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TR2/3/3A Baby Tenax fasteners

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R

Redoakboo

Jedi Warrior
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I am restoring a 1954 TR-2 and plan to use the baby Tenax's fittings from the car and top. I have all the fasteners, with the exception of 8 of the peg & nut fasteners that install on the rear apron. Mine were to rusted for re-use.

Dick Vinal
 
Those things are really scarce. Not many made originally, and no one has reproduced them (AFAIK). Your best bet might be to find someone with a small lathe to make them for you.
 
Tell the machinist they are machined from unobtanium. If you could find a car with a complete set of babies, they are worth more than the car. Although I am joking...it's not far from the truth!!
 
I have been looking for those elusive "babies" for twenty years! My car came with about twelve and I used eight of those for across the front of the dash for the tonneau cover. I will never give up trying! The male ends are easy to machine down but making the female ends is the problem. We contacted Tenax a few years ago and were told if we try to remake those "babies" they will come after us because they still own the patent.

Lou Metelko
Auburn, Indiana
54 Triumph TR2LD
TS981L
 
Should've asked them for the patent number! Patents are only good for 20 years or so (details vary), so if they had a patent in 1954, it's toast now. And if they applied for a patent within the past 20 years, it's clearly invalid because of prior art.
 
Randall,

I guess I was really lucky as my 54 TR-2 came with two rotten tops in the trunk and one tonneau cover, plus those on the car, all with baby tenax's. I was only missing 6 of the peg/nut fasteners. Luckily, I had 6 extra of the pegs with the wood threads. I just bought 6 of the flat plate nuts and installed them on the rear apron where access was good. I now have probably the only complete set of baby tenax's on my TR-2.

Dick
 
John,

Mine will now have a complete set of baby Tenax's. And to think I almost threw my two old tops and tonneau away, not knowing what a Baby tenax was?

Dick
 
Do any of you guys have picture of the early Tenax, so in case I come across some I will grab them up.
steve
 
They say that photos of the baby tenax fasteners are even more rare than the fasteners themselves! :sick:
 
I looked for 5 years with no luck. I too have the original babies that were on the TR2 when it came, but their condition is not up to par for a full restoration. The studs have brass showing and the catches are pitted. I am holding on to the babies in hope that one day they can be re-finished or re-made.

In the mean time, as you guys point out in this thread, I came to the realization that only a handful of people in the world are able to tell the difference between the normal and babies! And even that handful of people (mostly judges) cannot tell the difference from greater than 5 feet away. Unless you see the two types side by side, it takes study to tell them apart. I replaced my babies with normals. I still hold out that one day they will be re-made, but I think they were never reproduced because the babies don't wear very well.

And Randall is correct. They can threaten to sue you, but not in the US. Our patents are 17 years extendable to 20 years in certain situations. Maybe they can sue in some other country, but only if you try to sell them in that country!
 
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