Installing new stainless steel beading on BN2

[bighealeysource]

Hey all,
Had a minor accident with the 100M and end result is I have had the entire Reno red portion of the car repainted. So, took old ss beading off and was pretty much able to pull it off without loosening the fenders. Not a real gentle disassembly but since I was not planning on reusing got them all off okay. So, now have the car back, paint looks fantastic, and time to put new beading on. Know to loosen all the attachment nuts and bolts to get enough room between fenders and shrouds, protect the paint from the steel tabs, put tape on the tabs, but any other hints to make this thankless job easier ? (I have installed beading on two other Healey's but could actually push the tabs into the space without loosening the fender bolts but on this one, things are nice and tight so that is not possible)
Thanks,
Mike

 

[AH100M]

You'll need to loosen up the mounting bolts first. On most bead sets the part of the tab that fits into the beading is not a very tight fit. Therefore if you push down on the beading while you tighten up the bolts the beading springs up a bit. What you should do is reach up from under the wings (fenders) and pull DOWN on the tabs and then bend them up and around the flanges so that they're tight. Then do the final tightening of the bolts.

 

[bighealeysource]

Thanks Bill, that is a good tip. The old ones fit well but in some cases you could push them down a bit and they would pop back up so doing what you suggest should take care of that !
Regards,
Mike

 

[kkaa]

I agree, excellent tip and will come in handy for us also!!

You'll need to loosen up the mounting bolts first. On most bead sets the part of the tab that fits into the beading is not a very tight fit. Therefore if you push down on the beading while you tighten up the bolts the beading springs up a bit. What you should do is reach up from under the wings (fenders) and pull DOWN on the tabs and then bend them up and around the flanges so that they're tight. Then do the final tightening of the bolts.

 

[glemon]

My main worry when I did it was scratching the paint, a layer (or couple layers if you want to be really safe) of masking tape on either side of the gap on the wing and the shroud should protect things pretty well. The only other trick is of course you want the little retainer tabs distributed fairly evenly throughout the range because if your fender bolts are in place you won't be able to slide them very far once you are doing final adjustment and fitting.