Webasto in hard top

[TR NIALL]

Hi again Waldi nice to hear from you, drift all you want we all love TR’s and any extra information is very useful to us all.

 

And Tim thanks, I was very close but now it is not for sale.

My main problem the TR leaked like hell. I paid good money to cure the problem, but to be fair I was told before I spent any money they all leak, it got a little better but that was it, it is now 100% dry, It is garaged.

 

I do not know if it makes any difference, but my TR is a US non-overdrive TR.

I found the Moss plastic gear box tunnel a very good fit for the age of the TR but not perfect, I did not have to cut my tunnel anywhere.

I fitted a cheaper fibreboard prop tunnel which was easy to fit.

 

Technically it was a very easy job, practically for a fat 63 year old man it was very hard work, for a youngster very easy.

 

First I am a very practical person, before I retired I was a carpenter who made fitted bedrooms and kitchens, and then installed them to a very high standard. I have used my hands all my life on the tools, plus back in the day we all could work on cars and did not like modern cars.

 

My TR spent 30 years in a New Jersey garage before returning to the UK so it has a very good original chassis plus floor pans so that must help.

 

As you read most of my interior was out due to the rewire.

I think all I then had to remove was the H piece where the radio goes etc, plus the carpets.

 

I must have had the tunnel in and out at least 10/15 times dry fitting, but I would never rush any job, you want to do it correct and only once.

 

I put masking tape where all the fixing holes were going to be on the floor pan and bulkhead, plus on the tunnel to line up the fixing holes.

 

The tunnel had dimples for the floor pan bolts which almost matched, and as the plates that fix the tunnel down are about 30mm long you can elongate the holes where necessary.

On the bulk head of the tunnel no dimples, but with the masking tape just transfer the marks and drill.

 

I had a flat metal plate about 125mm long driver’s side which bolted to the floor pan required because the tunnel has a square shape sticking out with no flat area for the gasket, I think this must be something to do with the overdrive.

 

I knew fitting the 25mm gasket and keeping it in place would be the hardest part of the job.

I decided to do this job in my shed.

I glued the gasket to the tunnel using a rubber compound that sets, it was called Soudal 940FC carbond, this is quite a time consuming job as it takes quite a while to set, I kept putting talcum powder on the gasket to dress the gasket in place as it kept moving, but on one side the shape was so sharp I had to g clamp that area overnight, but the other side set in place, as did both bulkhead and prop ends cleaning any extra sealant with white spirt. In the morning I cleaned the tunnel, then drilled the gasket for the fixing bolts.

 

I was now ready to fit the tunnel, I decided to use a small bead of Arbomast car sealant on the floor pan, on the top of the bulkhead it had to be thick as the tunnel did not seem to fit that well. The reason I used Arbomast car sealant unlike Soudal 940FC carbond, it does not set, so at any time the tunnel can be removed.

 

In my tunnel the only extra hole I had to drill was for the wires going to the reversing light switch nothing else at all.

 

I am so pleased I did this job, it makes me feel a lot happier with the TR, it took my back and knee the reason for early retirement a few days to recover but so satisfied with a job well done.

Hi Mick,did you not cut a Hole for the Gearbox Filler Plug,you’ll be sorry you didn’t when you need to Top Up the Oil.