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tonneau cover

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fordhealey

Jedi Hopeful
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also used heritage. very good fit on my tonneau.
also water tight. i live in key west and usually
only have the tonneau on the car. the interior has never gotten wet.
gregg
 
I'm in the market for a new tonneau for my BJ8 in black vinyl(?). Other than Moss are there any suggestions? What are the material options? I see so many different materials and designs. I'm looking for something to replace the original look.
Thanks
 
I used Heritage Uphostery & Trim for my interior & hood. Materials are either Everflex (cloth backed vinyl) or stayfast a light weight fabric. Vinyl is almost half the price of fabric. Contact person is Duncan Wells.
 
Thanks. I've contacted Heritage. I also contacted A.H.Spares. I'm having trouble with getting in touch with Hemhpill(spelling?) He advertised in the AHCA mag but the Email won't go through. Its all about price vs. quality. And Moss is still a contender due to price. Any experiences out there that might help?
 
I recently purchased a tonneau cover from Hemphill's in everflex and am very happy with it. Great quality and service.
 
HEMPHILL'S has a toll free number if you are
having e-mail problems. it's 1 800 943 2539.
their full name is HEMPHILLS HEALEY HAVEN LTD.
if you call them get a catalogue. they are
cheaper than MOSS on some items. just make
sure they STOCK what you are ordering from
them and get a delivery date. i've had problems
with them on back orders.
gregg
 
I had purchased an everflex tonneau from AH Spares.
It wasn't as finely finished as the Heritage product will be. (corners and details)
I returned the tonneau, and still haven't purchased a new one.
 
Last summer I purchased a tonneau for my BT7 from Moss. I still had the original one for comparison. The Moss item was almost a perfect match including texture and design. Even the interior material was similar. The only difference that I could teld was the smell. The original had that very special ordor that I have only noticed in an orginal Healey. Not sure where it comes from, could be the leather seats, wool carpet, everflex or a combination of all three. It was always the most intense when opening the car after it sat in the sun for a while. Since I replaced the interior 20 years ago with synthetic products, it doesn't smell the same. I've often wondered if other owners know that smell or am I just dreaming and can it be duplicated with new materials.
 
The smell I associate with English convertible cars is a mildew smell!
When I got my bugeye many years ago with top and windows in place, it had a very memorable smell which I wouldn't mind duplicating.
 
all of my old BMC cars had that smell.i love it.
always brings good memories. they also retain the
smell of burnt lucas wireing..unfortunately!
gregg
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Rob Glasgow:
Last summer The only difference that I could teld was the smell. The original had that very special ordor that I have only noticed in an orginal Healey. Not sure where it comes from, could be the leather seats, wool carpet, everflex or a combination of all three. Since I replaced the interior 20 years ago with synthetic products, it doesn't smell the same. I've often wondered if other owners know that smell or am I just dreaming and can it be duplicated with new materials.<hr></blockquote>
As you say, the original smell comes from the combinations of leather dye, vinyl compositions, & carpet composition. Hard to duplicate with different materials. The smell of the carpet material is probably the biggest change. However, I don't really miss the musty smell of wet wool. The overall original smell can't really be duplicated with newer materials. I recoated the leather seats with a coat of leather dye, "Fiebing's Leather Stain" same color, & rather like the new smell of the dye.

With the top down, as it should be, there isn't much smell anyway.

Maybe you could make an "Old Healey Smell" air freshener gadget & sell a bunch of them.
D

[ 02-20-2004: Message edited by: Dave Russell ]</p>
 
Hmmmmm... Huffing Healeys. Well maybe that explains the increase in value lately. Thanks for all the help. I've still haven't made a decision on the tonneau yet but I appreciate the imput. They all sound good. Is "Everlast" the best material for wear and keeping the shape? I'm getting the feeling that many are made in the same place in England.
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by fordhealey:
also used heritage. very good fit on my tonneau.
also water tight. i live in key west and usually
only have the tonneau on the car. the interior has never gotten wet.
gregg<hr></blockquote>
I have an original vinyl full length cover for concours correctness use & a Heritage 'short" version in Stayfast for everyday use.

I much prefer the Heritage version for everyday use. The short version just looks more sleek & "sexy". On the two seater BN2. I hate to cover the clean metal lines of the car with a huge expanse of the original full length cover. Also think that leather hood straps look like a throwback to the covered wagon era of horse & harness. To say nothing of the full length cover & straps causing paint scuffing.

While on the subject, the wind buffeting of the raised hood "top" causes paint scuffing on the shroud.
D
 
I think it is "Everflex" material I was woundering about. Sorry.
blush.gif
 
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