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Everflex Tonneau and Top--Now what?

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BrianN

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I just received the tonneau cover and hood fabric from AH Spares on that little island off of France. The kits include the fasteners. Looks pretty straight forward. Does anyone have experience with installing Everflex?

What helpful tips can you suggest?

And, oh by the way, here's some cool pics. There's a Healey, or at least part of one, in there some where:

Updated Special Pics Page
 
Well BrianN, one prerequisite is to pick a very hot day. lay the items out in the sun which allows them to become flexible enough to work. The remainder is lots of patience and care in fitting.-FWIW---Keoke /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif
 
Wait for a sunny day (heat) and start at the rear and work forward side to side. More luck than rocket science. If you still have the pins on the rear wall below the rear seat you are in luck. I haven't been able to locate a good place to put them and not interfere with the stuff on the other side of the wall.
 
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/savewave.gif T.H.
You do not have to find a place to put the pins there are noninterfering holes already in the bulkhead for the pins,all you need to do is find them.---Keoke /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif
 
Brian, I obtained mine from AH Spares, as already stated, warm it up, also zip it up, install the support bar and find centre of the tonneau at the rear and line up with the centre of the rear of the car between the studs. If some one can gently hold the front for you all the better but not essential. You now have to consider how far in from the edge for the fixings, try and even it up between front and back fixings, I took my marks from the hood cover that came with the car ( BJ7). Press the everflex onto the pins on the rear of the car and mark with crayon, yellow does stand out well. Now comes the clever nail biting bit, cut holes for the tennax and fit them in. Next move should be to go to the front and pick up the middle pins either side of the mirror, stretching the cover to suit, mark using the 'stud overs' or what ever they are called and pierce the everflex to suit and fit them. then go to the outside fronts and do the same and then follow up with the side fixings. I did mine in a morning working carefully and the result was reasonably sound, I felt that the tonneau could have been a little more fuller over the hood cover to sit down over the trim at the sides but other than that OK. As you have a BT7 I would consider fitting the rear centre two fixings first then the front two centre fixings then go back and install the next two rears then the front two outers to evenly stretch the cover. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/england.gif
Bob
 
I installed a new tonneau this summer. Like the previous posts suggest, I started at the two center rear snaps, worked to the sides and then forward with the support rail installed, stretching the fabric as I proceeded. What I failed to do, however, was stretch the tonneau a little when installing the first two center rear tenax snaps. I just marked where the studs were and cut the holes for the snaps. I probably should have stretched the tonneau so it fit a little tighter on those two studs, which would have also given me a little extra on the sides. Anyway my installation turned out fine, but I would make that change if I did it again.
 
BrianN, What is the advantage in ordering Parts from AH Spares??--Keoke
 
I am speaking here from "ignorance" as I have not actually installed my snaps, etc. yet, but as the reason I am replacing my tonneau is that the "old" one has shrunk over time, it seems to me that you wouldn't want to stretch it really, really tight, but just firmly taunt. Thoughts on that view?
 
Thanks everyone for the installation tips. Sounds like a warm weather project, so it may be a while before I get to it. This time of year I don't even have any sunshine on the driveway.

But I will be patient.
 
[ QUOTE ]
reason I am replacing my tonneau is that the "old" one has shrunk over time, it seems to me that you wouldn't want to stretch it really, really tight, but just firmly taunt. Thoughts on that view?

[/ QUOTE ]
Stever,
A tough call. A lot of top materials shrink with cold & expand plus stretch with heat. Premium materials are much less subject to this problem. Firmly taunt when hot can be impossibly tight when cold. You have to warm it up to get the fasteners engaged. I think it depends upon the temperature range that the car is subjected to. Cheap top material will tend to shrink & distort with age, but genuine Everflex is not so much of a problem. It is the original equipment top material on Healeys.

The down side of a loose fit is that it flaps more in the wind. I drive in temperatures ranging from the low twenties to 100 plus. The expansion/contraction of the material is considerable. I hate the loose flapping when the material is hot enough to be loose, & so fight & tug like crazy to get it fastened when it is cold. Sometimes I have to move into a heated garage to get the snaps fastened. At least it doesn't drive me crazy with it's flapping in hot weather.

I had a tonneau made of inferior material on my truck, & after a couple of years, it shrunk enough that two people couldn't stretch it enough to get it fastened unless the temperature was in the high 90's & it had been sitting in the sun. If I ever unfastened it in the cold, there was no hope of getting it snapped again. Ultra violet from the sun really degrades the cheap vinyl materials. Now running open bed again. I think that you will have the best results with a premium material. Read, not cheap, not low grade.

Some of the premium materials such as Sunfast, tend to shrink & stretch even less with age & temperature changes. If you live in San Diego or similar, much of the problem goes away except for the susceptibility to ultraviolet damage. I have both an Everflex tonneau & a Stayfast tonneau. One for "correct" & the other for everyday use. the Stayfast requires considerably less effort to get snapped when it is cold, & doesn't loosen up so much when it is warm. Not concours original though, & the price will give you "sticker shock". A flapping tonneau drives me nuts, so I fit it pretty tight.

I suggest going with a top quality material such as Heritage Upholstery's Everflex material for the traditional top & tonneau or Sun Fast-Stayfast if you like the canvas look. No gloss. Sunfast is more temperature stable than Everflex & costs a lot more.

Obviously, the larger the sections of flat material are, such as a tonneau, the more it shrinks & stretches with temp changes. On the other hand, on a top you have mechanical leverage to help pull things into place. Much easier to handle a tight top than a tight tonneau, so you can fit a top very tightly. Flapping tops are not attractive either.

As you have observed from the other posts, fitting it when it is hot & at maximum stretch & expansion Helps get the tight fit.

I am speaking from experience on the relatively small tops of a BN2. The larger cockpits of a four seater require extra braces/stiffners to control the flapping, but the same principles apply.

Maybe you can get some ideas here https://www.heritagetrim.com/
D
 
Keoke says ,If you want quality everflex stay with AH Spares.-FWIW---GNB
 
I bought an everflex boot cover from a seller on ebay who always seems to have one available, plus tops and an ocassional tonneau. I have a little flex, but no real problem with stretching, etc. It's was tight when installed (on a hot day) and remains tight enough in the cold to keep it from flapping. And the price was excellent. I hate to be a pimp for eBay, but there are some very good deals there for Healeys on some parts. You just need the patience to watch it for a while.

Scott
 
It seems our MG brethren are also having top discussions listers here might want to visit that site too.FWIW---Keoke
 
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