Surrey Top Fitting

[enforcer]

Bit of advice please from those of you who have fitted Surreys using aluminium 'awning rail' on the top of the screen. I have a nice new Surrey and screens supplied by Pete, and a nice long length of aluminium rail. Couple of Q's...

 

1. What's the easiest way of bending the rail to match the contour of the top of the screen?

 

(I was thinking of making an MDF template of the shape of the top half of the screen and bending around this - would probably need to slot some electrical flex or

similar in the slot to prevent it kinking..?..)

 

2. Attaching the rail - is polyeurethene sealant tough enough to hold it, or do I need a few tiny self-tappers in there?

 

3. Any other advice about fitting a Surrey before I commit??

 

Ta

 

Rich

[Guest tom2b]

I tried bending it over the screen itself, it went succesfuly so far then broke, good job i got loads more than i needed. Alot of people have got on ok just using a good sealant but adding a couple self tappers is advisable. As i intended to get the full wet weather gaer aswell (which i have) i fitted the surrey with poppers in the end. This is ok but does leak so if you arent going to upgrade to full wet weather gear then work with the awning rail. May be worth heating it up gently.

[enforcer]

Thanks Tom. I thought about a bit of heat, but have never tried this on aluminium. I don't ever plan to fit full weather gear, so the awning rail is likely to be a permanent feature.

[Guest tom2b]

 

Think this is stus surrey, hope you dont mind me adding it

[enforcer]

Yep, that's what I'm aiming for

[NeilD]

I fitted the rail to the front of the screen which I think is a bit less noticable

 

The awning rail itself is a sod to bend without kinking - having tried on various bending machines in the local college I ended up bending it over my knee with some electrical flex inside.

 

Attached mine using countersunk M3 scews into tapped holes in the windscreen frame.

 

Pete's surreys are the business

[Dave R]

mines sikaflaxed, and with a few m3 screws holding it

think i stuck the straight bit, then pulled it down and drilled /tapped round the bends

hasnt fell off yet, and didnt kink

[niduncan]

I am currently fitting awning rail to my series 3 which has the squarer profile windscreen frame. The only awning rail I have been able to source is quite substantial (9.5mm internal diameter), it took me two attempts to bend it without it fracturing. I made a cardboard template of the bends and bent the rail in a bench vice. I heated the rail using a blow torch until it was too hot to touch with bare hands then bent it by hand (gloved) using the template to get the bends correct. It was then attached using countersunk self tappers.

 

 

 

 

I am also making new sidescreens from polycarbonate sheet and the wife is knocking up a hood using ripstop nylon with a rear window made from the stuff used in tents.

 

What type of rail are you using Rich?

[Guest Daren.F]

I just bent mine round the screen, then tightened the radius up as needed on a old fan caseing.

I then took the glass out and had the rail welded on.

[Guest SEgan]

Thanks Tom. I thought about a bit of heat, but have never tried this on aluminium. I don't ever plan to fit full weather gear, so the awning rail is likely to be a permanent feature.

I bent some aluminium extrusion for the inside edge of the scuttle, I found that a bit of heat helped allot, annealing the aluminium after each small bend stops it hardening. I haven't used any awning rail so I don't know how thick it is but if you do use heat do it GENTLY soap the surface of the aluminium and heat until the soap goes black then stop.

 

Sean

[Guest salty_monk]

Mine was done around a wooden former as you suggest. No heat was necessary. It's the same stuff in NIduncan's post above. Poo to a blanket sticky stuff & 3 or 4 self tappers hold it in place.

 

If you get the same extrusion as me you have to fit it on the top of the screen frame as it's radiused at the bottom. I tried a flat bottom one on the front & back (just held in place3 by a mate), didn't work very well with the surrey.

 

Dan

[enforcer]

 

 

What type of rail are you using Rich?

 

Exactly the same as you Nigel.

 

Thanks for the replies folks - looks like I will go with fitting to the top of the screen, sealant and a few screws and bend it over a wooden former with a bit of heat.

 

Ta

[Guest peter2b2002]

I must have been lucky bending my awning rail 1st time all ok( the same type as niduncan), i found the dog guard from my range rover had the right radius bend, just G clamped the rail to it and slowly bent the rail over, best to leave the rail 1ft too long as this gives you enough to hold on to then cut to length, fixed it with 5 self tappers and windscreen sealant(the black stuff)been on for over 2 years now, 80+mph in France- still holding tight

pete2b

[Guest stu205]

I bent mine over the windscreen then just glued it on with Aradlyte type stuff, works fine and dosent leak!

[Graham B]

Richard,

As one of the first, I had only one previous experience on a locost a month before mine. --same screen !!

 

I filled the awning rail with a piece of spare wire. It happened to have ther right diameter and was just lying around the garage. With the awning rail too long I started the bend on the screen (about 1 foot extra on the end) this got it most of the way there. I was then able to fettle the rest of the bend on varoius diameters from house and home - (saucepan, can of beans etc). I had made marks as I went as to which bit bent initially and which I had to finish.

Reversing the marking procedure ended up with a tight fit to the top of the screen and some legs down the side to trim off.

 

The Surrey edge has a peice of coaxial cable in, it slide easily from one side across the whole width. Pop studs on the ends to fix to the screen pillars.

 

The locost rail is screwed on in 5 places, this means holes drilled through the rail and nicks out of the smooth edge the surrey runs in. The locost doensnt leak just the ends of the feeder pop out these gaps when fitting.

 

My 2B rail is only bonded on ( Tigerseal ) and has never given any indication of coming adrift. I can really heave on it ..

 

Graham