Top Tips - Putting The Roof Down

After some chatter on our TR7 forum it came to light that there's a number of Triumph TR7 DHC owners out there, who were not aware of the correct procedure of hood stowage.... in fact being a FHC owner it was about one month after picking up a Triumph TR7 DHC (now called TRickett) before we realised the error of our ways!

Folding the roof down incorrectly can crease the rear window and/or quarter lights with the potential effect of splitting those windows. At the very least the creases are likely to diminish your visibility.

Many people 'cheat' on the rear window by unzipping it and laying it down first, this certainly helps extend the lifespan and is better than introducing a crease, but it doesn't help those rear quarters.

So here we have a TriumphTR7.com's pictorial 'How To' on folding your convertible's roof...

Step 1: Detach The Hood From The Frame.

Certainly I didn't twig this to start with…. The hood is attached to the middle frame bar, but it's only via Velcro (see Fig 1.0)! Nope I didn't know this either! Thanks to Phil Hoyle from the TR Drivers Club for that nugget of information.

Velcro strap on middle frame bar

Step 2 - Remove Hood From The Frame.

With the hood no longer attached to the front bar we are able to push the bar backwards (see Figs 2.1 and 2.2) without fouling the hood itself.

Fig 2.1 - How to store the Triumph TR7 hood

Note that the bar can be pushed back with the hood attached but this will introduce a fold, aside from making correct stowage impossible!

Fig 2.2- How to store the Triumph TR7 hood

As the hood is no longer attached to the middle of the frame we can effectively lift it off the frame - see Fig 2.3 and lay it over the rear deck. This allows us to fold the frame correctly - no force is necessary for the frame to be folded quite flat.

Fig 2.3 - How to Stow the Triumph TR7 hood

Step 3- Fold The Quarter Lights
Pull the hood flat along the rear deck to minimise creasing. Now fold each quarter light in, onto the hood (fig 3.0).

Fig 3.0 - How to Store the Triumph TR7 hood

Take care not to crease the window, those practised in Origami should not, at this point, be tempted to make a large boat as this will certainly require additional creases.


Step 4- Stow The Hood
With the frame safely stored and the quarter lights folded in you can now flip the hood over into the storage compartment - see Fig 4.0 which is viewed from the front of your Triumph TR7 convertible.

Fig 4.0 - How to Store the Triumph TR7 hood

The window will be flat, avoiding any creases. The entire stored roof itself is actually more compact than had you left the hood fixed to the frame; this in turn means that the cover is easier to fit, with no unsightly lumps (see fig 4.1) to marr the terrific lines of your Triumph TR7 convertible.

Fig 4.1 - How to Store the Triumph TR7 hood

One thing is blatantly obvious though…. It's much easier to open and close the large webasto's that are installed in many of the fixed head TR7's - see..... you've bought the wrong car!