TR2/3/3A Fitting a Tonneau to TR3?

I now have a new tonneau and the lift-the-dot punch. Any advice on properly fitting the tonneau will be appreciated. Such as, am I correct in assuming that the top and the hoodstick cover should be removed when the tonneau is installed. I am a complete novice with this stuff, and have never been too efficient on working on my cars in the past, but I am working hard to learn as I work on my TR3B.
Thanks for everyone's help.

Yes the top & hood stick cover are off when the tonneau is fitted. Actually, I usually just undo the outer snaps of the hood stick cover and fold it down & forward whilst the tonneau is on -- that way it is out of the way and yet one cannot see it in there.

A general rule for installing tonneaus & tops it to start at the center (front & back) and work outward. That is, by accurately folding the tonneau in half find the exact center of the rear edge & mark it (I use an artist's white pencil but one can also put a bit of masking tape in the vinyl and use a regular pencil).

I then measure the distance between the snaps and transfer those measurements to the tonneau. Some prefer to offer the vinyl up to the Lift the Dot pegs and directly mark the piece there but I find the measuring method works well -- particularly if you measure the distance between them at the base of the peg (center to center) rather than the top of the peg (since some of the pegs lean away from each other).

Nervous work at first -- eventually becomes second nature.

If there is anyway you can get someone who has done this before it will probably help -- or perhaps you have some similar experience on other cars.

Personally I like a tight tonneau as the one on the TR3 is pretty easy to tug over the pegs. But you probably do not want to install in direct sunlight (esp a black tonneau) as it will tend to stretch as you install and then be wicked tight to put on when you want it for a crisp morning next Fall.

Good Luck.

PS: Perhaps this is obvious, but you install the tonneau with the zipper closed. If you were to install it unzipped you could find that it is too tight to zip up.

Dave, A method I was shown and have used, is with an awl. Align it per George's instruction fore and aft, but use the awl to create the hole (using a small block of wood) and push the material down over the peg. Completely attaching the tonneau all around. That way you can do all the lift-the-dots afterward at one time.
Tom Lains
TS8651 & 58107

Don't forget that the lift-the-dot fasteners have a top and bottom. Set them so it is easiest to lift-the-dot to remove it. I saw someone install their top with the fasteners upside-down and couldn't remove the fastener from the peg.

Thanks for the suggestions...I hope to get started in about a week after spending next week with our son, who is coming home for a week before starting navigator training with the Air Force. The next week is his, then back to the hobby time.
Again, thanks all for the advice.