hood/tonneau fixing holes

[Graeme Robinson]

Hello All, I'm in the process of restoring my 1960 3a which is an American import car and have a few queries:

 

1) I've attached a couple of images which show existing holes that I'm assuming are for tonneau fixing. The reason I say this is that I have another earlier 59 3a which doesn't have a tonneau and also doesn't have holes in either location. I would like to have the facility for a tonneau on the car but I'm not sure if I need both of these holes to be retained. Now is the time to decide as I'm about to go to primer

 

2) My 59 car (which is right hand drive model) has a blanking plate on the L/H side where the brake an clutch mechanism would be on a left hand drive car. I expected the same situation albeit in reverse to exist on my left hand drive car (i.e. a blanking plate to be present on the right hand side) but there is no such plate just a flat, welded in panel with the necessary holes for wiring loom, fixing holes for solenoid, regulator etc. Am I correct in assuming that some cars left the factory with a blanking plate and some had a welded panel or is this an after market modification?

 

3) My last query relates to the Dzus bonnet fixings on my left hand drive car. as well as the 2 fixing holes in the wheel arch which the Dzus anchor bracket fixes to, I also have a larger hole which is directly beneath the hole in the anchor bracket itself. I cant see any purpose for this hole as the Dzus fixing from the bonnet locates with the bracket itself and when turned secures the bonnet at this point. and as such I'm thinking about welding these holes up?

 

Any help with the above would be greatly appreciated

 

Graeme

[Lebro]

Hi Greme.

 

1) You probably need to source a tonneau before you firm up on the hole positions. I say this because on my re-build the

same holes were present, so I assumed they would be in the right place. I eventualy came to fit the tonneau, which was

new, & came with a kit of fixings which you had to fit to the tonneau yourself. All went OK till the last one nearest the door,

even with the lift the dot fastener as close to the edge as it would go it was (still is) a real stretch getting it on the stud.

With Hindsight that stud would have been better ½" higher. See Photo below

 

2) The bolt on plates were deleted at a certain build No., so it is correct for your car. You will have to do some metal work

I'm afraid.

 

3) There should only be the 2 X ¼" captive nuts, no central hole.

 

 

Edited October 6, 2016 by Lebro

[foster461]

Graeme, this is my 1960 tub showing the ltd holes in that area.

 

 

The blanking plate that allowed you to switch from left to right hand drive was removed along with other sheet metal changes, probably at the same time as the other post 60,000 commission number changes.

 

There should be no hole in the inner wing under the dzus bracket. Not sure what that is all about, perhaps someone had used an extra long dzus for the bonnet at one time.

 

Stan

[Ian Vincent]

Graeme,

 

I have a 1959 American import that I have converted to RHD. It had no blanking plate for the brakes etc and I had to cut my own holes. It also had no hole for the steering column but it did have the thin strip which is used to retain the edge of the rubber shroud for the steering column where it goes through the bulkhead.

 

I have a tonneau cover that I had made by a local company, it fits onto the same studs as the hood. My studs are in exactly the same place as Stan's so it looks like you have a spare which you need to weld up.

 

I also had the larger holes under the Dzus fixings for the bonnet, the previous owner had fitted pins with split pins through them to replace the Dzus fasteners. I removed them, welded up the holes and restored the Dzus fasteners.

 

Rgds Ian

 

PS one of the studs at the top of the rear scalloped section needs to be a longer one to accept the factory style tonneau.

Edited October 6, 2016 by Ian Vincent

[TR 2100]

Be aware that the factory changed the position of the tenax fastener

sometime earlyish to mid-series 3A. Can't tell you exactly when.

 

I recall Don Elliot providing photos of the two positions but I cannot

give you a reference.

Probably comes from the ubiquitous USA concours guidlelines.

 

AlanR

[foster461]

TRF has a good summary here: http://trf.zeni.net/webcatalog/specials11.20/index.php?menu=&page=9&s_wt=1920&s_ht=1080

[BlueTR3A-5EKT]

+ one Agree with Lebro

 

For my money.....The LTD stud moved up the 1/4 panel when the Dzus sidescreen was fitted. TS41*** is what Charlie Runyan quotes as this is when soft top and hood stick cover and tonneaus wre changed.

With Wedge sidescreens on a TR3A the sidescreen frame misses the lower positioned LTD peg, with Dzus framed sidescreen the frame hits the lower position LTD peg hence the relocation further up the 1/4 panel.

Go with weather equipment that matches your comm no. plus a peg position to avoid the sidescreen frame.

 

Peter W

[TR 2100]

Doesn't ther later tonneau have a pleat stitched on to allow it to fold more easily

into the car? And the revised location ties in with that?

 

So as Peter W says, match the tenax peg position with your weather equipment.

 

AlanR

[Don H.]

Doesn't the later tonneau have a pleat stitched on to allow it to fold more easily

into the car? And the revised location ties in with that?

 

Yes, it does.

[Ian Vincent]

My tonneau is similar to Don's with a pleat (to get around the rollover bar in my case), but it also facilitates folding the tonneau down behind the seats.

 

I don't have a longer stud at that position but ideally I should. Instead I slightly crushed the ferrule on the flap that goes behind the LTD fixing in a vice so that both it and the LTD would fit onto the single stud.

 

Rgds Ian

Edited October 7, 2016 by Ian Vincent

[Lebro]

I fitted a larger eylet (furrule) so that it fits over the hex base of the LTD peg.

But, My previous tonneau (in the '70s) did not have the split, & was a lot less trouble !

 

Bob.

Edited October 7, 2016 by Lebro

[iain]

Amazing this forum for the knowledge available.

 

This thread has just answered a question i have had for 35 years......that is why do my Dzus Sidescreens not fit properly?

 

The answer is that VHP was originally fitted with Wedge sidescreens, permanently attached with the GT kit chrome finishers. (See picture below.) This was required to enter competitions in the GT class.

 

When sold off by the factory VHP gained the then current Dzus screens, now removable, which are a right pain in the proverbial. I now understand why as the peg fasteners indicated in the TRF diagram on the 3/4 panel and the front one on the door are too high and stop the sidescreen fitting properly........now what to do, move the holes or revert to the original style sidescreens?

 

If anyone has one of these chrome strips......I have one, I would be very happy to purchase it if for sale!

 

Iain

[Graeme Robinson]

Many thanks Guys, this has really helped me, holes being filled as we speak !!!

[Lebro]

When sold off by the factory VHP gained the then current Dzus screens, now removable, which are a right pain in the proverbial. I now understand why as the peg fasteners indicated in the TRF diagram on the 3/4 panel and the front one on the door are too high and stop the sidescreen fitting properly........now what to do, move the holes or revert to the original style sidescreens?

 

 

Iain

My early '3 has wedge fittings, but the side screens are the dzus type, solid lower section, but with wedges attached. As such when in position they cover the pegs on the door, & the first one on the body, which forces the lower part outwards & was difficult to fit. I lived with this for a while, then came up with a solution which did not require ant hole filling / drilling / painting etc.

I removed the offending LTD pegs, & replaced them with much shallower press studs, & changed the corresponding fittings on the tonneau.

Now the side screen fits happily over the studs.

 

Bob.

[Don H.]

...I don't have a longer stud at that position but ideally I should. Instead I slightly crushed the ferrule on the flap that goes behind the LTD fixing in a vice so that both it and the LTD would fit onto the single stud...

 

The original tonneaux had a dogleg grommet that was different from those one can find today (at least those I could find). Original grommets were (1) flatter, and (2) a larger inside diameter for the same outside diameter than today's.

 

I kept the original shorter LTD stud on my car, cause the longer ones looked funny to me, but I mounted it on a doubled-up nylon washer, which gives standoff to allow the grommet to fit and the LTD fastener to engage. It's almost unnoticeable.

 

 

 

 

Original grommet. Note the differences from above with respect to ID and flatness.

 

Edited October 7, 2016 by Don H.

[Dave Larnder]

My early '3 has wedge fittings, but the side screens are the dzus type, solid lower section, but with wedges attached. As such when in position they cover the pegs on the door, & the first one on the body, which forces the lower part outwards & was difficult to fit. I lived with this for a while, then came up with a solution which did not require ant hole filling / drilling / painting etc.

I removed the offending LTD pegs, & replaced them with much shallower press studs, & changed the corresponding fittings on the tonneau.

Now the side screen fits happily over the studs.

 

Bob.

Greame

My set up is the same as Bob´s so I waited till I got the hood ,hood stick cover and tonneau BEFORE I punched the holes in all three to suit the upper hole and put a special blanking bolt in the spare hole, but as Bob said even this flatter bolt head forces the sidescreen frame out to cover it, so I may have to remove the bolt and replace it with a countersunk one. Once you know which is the right hole for the ltd to suit the weather equipment, then weld up the other one.

I only found this out last month when we went to Morges, as we don´t get much rain here so the sidescreens rarely come out of the boot.

Bob

My sidescreens do not cover the pegs in the door, although the one nearest the hinges is touching the top of the LTD but doesn´t damage anything.

Dave