bigmalcy Posted November 29, 2013 Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 Hi guys and gals On a recent thread regarding door cappings, there was some discussion on covering of the elbow cappings, too, and what a pig of a job it could be. During this discussion, Stuart recommended starting with the central strip and working out from there... I tackled my first elbow capping last night on the kitchen worktop (very understanding partner) and used Stuart's approach which worked perfectly... For the potential benefit of others I've attached a marked up photo of the end result, showing how I did it and why... I think that using leather or any other less stretchy material would make this job infinitely more difficult, and i also think that using a good adhesive (like the Woolies stuff) also makes a big difference. Hope this helps! Malc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted November 29, 2013 Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 Well done Malc, thats the way to do it. Nice illustration BTW. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TR24178 Posted November 29, 2013 Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 A very nice job indeed, and nicely explained in the photo. Mine are bit Norah Batty in comparison!! Woolies stretchy vinyl and Woolies strong glue do make it easier, beware off the shelf non professional contact adhesives!! John Worthing Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bigmalcy Posted November 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 Thanks fellas... definitely one of those jobs I had been somewhat nervous about, so glad to get 50% of it out of the way. The other side is a repro capping piece which is a lot less robust than the original, so I'll need to be more careful with how forceful I am with the stretching part of the process... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rodbr Posted November 29, 2013 Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 Nice job Malcolm, As you say working in leather is fun!, over sucessive evenings I stretched and applied leather soap and stretched over the lower double curvature. Took a while but the end result is nice. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
EdwinTiben Posted November 29, 2013 Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 HI ! that really looks top notch ! Will be doing this in coming months. The alu capping has some minor (little) dents. Should I ease this out with some filler before the vinyl? cheers edwin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 The Ally cappings are quite soft so any dents can usually be teased out with a bit of wood shaped up to suit.Dont overdo it as it will stretch, if you do want to use a little filler over it then you will need one that is compatible with Aluminium. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rodbr Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 The issue Stuart describes with the alloy is particularly difficult where the rear deck sections meet the elbow pads at the top. The short sections have a folded over section that butts against the elbow section. Typically they have been mangled over the years and I found that using a succession of parrallel sockets I got the base shape to match and once covered fitted well together. Trial fit many times before final covering and be extremely careful not to over pull the covering with alloy sections as they distort for fun and you need to start again. The other issue is the dash cap/crash rail also alloy. At the ends it is typically bashed and stretched and again short straight sockets can used used to get the profile right to match the door cap at the front. When you really want a fun task start with an alloy dash as the early cars have, these warp for the hell of it and are very difficult to get right. Mine has been peppered with holes for Overdrive switch with a separate indicator light. heater, spot and fog lights, twin reversing lights, cigar lighter, navigators map lights, screen washer switch. All a bit busy on the dash. Not necssarily original but certain section may benefit for careful application of thin foam before applying the covering. Not exactly sure how best to fill extra holes but may apply a backing plate to stiffen the dashboard section up before refitting switches. Pic of the sections "resting" before fitting, colour differences are due to light effect on leather and vinyl. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MikeTR-6 Posted December 1, 2013 Report Share Posted December 1, 2013 Hi All Anyone have experience with fiberglass elbows , on the TR that is. I have aluminium sides and rear had but had no luck finding metal elbow capping's . I settled for fiberglass from Moss. pictures of your work looks great , As they say a picture paints a thousand words. Mike but Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MikeTR-6 Posted December 4, 2013 Report Share Posted December 4, 2013 No offers of advice ? I am getting a phobia Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bigmalcy Posted December 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2013 Mike Sorry - I've no idea... but what I do know is that the aluminium elbow capping I got was very flexible, and needed to be in order to mould itself to fit the car... I doubt fibreglass would be so forgiving, so could pose problems when it comes to fitting it? Have you offered your fibreglass capping up to the car, yet? Other than that, I wouldn't have thought there'd be any other issues... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BrianC Posted December 4, 2013 Report Share Posted December 4, 2013 No offers of advice ? I am getting a phobia If you are still struggling with the fibreglass ones, I have a pair of steel elbow cappings correct for your car. They each need a little bit of welding at the moth-eaten bottom edge (TRivial for you!), but if you want them you are welcome to them . Just give me a call and you can collect or I can come over (I'd love to see the progress on the TR and the Mini again). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MikeTR-6 Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 (edited) Cheers Brian TR3 = mainly trim and fit wings . Mini cooper finished and on the road . Have a quick compromise with the wigs on the TR ( not going to mention on hear ) Never hear the end of it. Will give you a call Brian. The fiberglass ones are the same as malc's excellent illustration all the others including door capping's I have. Mike Edited December 9, 2013 by MikeTR-6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley James Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 (edited) We made wood formers to hold the alloy and then, with difficulty, stretched 1.7mm Brooklands Hide from the Real Hide Company over mine mad it came out well. We found some vinyl of the type Triumph used originally and didn't think we'd ever do a proper job because it would stretch hardly at all Here's a picture, I promise the tonneau is not covering the difficult bit because it's **** Edited December 10, 2013 by Ashley James Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 Great stuff, wish I had read all the above before doing mine ! My Dash was steel, with loads of extra holes for switches etc. I mig welded disks of same guage steel into the holes, then angle ground the front face flat. Much panel beating was required on the dash, & all the aluminium cappings befor the vinyl could be applied. most went OK, but I did have to have a second go at the elbow cappings, as the vinyl wrinkles on the top of the tight bend after about a week. I used paint on glue (evostick) instead of spray glue the second time, & it has stayed put. Bob. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.