TR6 TR6 top question

OK, I have been putting tops on TR's for years and either I need a brain transplant or something is a miss. On the top bows where the velcro attaches, the front bar has a foam padding under it but the back does not. this is on both sides and I just can't recall ever putting the foam in either one. It looks like the foam inside the seats, all different colors. I don't have any trouble replacing it, if it's surpose to be there, but don't see why the front and not the back. Oh, this is on my car and I'm pretty sure it's not been altered. The windows got so yellow and I had to use the top in some rain after 6 years of being down. Bummer. Wayne

Wayne, I have only installed 3 tops on TR6s and have never seen any kind of foam or padding underneath the vinyl/velcro strips that attach to the frame rails. That is a mystery to me as well.


Bill

Bill, thanks, maybe someone else will chime in. Wayne

I added a foam strip to the wrap around the front bow on the TR4 but it connects with snaps (guess Velcro wasn't invented yet).. the foam keeps the snaps from rattling. Can't imagine why it would have been added on a TR6.

Thanks Geo, but this bit is on the side just above where the top of the windows hit the rubbers that are in channels. Kind of weird. Wayne

Someone put closed cell foam wheather strip under some carpet like material on my top frame. Striped it all out so that I could put in the Velcro. Now my top actually fits and it is easy to snap it to the body.
I have no idea why the foam was put there but my top fits so much beter with out it.

Ok, now we are getting somewhere, sounds like what I have. The worn out carpet is really worn out Velcro, so RomanH, thanks you. Is this a point where the early cars had foam or maybe the top frame supplier was changed and he did it different. It's not a big deal as the thickness was only about 1/4 inch. Wonder if this could be used in a Concours event for a point deduction. My car is a great driver, but I have always tried to keep the cars I worked on over the years to standard. I'll take a couple of pictures of the one side I have taken apart and a comparrison on the other side, just for futher refference. Don't have any idea why this little point is bugging me. Wayne

Funny how you can't see the trees for the forest. A good friend stopped by while I was cleaning up everything to install the top, he's in contruction, and spotted the reason for the hard foam on the rail. It's a small spacer to fill the gap between the header rail and the side rail where the velcro attaches. If you look at yours I bet you find when you velcro it all down there is an indentation at the front of the window. Now for the solution. The hard foam is 5/8 wide and 5 and 1/2 inches long on a taper and about 1\2 inch wide back. The velcro strip you get with most tops will not be wide enough to glue around this extra width. My old velcro had about 3/4 inch of vinyl sewn to the top and bottom side, but what you get now is already about and inch, so. one for the top should be enough to give you the anchor under the rubber channel. so I guess I will have to do this extra bit now that I have gone to this much trouble to figure it out. Yea, I know, dummy. Wayne