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Fitting a new Hood to 1960 TR3a - Tips


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So.....................I think I might try to fit my new hood to my TR3 myself. I got a garage to fit my tonneau and it wasn't pretty (to be fair, he told me he wasn't an upholsterer. I should have listened to him).

 

Now I'm no upholsterer either, but I have unlimited time and I don't charge myself £50 an hour so I can really pay attention to what I'm doing. How hard can it be? (famous last words).

 

I've got a few books but my plan so far is:

 

1) Fit the hood frame and hold it in place with duct tape or similar before fixing the webbing

2) Place the hood cover over it and measure measure measure and find centre lines etc.

3) Punch the LTD/Tenax holes one at a time. Start front centre left, rear centre left, front centre right, rear centre right, then go round the car so that the hood is kept taut.

4) Hope it all meets in the middle when finished.

5) Remove the duct tape and screw in webbing.

6) Voila. Saved myself a grand.

 

At this point, I have my tongue firmly in my cheek, and I've probably suffered 3 nervous breakdowns and phoned Moto Build for a new hood.

 

Does anyone have any tips for this before I get my hammer out? In particular, how to line up and fix the sidescreens to the door cards (I have all the parts). Are they really only held on with woodscrews?

 

Any help appreciated. I figure I'll start on a battle plan from all the guidance, then take it steady over a weekend or two.

 

Thanks

Richard

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Richard,

 

Have a look at this which may give you some dos and don'ts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ktEyuXBKU

 

Not sure why he cut off the weather strip or whether your hood has one fitted? I've just had a hood made with a weather strip fitted by Coventry Hood & Tonneau (it was a ST accessory) - CH&T who also fitted it and the weather strip fits perfectly, although it is a little difficult to line up the two sets of holes in a hurry:

 

10456191_10203027484303245_5164379471778

 

 

I'm sure other will be along to give more advice.

 

Good luck if doing it yourself.

 

Cheers

Andrew

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Instead of duct tape on the frame in place of webbing use string and loop over each bar from front to back as that way you can easily re- align each bar without too much trouble.Lay the hood over the frame and if you have one sit a fan heater in between the seats point upwards and allow the hood to warm through for a while especially now the weather is getting cooler, it makes it easier to stretch into shape and allows the folds from storage to drop out. Use some tailors chalk to mark the middle of the hood and try and get the hood frame bars to line up with the seams in the hood.You do really need the correct tool to make the holes in the hood for the LTD studs. Woolies do sell them but not cheap for a one off though you could always sell it on afterwards. http://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/p-1179-lift-the-dot-punch.aspx The holes for the tenax at the front are easily made using a 5/16" hole punch http://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/p-1584-hole-cutting-punch.aspx

Stuart.

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All my tabs on my sidecurtains, on my hood and on my tonneau cover are straight down and I never had any trouble lifting the dots straight up. If you are not looking to make your TR as original as it was new, you can do it either way, but if you enter it in a judged concours, you will lose points.

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All my tabs on my sidecurtains, on my hood and on my tonneau cover are straight down and I never had any trouble lifting the dots straight up. If you are not looking to make your TR as original as it was new, you can do it either way, but if you enter it in a judged concours, you will lose points.

I'm with you on this, Don. Mine are downward too, or at least pointing away from the line of tension. I have zero problems attaching or removing them. Granted, at six foot six I can reach completely across the car for access, but I've never quite seen the logic that sideways LTDs are easier/better.

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Thanks for the tips everyone. That video has certainly given me the confidence to give this a go myself. I'm tall so I think I'm going to go with the dots facing down as I can reach them easily enough.

 

Thanks for the tool links Stuart, I've got them on order now. Those LTD punches aren't cheap are they??

 

I'll post some before and after pictures when I've started (think I'll give the hood frame a go on Thursday as I need to tap the captive nuts and my tap set doesn't arrive until then). I've got a friend coming round for moral support - two heads are better than one (or the blind leading the blind).

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Thanks for the tips everyone. That video has certainly given me the confidence to give this a go myself. I'm tall so I think I'm going to go with the dots facing down as I can reach them easily enough.

 

Thanks for the tool links Stuart, I've got them on order now. Those LTD punches aren't cheap are they??

 

I'll post some before and after pictures when I've started (think I'll give the hood frame a go on Thursday as I need to tap the captive nuts and my tap set doesn't arrive until then). I've got a friend coming round for moral support - two heads are better than one (or the blind leading the blind).

I have been using a cheap set of punches that I bought on eBay for less than a fiver and a sharp Stanley knife as used in the video, it works fine. You really don't need to spend £60 on an LTD punch.

 

Rgds Ian

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Ian,

A word of caution when using a Stanley knife on the hood. It only takes a fractional over cut and the material will split. The expansion and contraction and wind pressure all serve to put a huge strain and the LTD slits will elongate.

Drop me a PM and I will lend you the correct tool for the cost of the postage.

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Hi Rod,

 

Many thks for the very kind offer but I am mostly there now. Following your warning I modified my technique slightly and filed sharp edges on the pins of a spare LTD fastener. I found that if I placed this sharpened LTD where I want my holes and hit it sharply with a hammer on top of a piece of scrap hardwood, it punches the necessary slits with no risk of over cutting. Then I put the main hole in the middle of the four slits.

 

Rgds Ian

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If you have access to a lathe you could make your own LTD punch, using a 10mm hole punch as the basis, and making 4 slit cutters brazed into a piece of round bar which fits over the punch and held with a grub screw, see photo below.

Used it for my tonneau and will use for my hood when obtained.

 

post-11997-0-88495500-1412676731_thumb.jpg

 

Mike

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