Interior, where to go or what to do?.

[pfenlon]

With luck my wings and doors should be ready this week, and my interior needs replacing.

I have a good pair of MX5 seats, but door cards and all the rest I don't own.  Thinking of using my local trimmer, I bought the hardboard and yesterday cut out some of the panels.

Am indisposed for a few weeks and thought that it might be better to buy a ready made kit. The TR4 convertible Kit is most expensive having bespoke hood frame covers,  Rimmer Bros charge £624, Moss £704, and trying to get prices from the catalogues from Aldridge, Skinners, revington etc, is a bit of a minefield.  What experience have forum members had from kit suppliers. I would like Black vinyl, with black piping, but gather anything out of the ordinary white piping, demands a premium, but no one says how much in print.

Or have you a new unused kit for sale?

 

[Geko]

off topic but you have a unique opportunity to make your door cards in PVC here

[Chris Hubball]

Hi Pete

Skinners do good quality trim kits try ringing Jonathan I have found him very helpful, they appear to be working at reduced capacity at the moment so delivery may be a bit lengthy

Cheers Chris

[Lebro]

Have you tried the TR shop ?

Bob

[brenda]

Pete not interior, looking at your fuel cap it may catch you boot lid when you open your boot fully open, I think it was suggested on one of the posts that the hinge is on the drivers side so that when you pull into the petrol station pump on the n/s you can flip it up and the flap is not in the way.

Mike Redrose group 

[pfenlon]

10 minutes ago, brenda said:

Pete not interior, looking at your fuel cap it may catch you boot lid when you open your boot fully open, I think it was suggested on one of the posts that the hinge is on the drivers side so that when you pull into the petrol station pump on the n/s you can flip it up and the flap is not in the way.

Mike Redrose group 

Hadn't though of that Mike, thank you.

[qkingston]

2 hours ago, Chris Hubball said:

Hi Pete

Skinners do good quality trim kits try ringing Jonathan I have found him very helpful, they appear to be working at reduced capacity at the moment so delivery may be a bit lengthy

Cheers Chris

Apparently they had a Covid scare and have been working at much reduced output, Jonathan is working on the backlog (my order was back in Oct)

David

[pfenlon]

4 hours ago, Geko said:

off topic but you have a unique opportunity to make your door cards in PVC here

Can you expand on that please?

[brenda]

Pete give Craig a ring at TR Bitz he usually comes up trumps.

 Mike Redrose group 

[Malbaby]

The white piping is easy to remove as it is stapled on.

I bought and fitted black to my car.

[Geko]

8 hours ago, pfenlon said:

Can you expand on that please?

Make your door panels in PVC 2mm instead of cardboard, will outlast you and the car

[stuart]

TR Shop is your best bet by far,

Stuart.

Edited February 8, 2021 by stuart

[Steves_TR6]

2 minutes ago, stuart said:

TR Shop is your best bet by far,

Stuart.

I bought a kit from the TR Shop and was very happy with it.

[pfenlon]

On 2/8/2021 at 1:02 AM, Geko said:

Make your door panels in PVC 2mm instead of cardboard, will outlast you and the car

I see, however I have contacted the TR shop, who were  very helpful and are to send me samples of their trim, so one shouldn't believe all you hear.

 

I will order a full set tomorrow, delivery is 5 weeks. their prices were unbeatable.

[Jase]

13 hours ago, pfenlon said:

I see, however I have contacted the TR shop, who were  very helpful and are to send me samples of their trim, so one shouldn't believe all you hear.

 

I will order a full set tomorrow, delivery is 5 weeks. their prices were unbeatable.

Excellent, is this in leather? Are they making to your spec?

[Rockie51]

Have you thought about installing a metal panel between the cabin and the fuel tank? It gives a bit of an improvement in safety and also stiffens the body. You can still install the trim over it. Just a thought. 
 

Rockie

[pfenlon]

9 hours ago, Jase said:

Excellent, is this in leather? Are they making to your spec?

No its Vinyl, and to my spec, and samples due tomorrow, price is £275 for the kit plus another £100 for the hood cover sections, leather is almost £700, and I'm not a lover of leather to be honest, don't want to sit on dead animals.

[pfenlon]

8 hours ago, Rockie51 said:

Have you thought about installing a metal panel between the cabin and the fuel tank? It gives a bit of an improvement in safety and also stiffens the body. You can still install the trim over it. Just a thought. 
 

Rockie

Perhaps if I was building a race car Rockie, and it would be more "Weight"

[stuart]

14 hours ago, pfenlon said:

Perhaps if I was building a race car Rockie, and it would be more "Weight"

An aluminium firewall would be more appropriate and safer Pete.

Stuart.

[Motorsport Mickey]

Pete,

It's your decision on whether to fit a rear cockpit firewall or not.

However just to outline to others who aren't as aware as yourself, would our wives or partners "express displeasure" if you transported regularly a Jerrycan full of petrol inside the cockpit, maybe directly behind the passenger seat ? Do you think they may object ? do you think they may find it a safety risk ?

The answer is almost certainly yes, yet a Jerrycan with it's preformed and stressed exterior is much less likely to rupture in an accident (though likely to strike you on the head if unrestrained) than the standard TR fuel tank which is a stressed member used to stiffen and support the TR shell which as a single skin structure is not much more resistant to forces than a Weetabix box.

A car or van running into the side of your car is likely to split the tank and cause 12 gallons of petrol to flood out and around the comedy hardboard panel which Triumph thought was de rigeur to seperate the cockpit from the fuel tank and boot area.  Failing that a swerve to avoid a loose dog on the highway can put your wheels into soft verge and cause a low speed overturn which again can rupture the tank but even worse with the occupants pinned in their seats even if not crushed by the collapsing softtop or the rear Surrey backlight (they are not meant or capable as rollover protection). Then the smell of spilt petrol and the gurguling as it gushes and floods around the misshaped hardboard panel before the Wwhhuummmpppf which means now being roasted is likely to be the demise facing the occupants.

We all think it won't happen to us, but it does. You knew Alec Pringle pretty well, and all of us have benefitted from his extensive TR knowledge over the years and his and Diane's death means they are sorely missed from these pages. Here's a posting from Alec harking back to the late early 80s (I believe) about the subject.

 

If that was not enough you'll remember that the Motorsports associations won't allow TRs to compete WITHOUT a rear alloy firewall being in place, you may consider that racing is far more risk than road use but remember it's limited to a few doazen laps at a time whereas your TR will be in use for many years and miles, and often a car overturn can happen at sub 30mph speeds (all the TR overturns I've seen have happened at less than that).

Your car, your choice.

Mick Richards 

   

Edited February 11, 2021 by Motorsport Mickey

[Jase]

I'm guessing that if you manufacture one yourself and have access to a bead roller it would give the panel more strength in this area?

[Bfg]

Thanks Mickey.

Poignant message. 

[stuart]

46 minutes ago, Jase said:

I'm guessing that if you manufacture one yourself and have access to a bead roller it would give the panel more strength in this area?

TBH you dont really need to bead roll it, a plain sheet of 18swg ally works fine once riveted and sealed

Stuart.

[Motorsport Mickey]

Trouble is it's the TR shell that needs bracing not so much the alloy firescreen.

The best add on is a Roll over hoop behind the pasengers with angled supports rearwards and across car to the hoop, if you can get it onto the floor or the chassis mounts so much the better but a hoop bolted to the wheelarches or the seat area with a spreading plate with the bracing as described does a decent job of across car stiffness and stands a chance of protecting the inhabitants when a White van runs into the side of you at a T junction. Then as Stuart says a decent alloy firewall popriveted every 25mm with a intumescent sealer (it swells upon contact with fire or smoke) in between firescreen and the shell will also help across car stiffness. We can't make a road car as good as full on competition car but we can make major strides towards building strength in and preventing deformation that can go a long way to saving our lives. 

Don't make the Perfect the enemy of the good.

Mick Richards

[Lebro]

I do not have a firewall at present, but I am considering fitting one (already have the roll over bar) only negative I can think of is subsequent removal of the fuel tank should that become necessary in the future.

Bob.