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| Moderated by: Greg Fletcher |
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| AA Best Convertible top | Rating: 
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| Posted: 10-02-2006 01:40 am |
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1st Post |
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Jensen Healey Super Moderator 
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I am having a problem sliding the rear steel rail through the fabric. The stitching is too close together to fit the bar in more than a few inches past the cutouts for the retainers. I have sent pictures and they say they will contact the manufacturer which is EZ-On Tops. The canvas top looks great lying on the bench but who knows what other fitment issues will be encountered if and when they respond to my issue. I'd say hold off on the AA Best tops until further notice. Kurt
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| Posted: 10-02-2006 03:32 am |
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2nd Post |
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jcdean Member
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Yuck, Not the best of news as I have a NIB top from the same place sitting waiting to go on as soon as I finish with the refinish on the frame Joey EDIT: Sanded the bar down and it is in primer now. Test fitment will be tomorrow afternoon. Last edited on 10-02-2006 03:33 am by jcdean |
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| Posted: 10-02-2006 03:13 pm |
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3rd Post |
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colinw59 Member 
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I fitted an EZ-On Top to #15851 about 6 months ago. However mine is vinyl so this may all be irrelevant. It's an sob to get on but it's on! On realizing that it was not going to be an easy fit I greased up the rear bar and got it as far into the top as I could. I then very carefully heated up the whole area with a heat gun and inched the bar home. reheating as I went. Good luck. Colin http://jhppg.com/gallery/74-Jensen-Healey-15851
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| Posted: 10-02-2006 05:19 pm |
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4th Post |
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Greg Fletcher Administrator 
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If you want a canvas top that fits your Jensen Healey you need to purchase it from a company that sells a quality product. In my experience, none of the budget brands in this country sell an good fitting top for this car. The exception to this was Caribou when they were making them, but those are all long gone now. I've seen tops that claim to fit this car that aren't even close. The top on this vehicle is complex and it requires careful assembly by the manufacturer AND a good pattern to start with. All the craftsmenship in the world is wasted if the pattern is incorrect. Once you have a poor fitting top, there will be nothing you can do to make it fit better. I plan on buying a top for my car in the next few months and I'm budgeting $500-$600 for a high quality canvas one. I know, it's a lot, but don't kid yourself, this isn't 1973 any longer. By comparision, a lot of canvas tops for super-premium new cars run several thousand dollars these days, so for what the JH top is, it's not a bad deal. You can't go wrong with a Robbins (US made) or Prestige (UK made) top for the Jensen Healey.
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| Posted: 10-02-2006 06:42 pm |
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5th Post |
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Brett Gibson JH5 20497 Member
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Hey Greg, with what you stated as true, how about you give a write up on the quality, and fit of the top you buy, and if it turns out to be positive, what about adding the item to the Club Store, it sure would take the guess work out of trying to find a decent quality top for a fair price. Brett. (there's a top in my future)
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| Posted: 10-02-2006 08:36 pm |
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6th Post |
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Jensen Healey Super Moderator
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I just got in the office and received three emails from Teri at AA Best. That is a very positive start towards a resolution. They want to pick-up the top they sent and compare it to other tops in their stock to see if they had a bad run. They also want my old top to compare the size of the pocket for the metal stay. I'll keep you posted, Kurt
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| Posted: 10-03-2006 03:34 pm |
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7th Post |
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Jay Member 
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There is a Robbins top listed in the Warehouse section under Body. Code number 2440CG
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| Posted: 10-03-2006 06:32 pm |
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8th Post |
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colinw59 Member
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In Ez-On Tops defence, I will say that, aside from the problem with the rear rail, the vinyl top fits very well indeed. They were also helpfull when I called them on a Saturday morning, to express my concerns over this rail.
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| Posted: 10-07-2006 04:03 pm |
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9th Post |
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Jensen Healey Super Moderator
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EZ On has paid for return shipping and collected my old top as well. Kurt
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| Posted: 10-07-2006 04:17 pm |
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10th Post |
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John Finch Member
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FYI, I purchased a stayfast top from AA Best for 18309 last fall and had it installed this spring. I am very pleased with the results. I did insert the rear bar myself with no real issues. I started the installation myself but decided to have it completed by a pro as I knew If is messed up I'd always look there first. Pictures of it are posted on the photo gallery in the Minnesota file. Glad to hear AA Best is working with you. Best of luck with this.
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| Posted: 10-16-2006 12:54 am |
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11th Post |
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jason fain Member
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I also have a Ez on canvas top from A.A.best that I bought back in june 2006 that I have been trying to get around to doing and after reading the post I went out and did a practice run and right off I noticed that the strips that velcro down in the door jam had the velcro sewn on the wrong side. Now I'm wondering if this is the only thing wrong with it.
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| Posted: 10-16-2006 01:15 am |
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12th Post |
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edward_davis Member 
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The PO replaced all of the velcro down the sides of the windows in my JH with snaps. Apparently, the velcro won't hold it on at >100 mph, but the snaps will. FYI. Edward (no, I don't go 100) Davis
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| Posted: 10-19-2006 03:32 pm |
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13th Post |
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Jensen Healey Super Moderator
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I talked with Randy at EZ On tops about the JH top. They are using patterns to make the top and obviously don't have a JH to test fit. He said the issue was related to the accuracy of the cutting and sewing. If several 1/16" errors are on the negative side you get a smaller pocket. Any top is only as good as the cutter and cutting heavy fabric exactly on the line is what is expected at EZ On but people sometimes make mistakes. They have made the pocket for the rear stay 1/4" wider and will ship my top today. The service and follow-up with AA Best and EZ On has been excellent. Kurt
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| Posted: 10-29-2006 04:09 pm |
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14th Post |
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Jensen Healey Super Moderator
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Update: I received my top and managed to slide the metal stay in through one of the cutouts for the retaining clips. It still wasn't easy, but possible. I am now in the process of stretching the fabric for a snug fit. The only issues seem to be the velcro straps that attach to the door frame are a bit short and a fuller cut on the sides behind the door would be nice. Kurt
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