Triumph Herald Saloon to Convertible
or
(doing it the hard way)
By K.L Mettam
As I already owned a sound Triumph 13/60 Saloon but wanted a convertible, I decided to convert mine. It wasn't as easy as I first thought, not to do it properly, but I went ahead anyway.
First I removed the roof. This is qiute easy.
1. Undo the 2 nuts holding the sunvisors.
2. Undo the screw holding the interior mirror.
3. Undo and remove the 2 bolts holding the rood to the windscreen.
4. Undo the two bolts holding the B posts to the body.
5. Remove the side windows and rubbers.
6. From the boot undo the 3 nuts or studs from the rear of the roof.
Now with the help of a friend lift off the roof by gently breaking the mastic seals. If you are happy at this point you have a convertible!! However I wanted to fit the hood and frame! This is where it got interesting.
Remove the back seat completely and side cards. All cars have the same B post which is drilled to take the hood frame brackets. The problem is getting behind the post to put nuts onto bolts.
On my car at the nearside post there was just enough room to my fingers behind the post, so I glues a nut to my middle finger was able to bolt the hood frame bracket in place.
On the offside there wasn't sufficient room to do this, so I had to drill three sides of a square, in two places, which when prized out gave me room to use the glue and finger method. The squares can be knocked back level and welded if you want, but I left it as all right as there is no decrement to the B post.
Well now you have a hood frame in place except that it will not raise and lower - why? Because on the convertible body the inside of the the body edge is flat and the seat belt anchorage point comes from the wheel arch.
On the saloon, the inside edge stands out into the car and is strengthened to take the seat belt mounting point. Time to get the angle grinder out. Using the seam edge as a guide, cut away the inside strip for the full length of the body from B post tot he back of car, each side. Save these for the seat belt point to be used later.
Now with a little spacing on the hood frame bolts it will lift up and down. If you have bought a complete Triumph Herald hood frame you only need to fit the centre clips to the top of the windscreen and then figure out how to put interior mirror and sun visors back.
On the proper convertible at the rear of the body is a raised lip to which the rear of the hood is screwed using a chromed strip. On the saloon it does exist. You can easily make something, or fasten the rear of the hood down to the flat surface (use pop studs or lift the lot of a strp and self tappers).
The front of the hood glues to the windscreen to hood frame and sides of hood use pop studs and velcro round top of frame over doors. Keep hood supple when fitting by using a heater set inside the car or water on hood (messy).
Now the wind up windows on the saloon have square edges, on the convertible they are round so swap is called for here, excess of glass or complete doors also the convertible has extra latches on the doors, like a reg and slot to keep them firm, if there is any flexing of the body.
Now to complete the transformation you to need a complete rear seat and side cards from convertible and also the inner frame and panels which form the hood storage chambers. This frame can be sent out on a scrap convertible and welded or screwed into place.
I told you it was doing things the hard way but there you have it a convertible converted from a saloon a lot of messing about but I enjoyed that and I couldn't afford to buy a convertible even with what I would get for the saloon, but by buying bits over a few months I got these anyway and at least I know my car is in good condition because I started with a sound vehicle that I know and I kept the roof because it will still go back to saloon anytime so I get the best of both worlds.
I haven't finished my car yet but I am on the last lap and have thought through all the steps mentioned here.
If you are as crazy as me, why not have a go!!
Oh seat belts, I shall make a bracket of substantial properties to come from hood frame bracket to metal part of inner panel of hood frame. Use seat belt mounting threads from the strip previously ground off to fasten seat belts in place. I have discarded statics but if you kept yours then simply put mounting point on rear wheel arches like original convertible.
I have used Triumph Stag inertia belts because they bolt into the original floor point for rear post and onto prop shaft tunnel and of course to the new fixing point already described.
My car now needs a repaint and new carpets to finish it off!
ENJOY!!!