Re: New Tonneau
Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2001 2:08 pm
Now here we have a prime example of one of the reasons I have decided to
sell my TC.
There was a time when the tonneau cover served a real world purpose, it
kept the seats dry when the top was down and until the rain subsided
enough to leave the pub and make a mad dash for home. A 3/4 tonneau and
a folded screen served to improve high speed aerodynamics (LOL). The
purpose of the lift-the-dot studs was to keep the tonneau from blowing
away and you simply put them where they seemed to do the most good. The
idea of measuring to a sixteenth of an inch the "correct" location for
each stud would have been laughable then and, to me, still is.
Of course, that was then and this is now and it is a different world out
there and I am not the young man I once was. I am no longer willing (or
able for that matter) to enjoy doing all the crazy and wonderful things
that I once did in that car so, as I see it, my choice is to either get
in line with the other old farts and start measuring the distance
between lift-the-dot studs and worrying about the color of my firewall
or sell the damn thing and move on. I've chosen to move on. I will
replace the TC with something else but I'm not sure what. My wife says
I need a "mid-life" car. I think she may be right. Many years ago, I
drove the TC up to Montreal. It's a lovely city and that was a
memorable trip (enhanced, no doubt, by the company of the attractive and
well constructed young lady who accompanied me) but just the idea of
driving a TC that sort of distance today, with or without the charming
company, just makes my back ache and my ears ring. I would love to go
back to Montreal but this time, I think I want a big, powerful sports
car. I like the early V-8 Aston Martins and they are not too expensive,
or perhaps a Jensen Interceptor.
However, I have not exactly been deluged by long lines of anxious buyers
waving fistfuls of dollars at me for the privilege of rearranging the
old girls lift-the-dot studs so that next trip up to Canada may have to
wait for awhile.
Strictly as an aside, I wonder if any conclusion can be drawn between an
obsession relating to ones lift-the-dot studs and the rather obvious
fact that they clearly resemble little tiny erect penises. Now THAT
should start an interesting "thread".
Yours truly, Badger
> Michael Card wrote: > > Hans > > Looking back though my notes for TC-8233 I find that I did some work > on this about 18 months ago. > > 1. Rear pegs > Horizontal position. Using a photograph, provided by Malcolm Green, of > a new TC, rear view, I scaled these as located about 1 1/4 inches > horizontally outside the seam where the curved rear quarter body panel > meets the flat body panel that is behind the tank. From an old quarter > panel I measured 1 3/8 inches, very close to the photo figure. I used > 1 3/8 inches. > > Vertical position. From the old panel I measured this as 1 3/16 inches > from the top of the quarter panel. > When the tonneau was being made, the trimmer altered this to 1 inch to > get the correct relationship of tonneau bottom edge to fuel-tank top. > [Remember that different cars will have slightly different thicknesses > of packing under the body-to-chassis mounts, but the fuel tank stays > located to the chassis on its rubber pads, so tank-to-body > relationship will be very slightly different from car to car.] > > 2. Side pegs > [These are hard to position using photographs because there is usually > no sharp reference point in the photo.] > > Horizontal position. Again using the old panel I measured the position > as 5 inches forward of the front edge of the slot for the side screen > rear tang. > Vertical position. 1 1/4 inches below the top of the panel. > > The old panel I used for these measurements had only a single hole in > each location so it was probably original, but no guarantee. However > the rear peg position corresponded well with the photo. > > Mike Card > Surrey, UK > > PS I just managed to restrain myself from choking on your mention of a > full length tonneau. > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.