soft top for a cr sebring mx

I see that this is a topic that is often asked but I still haven't been able to get an answer so I will ask this forum.

I have a 1962 3000 Sebring mx. I have the frame for the soft top but I don't have the top. Will a Healey 3000 top work with this car and frame. If not where can I get one or am I just out of luck?

Thanks for any help

Lon

Lon,

An actual Healey soft top is unlikely to fit our cars as I believe our dimensions to differ. Some members have had luck engaging boat canvas shops to do the fabrication.

Good luck,
Paul

I have a Sebring by Classic Roadsters and believe that the MX is the same. I am having my old soft top taken apart to use as a pattern shortly so I can have a new one made. If you can confirm the top is the same maybe I can help you out with yours.

joe and paul

thanks for the reply guys. I guess I will talk to a boat upholsterer I know and see what he says. Btw what is the difference between the sebring and the mx. I thought mine was a sebring but now I don't know since the mx was mentioned. thanks again

Lon

My understanding is that the MX had independent rear suspension like the Sebrings made in the UK. The US made Sebrings from Classic Roadsters used leaf springs and a solid rear axle.
By the way, an original Austin Healey top will not fit, even the bows are different.

Lon,
If you are interested in obtaining a pattern once I send mine off let me know.

Hi guys, just to let you know that I have moved this topic from the build threads section into the general discussion section and merged it with the other topic started in the general discussion section so as to place it with similar topics for organization's sake. The Build-Thread section is meant for people posting about the work they've done on their projects.

Cheers!

David-AHR Forum Admin

Joe Yannone wrote:My understanding is that the MX had independent rear suspension like the Sebrings made in the UK.  The US made Sebrings from Classic Roadsters used leaf springs and a solid rear axle.
By the way, an original Austin Healey top will not fit, even the bows are different.

As far as I know, they are all Sebrings. The MX version used an 8.8 rear end with triangulated 4 link and coil springs out of a Fox body Mustang. There may have been some that had independent, but I don't think so. The Sebring 5000 had leaf springs out of a Mustang II.

Mike

I would agree with Mike. I am not aware of any version of our carrs with an independent rear....sadly. My MX as stated has a Fox Body mustang rear with coils and an 8" posi live axle. The front suspensions on all of them I believe to be Mustang II although many have modified them to coilovers.

Paul

I guess I was misinformed. The Sebrings made in the UK use Jaguar suspension and I was told the MX was similar, sorry for the error. I also belong to the UK based Sebring club if you ever have any questions about those cars.

I have a CR brochure from around 1990 that explains the difference between the 5000 and the MX. The differences are 1) MX uses the 4 link/ coil spring rear end and 2) rear fenders are slightly wider for fatter rear tire (same flare but wider fender). Hope this helps.

@Joe Yannone: Hey Joe, I was thinking of eventually inviting the UK Sebring Club to join our forum since they do not seem to have one of their own. Do you think they would be open to this idea? I will send them an e-mail as soon as I have this site looking the way I want.

(Oh and sorry for hijacking this topic)
David

Hi David, I believe they would be very interested int hat. Contact Deidre (Club Secretary) at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

Hi all, from what I understand the Sebring and MX are one in the same. On the old site are a couple of PDF files that show the difference. The Saxon looks just like an original Austin Healey, flat fender wheel well openings, and I think VW door handles. The Sebring MX (Which we have) has fender flares at the wheel opening and Chevette door handles. Hope this clears up some confusion.

Duane

Hi,
I've been following the Classic roadsters Austin Healy lookalike, its not really a replica, for a few years now.

The Austin Healy 100 S - ( S standing for Sebring racing circuit, where the development car had come 1 st in class in 1954, as well as 3 rd overall, and where the production model 100 S had made it's debut in 1955 ) - was originally a modified Austin- Healy 100, built for the racing circuit in 1953/54. Only 55 were made, and as of a 2002 publication there are 37 still in existance, (book "Original Austin Healy 100, 100-6 and 3000" by Anders D. Clausager). It looked like the earlier 100 series but it had no bumper, a le mans style leather strap over the hood, (safety requirement to keep hoods from flying off), a low perspex windscreen, a loovered hood, and the oval grille. A brass plaque was affixed in the production 100 S, signed by Donald Healy, and saying:

This car is a replica of the The Austin-Healy "100" (Sebring) which averaged 132.29 M.P.H. for 24 hours and was timed by the American Automobile Association at a mean speed of 143.1 M.P.H. over the measured mile at Bonneville, Utah. U.S.A. August 1954"

So its easy to see where Classic roadsters got the "Sebring" name from. My hood panel has the twin rows of louvres and it was an option to the "air scoop" type. I toyed with the idea of making my build look like the 100 S, the leather straps are available from Moss, but that low perspex windscreen, without wipers, didn't seem very practical.

The wide flared wheel arches must have been "borrowed" from the Cobra.

The UK Sebring MX, available as a kit, shares the same name, and is built on the same frame and body panels - I should have asked the history when I was there. They modified the frame to take a Jaguar IRS, a commonly used rear end in UK, like the Mustang 2 front ends in NA. I believe they use Rover V8 engines, otherwise their frame, body panels, and trim are the same, and I bought trim parts from them.

I was not aware that CRll was making all their chassis with a Mustang 2 front end. Mine has one but the build manual doesn't mention it. Perhaps it was an option. The build manual, which I got from CRll in 2007 shows Mustang pressed steel donor car FS control arms, but maybe they never updated the build manual.

From what I've read the Mustang "triangulated 4 arm rear" is somewhat controversial in its performance. I bought Global West tubular lower arms with nylon bushings. I see that GLR used nylon uppers as well but Global said not to have too much rigidity as the upper rubbers flex was needed to prevent binding. I just replaced the upper bushings with new ones.

It would be interesting to find out the history of the CRll kit, who designed it, when, where, etc.

I just got some door handles - they are "Dorman" generic replacement for the Chevette. I got the last ones in Chrome, they said all the later ones are black.

I'd appreciate info on what size crossflow rad, I bought one 25 w by 20 h but it doesnt fit, too tall. Anyone any ideas ?

regards,
Eric

Well, the assembly manual I have form the Sebring I have talks about the front end being from a Mustang II and the rear end being four link with either a 7.5" or an 8" from a Maverick. By the way to order/ship date of mine as in 89.

My kit is setup for a 302 Ford from reading the order and packing lists.

My friends and I have talked about installing a Cobra GT rear end I have. The problem I have is the width of the Cobra. It is 62 wide, where the Maverick is 56.5 from what I have read.

Cheers
RustyNCA