The Triumph Stag Soft Top & Hard Top

Section 1

Before you start

A few habits, once ingrained, make hood operation quick and uneventful and add years to the fabric and frame:

• Level, dry ground. A hood folded and latched on a slope will end up slightly out of square, and putting a wet hood down onto its stack traps moisture that rots stitching and mildews the lining.
• Windows fully down. The door glass runs against the hood's side rails and seals. Operating the roof with the windows up drags glass across seals, scuffs the chrome frame and can crack the rear window.
• Nothing in the well. Check behind the rear seats before folding — no sunglasses, phones, keys or hood cover sitting where the frame will land.
• Never force a catch. If a header-rail catch will not close easily, the fabric is out of position or the frame is not square. Reset and try again rather than forcing metal against fabric.
• Two hands, both sides. Where the procedure allows, work with two hands and (ideally) a second person for the first raise or lower of the season. It is much easier than it looks once you have done it a few times.

Section 2

Lowering the soft top — step by step

1. Park and prepare. Level ground, handbrake on, engine off. Drop both door windows fully.
2. Release the header-rail catches. Reach up to the top rail of the windscreen. Unclip the two over-centre catches — one on the driver's side, one on the passenger's. They should release with firm hand pressure; if not, check the fabric is not trapped under the rail.
3. Lift the header rail free. Raise the front of the hood two or three inches clear of the windscreen top so the seal is no longer engaged.
4. Release the rear fastenings. Move to the rear of the car. Unclip the rear-quarter fasteners and the rear rail. If you have a tonneau cover fitted, undo its press-studs first.
5. Fold rearwards, supporting the weight. Guide the frame back over the rear seats and down onto its stack in the well. Support it with both hands — never let it drop under its own weight, which strains the pivots and can crease the rear window.
6. Dress the folds. Walk round the car and tuck any loose fabric or side flaps inside the frame so nothing hangs over the bodywork. Make sure the rear window is folded gently, not creased sharply.
7. Fit the hood cover. Fit the tonneau / hood cover over the stack. This both protects the folded hood from UV and dust and finishes the car visually.

Section 3

Raising the soft top — step by step

1. Prepare. Level ground, both door windows fully down. Remove the hood cover and set it aside.
2. Lift the hood forward. Reach into the well and lift the folded frame up and forward, keeping the fabric evenly tensioned across the bows as it comes over. A second pair of hands helps here.
3. Bring the header rail onto the windscreen. Lower the front rail down centrally onto the top of the windscreen. Line up the locating pegs; there should be no side-to-side twist.
4. Latch one catch, then the other. Close one over-centre catch to hold the rail in place, then the second. If a catch will not go over centre with firm hand pressure, do not force it — release, ease the frame forward, straighten the fabric, and try again.
5. Fasten the rear. Work rearwards fitting the rear-quarter fasteners and the rear rail. Smooth out any creases in the roof and rear window as you go — small creases now become permanent marks over time.
6. Check the seals. Walk round the car and check the side seals sit flat against the door frames and the rear rail is fully seated.
7. Raise the windows. Only now raise the door windows against the side seals. On a fresh hood the seal may feel firm the first time; this is normal.

Section 4

Soft-top care & maintenance

A Stag hood is a serious piece of trim to replace, both in cost and in specialist labour. Routine care is what keeps it looking presentable and watertight for years rather than seasons.

Everyday habits

• Hood up when standing. Whenever the car is left standing outside for more than a few hours, put the hood up. Sun, dew, dust and bird droppings all damage the fabric and rear window.
• Store hood-up. For any storage lasting more than a day or two — and always for winter lay-up — store the car with the hood up so the fabric is under gentle even tension. See the Storing Your Classic Car guide.
• Brush before washing. Always brush loose grit off the dry hood with a soft brush before any water touches it. Washing grit into the weave scuffs the fabric and can scratch the rear window.

Cleaning the fabric

1. Work in the shade, on a cool car, with the hood up and latched.
2. Brush the whole hood down dry with a soft-bristled brush — front to back, following the weave.
3. Rinse with cool clean water to lift the surface dust.
4. Apply a dedicated soft-top cleaner (a fabric-specific product — never washing-up liquid, laundry detergent, or car shampoo with wax additives, all of which strip the proofing). Work it in gently with a soft brush.
5. Rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear. Any residue left in the weave attracts dirt back within days.
6. Let the hood dry fully in the raised position before lowering or covering. A folded damp hood is the primary cause of mildew and rotted stitching.

Re-proofing

Once a season, or as soon as water stops beading on the surface, apply a matched fabric reproofer — for example a Renovo, Fabsil or equivalent product intended for the type of cloth your hood is made from (period vinyl, mohair or Sonnenland-type). Apply to a clean, dry, raised hood in the shade, following the manufacturer's instructions. Two thin coats give a more even finish than one heavy one. Do not re-proof a hood that has not first been properly cleaned — you will lock the dirt in.

Rear window

The rear window is plastic, not glass. Clean it separately with a plastic-safe cleaner and a soft microfibre cloth. Never use household glass cleaner containing ammonia, and never a paper towel or dry cloth — both scratch and cloud plastic quickly. When folding the hood, always guide the rear window into a gentle curve; a hard fold puts a permanent crease into it.

Frame, seals and stitching

• A drop of light oil on the pivots and header-rail catches once a year keeps the mechanism working freely.
• Wipe rubber seals with a rubber-safe conditioner occasionally to keep them supple; hardened seals leak.
• Inspect the stitching along the seams and around the rear window every season. Small failures caught early are a trimmer's afternoon; a burst seam is a re-cover.

Section 5

The hard top

The factory hard top clamps to the windscreen header at the front and to the rear body — with the T-bar carrying it in the middle — turning the Stag into a quiet, snug closed coupé. It is also heavy and awkwardly shaped, and it is expensive to repair if dropped or scuffed. Treat every fitting and removal as a slow, two-person job.

Fitting the hard top

1. Fold the soft top away first. The hard top will not sit correctly on a raised or partly-raised soft top. Some owners remove the soft-top frame entirely for the winter; for occasional swaps, folding it flat onto its stack is fine.
2. Two people, level ground, doors open. One person at each end of the hard top. Lift it level and keep it level; tilting it puts all the weight on one locating point.
3. Front pegs first. Lower the front of the hard top onto the top of the windscreen so the locating pegs drop into their sockets. Support the rear so it does not thump down onto the body.
4. Settle the rear. Gently lower the rear of the hard top onto the rear body / T-bar seal area. Check round the whole car that no seal is rolled under.
5. Latch the fronts. Engage the two over-centre clamps that pull the front of the hard top down onto the windscreen top. They should close firmly by hand, not with a hammer.
6. Secure the rear. Fit the rear fixings — clamps or bolts depending on the mount kit — that hold the rear of the hard top down. Do not over-tighten; excessive clamp force distorts the roof and cracks the paint round the fixings.
7. Final check. Walk round the car checking seals, gaps and window fit. Raise the door windows and confirm they seal cleanly against the hard top's frame.

Removing the hard top

1. Two people, level ground, doors open, windows down.
2. Undo the rear fixings first. Release the rear clamps or unscrew the rear bolts — the ones inside the boot or behind the rear seats depending on your fitting kit.
3. Release the front catches. Undo the two over-centre catches on the windscreen top rail.
4. Break the seal. Lift the whole top straight up an inch to break the seal. Do not slide it forward or back on the paintwork.
5. Walk it clear. Lift the hard top level, walk it clear of the car, and carry it to its storage stand keeping it level throughout.

Storing the hard top

• Use a proper hard-top stand or trolley. A padded stand supports the top on its outer edge / rain rail rather than on the paint or headlining. Trolley-mounted stands with castors also let one person move a fitted top round the garage.
• Never lean it on its edge against a wall. It will scuff, and eventually it will fall.
• Never stack anything on top of it. The roof skin will dent and the paint will craze.
• Cover it. A soft breathable cover protects the paint and the rear window from dust and UV.

Common questions

FAQ

How do you put the soft top down on a Triumph Stag?

Park on level ground with the handbrake on. Lower both door windows fully so the frame clears the glass. Release the two header-rail over-centre catches above the windscreen, lift the front rail a few inches, then walk to the rear and unclip the tonneau/rear-quarter fasteners. Fold the header rail back and guide the hood down onto its stack behind the rear seats — do not let it drop under its own weight. Tuck the rear window and side flaps in cleanly so nothing is trapped in a fold, then fit the hood cover.

How do you put the soft top back up?

Windows down first. Lift the folded hood forward from its well, keeping the fabric evenly tensioned as the frame comes over. Bring the header rail down onto the top of the windscreen and locate it centrally. Latch one over-centre catch, then the other; if they will not close easily, ease the frame forward rather than forcing them. Work rearwards fastening the rear quarters and rear rail, smoothing out any creases as you go. Only then raise the windows against the seals.

Should the windows be up or down when raising or lowering the hood?

Down. Every time. On a Stag the door glass sits against the hood's side rails, so operating the roof with the windows up scrapes the glass along the seals and can bend the frame or tear the fabric. Drop both windows fully before you touch the header-rail catches, and only raise them once the hood is fully latched and fastened.

How do you fit the hard top to a Triumph Stag?

The Stag hard top is heavy and awkward — always a two-person job. With the soft top folded away (or removed), lift the hard top level and lower it evenly onto the T-bar and windscreen header. Locate the front on the windscreen pegs first, then let the rear settle onto the body. Engage the two front over-centre clamps to the windscreen top rail, then the rear clamps or bolts inside the boot / behind the rear seats depending on the fitting kit. Check the seal beads all the way round before driving.

How do you remove the Stag hard top safely?

Two people, level ground, doors open. Undo the rear clamps or bolts first, then release the two front over-centre catches on the windscreen rail. Lift the top straight up an inch to break the seal, then walk it clear of the car keeping it level. Store it on a padded hard-top stand or trolley — never leant against a wall on its edge, and never stacked on the floor where it can distort.

How do you clean and care for the soft top?

Brush loose dirt off dry, then wash with cool water and a dedicated soft-top cleaner (fabric-specific — never household detergent or car shampoo with wax). Work in the shade with a soft brush, rinse thoroughly, and let the hood dry fully in the raised position. Once a season, re-proof with a matched fabric reproofer (for example Renovo, Fabsil or an equivalent for mohair / Sonnenland-type cloth). Clean the rear window separately with a plastic-safe cleaner and a microfibre cloth — never glass cleaner containing ammonia or a paper towel, which scratch.

Can you leave a Triumph Stag with the hood down overnight?

You can, but you shouldn't as a habit. Damp air, dew, UV and dust all shorten the life of the fabric, stitching and rear window. Put the hood up whenever the car is left standing for more than a few hours, and always overnight or in the rain. When storing the car long-term, store it hood-up so the fabric is under gentle even tension and the frame is not fighting a folded shape.