TR2/3/3A Tr3 Dzus style side curtain brackets

[ekamm]

I replaced my interior last winter and decided not to mount my side curtain brackets. Now I'm ready to do that and have a few questions. After lining everything up and mounting the brackets I cannot get the dzus fastener to engage. Is there supposed to be a cutout in the wood portion of the door panel to facilitate the part of the fastener that protrudes through the bracket?

 

[Marvin Gruber]

The brackets mount directly on top of the panel. Do your brackets have the wire rod inside the dzus holes. I have seen brackets where the wire rod has broken. The dzus fastner twists on to it to hold it in place.

Marv

 

[ekamm]

The wire is there and the brackets are original and in good condition. The slot in the fastener lines up and will lock in fine off of the door but with the bracket attached it seems to hit the solid/wood portion of the door card and won't let you turn it to lock.

 

[M_Pied_Lourd]

Hi Eric,

Here are a couple shots of mine.

Does your backer board have the reliefs cut out? Just a thought.

Cheers,
M. Pied Lourd

 

[luke44]

So Eric, if I am understsnding correctly, you are saying the dzus fastener is bottoming out on the door panel, correct?

 

[ekamm]

Yes it is bottoming out. I could look at my old door cards but they are in storage. the repros that I am using came from moss. They have a wooden backing ant the fastener bottoms on the wood. There just isn't quite enough room to get the fastener to turn and lock. I suppose that I'll have to remove them and the panel to cut out some of the wood to allow for the fastener to go in a little farther.

 

[TR3driver]

I just checked a door from my 3A, it does have reliefs for the Dzus buttons. Approx 3/4" diameter, about 1/4" deep. Can't take a photo just now, but I could tonight if it would help.

The panels should definitely have holes, so no way the button hits the wood panel (as Pied showed above).

PS, Are you sure you've got the right buttons in your sidecurtains? There are several different styles. Might be worth trying one outside of a curtain, to be sure you are fixing the right problem.

 

[ekamm]

Yes these sidecurtains were used last year before re-doing the interior and the same ones that the care came with. the recess in the door wood is there i am assuming that there is no hole in the panel or tin the wrong place I know that yhe po (dad) had fiddled with curtain brackets at one time because of stripped holes that I took care if before covering the doors with the new panels just didn't think of the hole in the panel until now.

 

[ekamm]

So, the repros from Moss don't have a pre-drilled hole where the bracket goes. Better that way as everyone's will land in a different spot. Something that I should have noticed when I put the panel on. Made a small hole in the wood backing where the fastener hit and works great. Thanks for the comments and pictures. Having to drive the 3 more for a while until my (16 year old)daughter's car gets repaired after her first accident. Works for me glad I got the heater working well during the interior installation.

 

[sp53]

I find that interesting Randall about the buttons being different. I had not noticed that before. I will check through my tr3 stuff and see what I can see before I finish that 61 because I have had problems in the past and never thought of that one.
Steve

 

[MGA75002]

Eric, I think that Randall answered your question. Yes, the wood has to be drilled. When I bought my restored TR3B, the PO bragged that "the sidecurtains had never been installed." No wonder! He COULDN'T install them! New wooden blocks were installed in the resto, and they were not drilled out to make room for the Dzus "screw."

So, I drilled them out. One bit of information I learned that I can pass along to you. YOU CAN DRILL THE HOLE WITHOUT REMOVING THE UPHOLSTERY OFF THE PANEL. Once you have decided exactly where to drill the hole (no small task in itself!), mark the center of the hole with a scratch awl. Using an Xacto knife, I cut an "X" across the hole for a width of 1/2", east-west and north/south. This allowed me to peel back the upholstery far enough to fit in the drill bit and start drilling. I was very nervous, as I had no idea whether or not the drill bit would catch on the upholstery and make a mess.

It may have been dumb luck, but it worked. The nice thing about it: when you put the bracket back on the panel, you cannot see the hole anyway.

Good luck.

Phil

 

[TR3driver]

I find that interesting Randall about the buttons being different. I had not noticed that before. I will check through my tr3 stuff and see what I can see before I finish that 61 because I have had problems in the past and never thought of that one.

I mentioned it mostly because I believe the ones for the hood/bonnet are shorter. If you tried to use them in a sidecurtain, I think the head of the button would keep it from going deep enough to engage the wire, which might cause a similar symptom.

I ran for many years with sidecurtain style buttons in the hood. They worked well, in fact I kind of liked the way they popped up when released, but the same person that installed the wrong buttons had apparently also taken all the spacers out from under the receivers.