TR2/3/3A Side curtain fit up

[TR-3rg]

Hi,

I am fit checking the side curtains on my 1960 TR-3a. I bought them off ebay so they are new to the car. I have a gap about .25" between the metal frame of the side curtain and the door capping. Does that sound right? The curtains have the Dutz fasteners so they are correct for the car. The side curtain vinyl covering is long gone so I do not have a reference.

Thanks, Roy

 

[TR3driver]

Sounds like too much to me. The vinyl is thin, no more than 1/16" (depending a bit on which vinyl you get) and there is normally only one layer on the sides of the frame. There is also a certain amount of spring involved, and the wind is going to try to pull them away from the car. My guess is that you want the frames lightly touching the capping.

But I'll admit it's been a long time since I've used sidecurtains, so I could be wrong.

 

[DornTRoriginal]

That's a pretty big gap and likely an issue if you are traveling at more than 25 MPH. Here are pictures from another post I found and saved for future reference, hope they help! I have heard it takes a bit of fitting to get them right and best to do the fitting prior to repairing and refurbishing. I wish I had my originals, left them and the rear seat in a rental house storage shed a long time ago when I moved after college. Dang!

 

[charleyf]

I would agree that 1/4" gap is way to much. I assume that the door capping is on the car as it does take up maybe 3/16" of that gap. On most of my cars the side curtain had to be pushed over the door capping as it was that tight a fit. You definitely want to get them fitting right before having them covered. I believe your options for bending things are a whole lot fewer after the curtains are covered.
Charley