Split roof vs Surrey Folding Roof
Discussion
I have at last bought a Griffith 500, which is having work done before I drive it for the first time in July 2015. I am overseas (Hong Kong) and will, when it gets to HK in the Summer of 2016, be driven largely with the roof down. I also plan to do a 10 day trip around Europe in May 2016, so will definitely want something sorted by then.
I have seen many posts about split targa tops (including DIY, which I am going nowhere near!) and the Surrey Folding Roof.
For a split roof, S&D are quoting GBP672 (incl. VAT). Trimming done by AN Other will be on top, so I am guessing not much change from GBP800. I am not sure I can justify that even to myself, let alone SWMBO.
I have seen some posts about the Surrey Folding Rood, but they date back 4 years.
Views anyone to a new-comer to TVRs? Anything gratefully received!!!
It seems that the support on the Griffith forum is second to none!
I have seen many posts about split targa tops (including DIY, which I am going nowhere near!) and the Surrey Folding Roof.
For a split roof, S&D are quoting GBP672 (incl. VAT). Trimming done by AN Other will be on top, so I am guessing not much change from GBP800. I am not sure I can justify that even to myself, let alone SWMBO.
I have seen some posts about the Surrey Folding Rood, but they date back 4 years.
Views anyone to a new-comer to TVRs? Anything gratefully received!!!
It seems that the support on the Griffith forum is second to none!
Edited by HKGriff on Monday 12th January 14:26
I have a Surrey Roof on both my TVRs (an S and a Tamora). Best mod I've done to date. Can be removed or installed without disturbing the rear section which is handy for dry winter days. Easier to store in the boot. Takes up less room in the boot. Weighs less.
They are expensive though. However, when you start to compare them to a targa panel refurb the price is more favorable. The tangs on my [split] S roof panels all need replacing. There are 8 and about £22 each (although making them yourself isn't rocket science). Further to that the re-trim cost and the cost differential isn't that much.
You might also be interested in the new locking arms for the rear roof section from the same guy. Instead of a hinge they have a knuckle joint which gives more room for the vision panel to fold into. I may order two pairs so they match the roof panels. This would be a vanity purchase though.
ETA: the support in the Grief forum is nothing compared to the S forum.
The 'T' cars though 
TVR, it's a choice.
They are expensive though. However, when you start to compare them to a targa panel refurb the price is more favorable. The tangs on my [split] S roof panels all need replacing. There are 8 and about £22 each (although making them yourself isn't rocket science). Further to that the re-trim cost and the cost differential isn't that much.
You might also be interested in the new locking arms for the rear roof section from the same guy. Instead of a hinge they have a knuckle joint which gives more room for the vision panel to fold into. I may order two pairs so they match the roof panels. This would be a vanity purchase though.
ETA: the support in the Grief forum is nothing compared to the S forum.
The 'T' cars though TVR, it's a choice.
Edited by mk1fan on Monday 12th January 12:35
HKGriff said:
Thanks Corky. Mine is a blue roof and Roger Morris at Surrey says no need to even send him a photo. Are the matches that good!?!
Mine was a very good match, although I had just had the whole roof redone, Roger does know what he's doing and I've found him incredibly helpful.I'm fortunate enough to have the full set, whole roof, split roof and Surrey folding roof. Both the split roof and Surrey roof have their merits. My split roof was a DIY job by a previous owner of another Griff, it did have a T shaped bead down the centre to keep out the weather which looked pretty nasty. I had it re-covered by D&C trim and they put some seals under the fabric, it now looks great on the car but the weather proofing is not quite 100%. It's fine when going along but when parked up in heavy rain for a length of time I do get the odd drip onto the centre console but not enough to do any harm. I think S&D put a step in the joint which should prevent any water ingress. The advantage of the split roof is that you can fill the boot and then put the two halves on top rather than have the roof under the entire boot contents.
The Surrey roof came with my current Griff and is superb, like the split roof it can be stowed on top of your luggage and it's beautifully made. With the centre section being fabric it doesn't maintain the roof curves as nicely as the original/split roof. On the plus side it is easier to handle than the split panel and a lot easier than the original.
It's a tough decision to choose between the split roof and the Surrey folding one, if there were a significant difference in price I'd suggest you buy the cheapest. However, if you were only going to have one roof for the car I'd say go for the S&D split panel but as you'll still have the original to maintain those lines, go for the Surrey folding roof.
The Surrey roof came with my current Griff and is superb, like the split roof it can be stowed on top of your luggage and it's beautifully made. With the centre section being fabric it doesn't maintain the roof curves as nicely as the original/split roof. On the plus side it is easier to handle than the split panel and a lot easier than the original.
It's a tough decision to choose between the split roof and the Surrey folding one, if there were a significant difference in price I'd suggest you buy the cheapest. However, if you were only going to have one roof for the car I'd say go for the S&D split panel but as you'll still have the original to maintain those lines, go for the Surrey folding roof.
HKGriff said:
Thanks Corky. Mine is a blue roof and Roger Morris at Surrey says no need to even send him a photo. Are the matches that good!?!
Pretty much impossible to 'age' them to the correct level of fade. I suspect it's more a case of it's his blue or not - no way to match accurately so you get what you're given. For touring I don't think you can beat the Surrey roof (although I haven't tried the split roof).
I've done the Classic Le Mans in my Griffith with the Surrey roof and we were able to get a 4 man tent, sleeping bags, air beds, spares and tools and our clothing in the Griff boot. I also did a two week tour of Spain with my girlfriend (staying in hotels, so no camping kit required) with 2 weeks worth of clothes and a large camera bag. We had room for 18 bottles of wine on the way home.
On both trips I was still able to fit the Surrey roof in the boot, on top of the packing so if I needed to put the roof up I didn't have to unpack everything. It will also fit behind the seats on top of the seat belt mounts if necessary.
Roger is a very helpful guy and knows his stuff. He developed the Surrey roof for his own Chimaera and only started selling it due to the number of people who asked him about it
I've done the Classic Le Mans in my Griffith with the Surrey roof and we were able to get a 4 man tent, sleeping bags, air beds, spares and tools and our clothing in the Griff boot. I also did a two week tour of Spain with my girlfriend (staying in hotels, so no camping kit required) with 2 weeks worth of clothes and a large camera bag. We had room for 18 bottles of wine on the way home.
On both trips I was still able to fit the Surrey roof in the boot, on top of the packing so if I needed to put the roof up I didn't have to unpack everything. It will also fit behind the seats on top of the seat belt mounts if necessary.
Roger is a very helpful guy and knows his stuff. He developed the Surrey roof for his own Chimaera and only started selling it due to the number of people who asked him about it
It is worth seeing if you can sit in a car with the surrey roof fitted and in your normal driving position. I tend to sit reasonably upright in my Griff and found that the roof adjustment bit were only just above my head and rather closer than I would want when driving so the surrey roof was a no go for me. It does seem to be fine though for many people.
I now have a split roof and that certainly makes stowage much better.
Jim
I now have a split roof and that certainly makes stowage much better.
Jim
jimed said:
It is worth seeing if you can sit in a car with the surrey roof fitted and in your normal driving position. I tend to sit reasonably upright in my Griff and found that the roof adjustment bit were only just above my head and rather closer than I would want when driving so the surrey roof was a no go for me. It does seem to be fine though for many people.
I now have a split roof and that certainly makes stowage much better.
Jim
Thanks Jim.I now have a split roof and that certainly makes stowage much better.
Jim
I have the folding Surrey top, to avoid the difference in hooding colour between the folding rear section & the Surrey top I timed my purchase with the replacement of the rear section & window. Essentially I purchased a bolt of very high quality German Sonnenland mohair and had both the Surrey top & the folding rear section made from this same roll.
As the rear section was being made by Dave The Trimmer he marked the mohair roll with a chalk arrow to ensure the weave of the Surrey top would run the right way before sending it off to Roger's trimmer. As a further insurance everything would match perfectly Dave made the rear section from scratch and only after he had received the completed Surrey top from Roger.
Finally I chose Dave The Trimmers slightly smaller rear window design, it follows the shape & lines of the original rear window, it's just slightly smaller in size which allows easier folding and means when you fold the rear section the clear Vinyde window material is no longer being forced to crease on itself which can often cause cracking & splits in the window over time.
The end result was very pleasing indeed, when ordering the Sonnenland hooding I ensured there would be sufficient left to also cover the original TVR targa panel, the reality is I've been so happy with the Surrey top I haven't felt the need to use anything else.
Surrey top negatives:
1. I would have liked to see Roger & his team make a better job of the header rail fit
My understanding from Surface & Design is that TVR actually produced three different header rail profiles which is why they will only offer their split targa top to customers prepared to leave their car with them while its made. Perhaps if you put my Surrey top on another car it would fit perfectly but the truth is mine as a small gap of daylight visible at each corner of the header rail. The reality is this does not cause leaks or undue wind noise which surprised me but it's true.
2. While the Surrey top does not leak in normal operation it will allow water onto the seat if you open the door during a downpour and the car is pointing downhill slightly, there are no issues if the car is level or pointing nose up.
3. When you wind the windows back up at speed you need to run your finger down the hood drip rail or the top of the window will rise the wrong side and it'll foul, this only happens at speed
4. It was quite expensive
To be perfectly honest my four gripes are minor annoyances rather than reasons not to buy a Surrey top, the huge benefit of having access to the roof when the boot is full of luggage makes any little grumbles pale into insignificance.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating as they say, to this end all I'll say is what I'd assumed was going to be my occasional summer touring top has become my everyday all seasons roof.
Ultimately I can't deny,.... the Surrey top is simply a brilliant bit of kit
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
As the rear section was being made by Dave The Trimmer he marked the mohair roll with a chalk arrow to ensure the weave of the Surrey top would run the right way before sending it off to Roger's trimmer. As a further insurance everything would match perfectly Dave made the rear section from scratch and only after he had received the completed Surrey top from Roger.
Finally I chose Dave The Trimmers slightly smaller rear window design, it follows the shape & lines of the original rear window, it's just slightly smaller in size which allows easier folding and means when you fold the rear section the clear Vinyde window material is no longer being forced to crease on itself which can often cause cracking & splits in the window over time.
The end result was very pleasing indeed, when ordering the Sonnenland hooding I ensured there would be sufficient left to also cover the original TVR targa panel, the reality is I've been so happy with the Surrey top I haven't felt the need to use anything else.
Surrey top negatives:
1. I would have liked to see Roger & his team make a better job of the header rail fit
My understanding from Surface & Design is that TVR actually produced three different header rail profiles which is why they will only offer their split targa top to customers prepared to leave their car with them while its made. Perhaps if you put my Surrey top on another car it would fit perfectly but the truth is mine as a small gap of daylight visible at each corner of the header rail. The reality is this does not cause leaks or undue wind noise which surprised me but it's true.
2. While the Surrey top does not leak in normal operation it will allow water onto the seat if you open the door during a downpour and the car is pointing downhill slightly, there are no issues if the car is level or pointing nose up.
3. When you wind the windows back up at speed you need to run your finger down the hood drip rail or the top of the window will rise the wrong side and it'll foul, this only happens at speed
4. It was quite expensive
To be perfectly honest my four gripes are minor annoyances rather than reasons not to buy a Surrey top, the huge benefit of having access to the roof when the boot is full of luggage makes any little grumbles pale into insignificance.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating as they say, to this end all I'll say is what I'd assumed was going to be my occasional summer touring top has become my everyday all seasons roof.
Ultimately I can't deny,.... the Surrey top is simply a brilliant bit of kit
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
ChimpOnGas said:
I have the folding Surrey top..........
Surrey top negatives:
......
To be perfectly honest my four gripes are minor annoyances rather than reasons not to buy a Surrey top, the huge benefit of having access to the roof when the boot is full of luggage makes any little grumbles pale into insignificance.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating as they say, to this end all I'll say is what I'd assumed was going to be my occasional summer touring top has become my everyday all seasons roof.
Ultimately I can't deny,.... the Surrey top is simply a brilliant bit of kit
You've summed up very well my own feelings about the Surrey roof, but I will add that despite using the storage bag the roof canvas has worn through at the ends of the header rail - I suspect that this is because it's a tight fit in the Griffith boot. Fortunately I bought my Surrey roof at a good price secondhand and I suspect it is one of the very earliest ones made.Surrey top negatives:
......
To be perfectly honest my four gripes are minor annoyances rather than reasons not to buy a Surrey top, the huge benefit of having access to the roof when the boot is full of luggage makes any little grumbles pale into insignificance.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating as they say, to this end all I'll say is what I'd assumed was going to be my occasional summer touring top has become my everyday all seasons roof.
Ultimately I can't deny,.... the Surrey top is simply a brilliant bit of kit
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