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Spare tire cover

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philknight

Jedi Hopeful
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The spare tire cover on my TR6 had gotten old, warped and ugly so last summer I drilled out the pop rivets that hold the metal angled pieces. sanded and painted the angles and have checked every lumber yard and hardware store in my area for a replacement for the pressboard, masonite, or whatever the material is called. I can't see paying over $100 for a replacement from one of the lbc suppliers for something I could make for a couple dollars if I could just find the material. Anybody know what it's called and where I can get some? Phil
 
Keep looking. There is a hardened masonite, about 1/8" thick I think that should work. I used it once for replacement door panels on my first Spit. It is normally a dark brown color, versus the untempered flimsy kind.

Randy
 
I've seen the 1/8" masonite but I'm looking for 1/4" preferably smooth on one side, dimpled on the other, so as to appear origional. The stuff must be out there somewhere. If I go for a replacement product I'd go with plastic.
Phil
 
I've seen it done in 1/4" marine-grade plywood. Bulletproof. But no dimples.
 
Couldn't you just make the 1/4" smooth/dimpled masonite by sandwiching together a pair of 1/8" sheets? Modern glue is stronger than masonite and if you glue larger pieces then cut to size I doubt the seam along the edge would be noticable.
 
I like the ideas comming in. The origional material appears to be softer and more pourous than the hardened masonite that the hardware stores stock. I'm not sure that it would take paint very well, or would adhere with all the bumps and scuffs that would be going on. The marine plywood on the other hand would take paint well, but be far from origional. Don't know why I'm stuck on the origionality issue with this. Overall my TR is far from origional. Body is painted black, SS heat shield and radiater cowl, gear reduction starter, Miata seats, etc. Was the origional material so inferior that nobody makes it anymore?
Phil
 
Paint the whole thing with a sealer coat. May need a couple of sealer coats. Then the paint should not be a problem and you would have reduced the effects of moisture.
 
I am in the same situation as you. I want to fix the spare tire cover, but I am not willing to pay the $100 or more for a new one. Besides, I always like to repair the original if possible. I like to keep everything as original as possible, so finding the correct material was important to me. I always called the stuff press board or masonite. In either case, I took the piece with me to Home Depot and matched it up perfectly. They sell partial sheets with the dimples on one side and smooth on the other. I bought one 2'x4' sheet. It was pretty cheap (can't remember the exact price), but I can check on the price if you want. Obviously it will be cheaper if you find a piece locally, but as a last resort, if you can't find what you want, PM me and maybe I could pick a piece up for you. I can cut it to size to save on shipping before I send it, and I can check on the shipping.
Kevin
 
The original material is .025 (1/4") masonite, one side smooth. It should be available in any home center or lumber yard. Ask for a scrap or damaged sheet since you only need a small amount. Just drill out the old rivets , cut to size & reatatch the parts. I also used the soft half of a Velcro strip to replace the felt on the runners.

Good luck.
TRsparetirecover.jpg
 
I'll check again at the local Home Depot, they didn't have 1/4" when I checked. I still have the origional for a template. Thanks all, Phil
 
Mitch- Do you mind if I steal your drawing?
Don
 
Not at all, that's how I got it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

I have it on a MS image file. I can email it if you need it or fax it, what ever is easier.
I think you can capture it right off of the post & save it.
 
It sounds like everyone has got this covered, but I just wanted to correct something I said earlier. After talking to an old woodworking friend of mine, he said the correct term used to be "tempered hardboard". The difference between the two is that the tempered hardboard (as opposed to the regular hardboard) will withstand moisture, although he said he would paint all sides in either case.
Kevin
 
I'll back up Frank. Dear Old Dad and I bought 1/4" masonite at Home Depot. He used my dog-eared original to cut out a new one.

What I did was sand and spray paint the top until it was very smooth (I can see my reflection!). For the bottom, I sanded less just to get a good surface for the paint to take, which left slightly-flattened dimples.

I am still sourcing some vinyl scraps for the snap attachment before I can put everything back together and install the finished product. We'll see how long it holds up after that.
 
I had spotted this drawing before on the team.net list. I think maybe Pete Chadwell was the guy who made it. Here's a link to the pdf if you need it:
TR6 tire cover drawing

Randy
 
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