hoses, Green Stuff, 4 Speed Rear Cylinders, Uprated Master Cylinder & Servo, AllyCat 5 Spokes and Cruise Lights. No Door Stickers. Mine since July 1986, V8 from 1991

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