BJ7 Boot Trim

[bob hughes]

Hi Guys

Can anyone help out here please.

I just took possession of the latest jigsaw puzzle from AH Spares that is the boot trim set for my BJ7, It is a bit premature as I am not quite ready yet but I could not resist a peak. There are some sections that are easily recognizable and others I can not make out. I must say that I have never owned a Healey that had much in the way of the correct trims and carpeting so I am pretty green regarding what goes where. I can see that the middle piece fits to the face of the bulkhead at the back of the boot, the piece to the left may or may not fit around the top rail above the middle piece and I do not have a clue where the other two pieces on the right fit. Further more it appears to me to be beneficial to fit most of the side trims with the shroud off as there is more than a bit of a cutting to do to get the individual pieces to fit. On that note, would you provide cutouts in the trim for access to the bolts holding the wings (fenders ) on? I have a pot of contact adhesive that the Jaguars use for their trims, apparently, it does not age harden ( I will soon find out if that is true because I bought it some years ago and it has not yet been opened )

Cheers

Bob

 

[Bob_Spidell]

... On that note, would you provide cutouts in the trim for access to the bolts holding the wings (fenders ) on? I have a pot of contact adhesive that the Jaguars use for their trims, apparently, it does not age harden ...

View attachment 68900View attachment 68904View attachment 68905

I made cutouts when I installed a Moss kit in my BN2 and, TBH, I kind of regret it. I doubt they bothered to do this at the factory, and you probably could cut holes later if you absolutely had to (you could maybe not put glue where bolt heads are). As for the adhesive, I've always assumed 'non-hardening' meant 'after application.' The upholstery glues I've used go bad in the can eventually; at least, they separate but might be salvageable with a good shaking/stirring.

Edit: The Moss kit came with some fairly decent installation instructions; I looked on their site and couldn't find any, at least for BJ7s, but you might give them a call.

 

[BBH]

I followed the articles on the Healey6.com site, which worked out fine...... Boot Trimming.pdf

 

[JoeCA]

The two pieces on the right fit in the "wells" on the right (under the battery) and left side of the boot. The finished edge goes up against the piece that glues to the side. I trimmed both of these pieces and re-sewed the edging to fit closer to the originals. Photos: Armacord - Left Fender, Wheel arch, fenderwell fitting, Armacord - L & R fenderwell comparisons.

The piece on the left fits on the inside of the curved section of the rear shroud. The unfinished edge is at the bottom. Photo: Armacord - Center section. This isn't a great photo...but you will get the idea. It is looking down on top of the center brace of the boot (you can see the boot latch and the two wiring harness tabs. Something I found interesting was that these two wiring harness tabs in my car were painted black to go along with the black armacord. The same was true for the round mounts where the bumpers attach). In the photo the armacord is pulled loose from the shroud and folded over. You can see the finished edge is on top.

The center piece is for the face of the bulkhead at the back of the boot as you indicate. I also trimmed this piece to achieve a proper fit. You can get an idea of how much to trim by placing it and then bending it around the angles at the top. If this piece is too high, you will see the unfinished edge of the Armacord at the top of the boot (we had a thread about this the other day). Photo: Armacord bulkhead panel comparison. My BT7 had 6 rivets in this panel. The concours guidelines indicate the BJ cars did not have these rivets.

Holes for the fender bolts were not cut out on my car. Like you, I debated doing this so I could go ahead and glue in all the panels. However, I decided just to glue in the front three (wheel arch, bulkhead panel and the vertical panel in front of the battery) so that I could run my wiring harness. and battery cable. I will glue the remaining panels in after the fenders are on. Photos: Original Armacord Left, Front 3 panels glued in place.

Glue: I used Weldwood Contact Adhesive - Landau Top and Trim 1145 HHR High Solids Contact Adhesive Spray grade. This is a low VOC version that is available in California. I brushed it on.

Watch where the finished edges go, as they determine the order of the panels being glued in place. Have fun! I have more photos if you need them.

joe

 

[bob hughes]

Thanks Joe,
I did talk to AH Spares over the phone and they took me through it but photos are much better, I had the bulkhead piece and that was all. I will be doing what you have done with regard to bolt holes and brackets etc, my old piece had slots cut in it to fit around fuel pipe and the tank straps it really looked terrible.

Cheers

Bob

 

[JoeCA]

Bob, since you don't have many pieces to help guide you, I am attaching a few more photos. My set did not come from AHSpares, so I don't know how much the comparison photos will help you with regards to trimming...but you can put them in place and figure it out.

The way I fitted the bulkhead panel and the vertical panel that the battery cable routes through is definately not as original. My panels were like yours...they had large sloppy holes, notches and slits cut in them to accomodate the wiring harness, battery cable, tank strap mount etc. I have a lot more time on my hands than the original installers so I tried to make a little cleaner fit. It's cleaner, but not perfect.

Photo: Armacord center shroud. This photo shows the new and old piece comparison. For my boot set, this was the piece that most closely matched the original. You can see the slits cut in the unfinished edge to go around the center support and the holes for the spare tire strap staple.

Photo: Armacord center by battery switch. This shows the center section from the side by the battery switch. You can see how it fits down by the floor.

Photo: Armacord - Right side comparison. Shows the original and the new right side panel. Note the missing piece of the original. I measured the cutout for the battery support and located it on the new panel and then cut a single slit in the panel underneath the support cutout so that the piece can be glued in place. You can see this better in the next photo. I haven't installed this panel, so if you want a picture of just the panel, let me know.

Photo: Armacord right new fitted. Vertical, side and well pieces for the right side loosely fitted.

Photo: Armacord Left well, Left well center. Top views of the left well showing how the armacord bends and glues down in front of the wiring harness tab. The Left well center photo shows the bumper bracket mounts painted black.

joe

 

[bob hughes]

Thanks Joe, a good steer for what will come in the very near future

cheers

Bob

 

[dougie]

This is boot trim for the vintage racer.....