TR2/3/3A My after market aluminum side curtains won't stay in on front top!

[TuffTR250]

My "Amco or JC Whitney" aluminum side curtains that were in the car when I got it won't stay in the channel at the front by the windshield when I'm traveling at or above 55 mph. I put new rubber around the outside and I've bent the aluminum stay bars a lot such that I thought the top would stay in. It is way in when the door is closed and when the soft top flap is put over the rubber edging. Does anyone use this type after market side curtain? And if yes, what did you do to keep them from being sucked out at the top front and acting like wind catchers? Thanks!
Regards,
Bob

 

[bobhustead]

Just a shot in the dark, but do you have room under the flap to bend the rear of the curtains out?
Bob

 

[trglory]

Yeah, that used to happen to me too; I hated when I would get icicles hanging from the left side of my mustache. I ended up putting three male snaps in the rubber above the side curtain window and three female snaps in the inside flap of the top. Snap, snap, snap .... been warm and cozy ever since.

 

[TRTEL]

Which is why some of the later iterations of those aftermarket aluminum ones started adding an adjustable tab at the top of the leading edge to fit into the slot on the stanchion when the door was closed. Those things were alright when new, but aluminum can only stand so much bending. If I were going to get serious about weatherproofing, there are still a lot of early and late steel frames around.

 

[TuffTR250]

Thanks for the ideas!!
Bob, I have tried various bending attempts, but none helped at speed.
Joe, that's a good idea to put snaps on the inside soft top flap. How did you space the snaps? Were they all toward the front, or did you space them out along the top?
Tom, the adjustable tab sounds like it would be easier and quicker for getting in and out of the car. These after market side curtains take quite a bit of fiddling to get everything in place in the front stanchions and then under the flaps along the side before the door can be completely closed. However, I'm having a difficult time visualizing how that adjustable tab was fitted and where it was located. Could you give me more detail on the tab, or is it possible you may have a picture of one? I have not bit the bullet on getting steel frames, since I don't really use the side curtains much and the aluminum ones came with the car. Thanks!
Regards,
Bob

 

[trglory]

I started with one snap in the front but added one in the middle and one in the back because the pressure differential inside and outside the cockpit tended to suck the inner flap out in the back. Next thing you will need to do is to put some type of a wedge between the plexiglass windows to keep the front one from moving back (also caused by the pressure differential). A book of matches used to do the trick but they are not as readily available as they once were.

I have a set of proper steel curtains that I purchased at a swap-meet a while back. I need to apply some hammer modulation to them to make them fit properly; evidently they were "adjusted" at some point to compensate for bad body alignment (I guess that's why I got such a good price). But as you say, they aren't used very often and the aluminum framed curtains work fine, so my motivation to fit the steel frames is exceedingly low.

 

[TuffTR250]

Thanks Joe! That is good information if I decide to go with snaps. I have been stuffing cereal box cardboard between the plexiglass and aluminum frame to keep the windows from rattling like crazy. So I have not had the problem of the windows sliding open.
Regards,
Bob