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TR6 Unshrinking tonneau - is it possible?

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steveg

steveg

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If I leave my tonneau in the sun, will it be possible to 'unshrink' it so I can get it snapped? If so, will it stay unshrunk when it cools down?

screenshot.2520.jpg
 
Heat gun?
 
I remember one of the guys hung his in a warm place....wood strapping clamped on either side of the of each end of the tonneau and then hung small weights on the bottom to stretch it.

Cheers,
Tush
 
I've done it semi-successfully by leaving it in the sun, putting it on the car and leaving it there for a few months at a time. Even still, where the buttons and turnknobs attach are stress points and may tear out the buttons with the continued stress. I had to have some reinforcements sewn in to fix this because it's cheaper than buying a new tonneau. If you use a heat gun, be careful as they can easily generate enough heat to melt the vinyl.
 
Warming it in the sun may help. It's certainly worth a try.

I just replaced to top on my Toyota MR2 Spyder. It was the tightest top I've ever installed--seemed like there was no chance of it stretching enough to close. When I finally got it closed, I left the car in the sun for a couple weeks, and it closed fairly easily after that. Vinyl--even the fabric-reinforced stuff used for tops and tonneaus, stretches more than you might imagine.

Also--I've been told that professional top shops have steamers that they use to heat tops and get them to fit. Worst case, that might be an option.
 
The sun is the safe way to get snapped. But it will go back so before putting your car to bed leave it on. I had a boot cover made to cover my soft top when down and I asked to make it to big so it fit lose when new. 27 years latter still just lays down and snaps all fit. It is a been there done that kind of thing. Does the zipper still work OK Madflyer
 
Madflyer said:
The sun is the safe way to get snapped. But it will go back so before putting your car to bed leave it on. I had a boot cover made to cover my soft top when down and I asked to make it to big so it fit lose when new. 27 years latter still just lays down and snaps all fit. It is a been there done that kind of thing. Does the zipper still work OK Madflyer
Click to expand...

Zipper is good.
 
I've stretched roofs in the past putting a towel on it then pouring on boiling water boiling water. If you can get it on some form of a frame then the towel and water and maybe some weight.
 
Be careful. It's possible to break or delaminate your windshield if its too tight. My Alfa has that cloudy look in the windshield lower corner near the door pillar, I suspect from trying to fit a too tight top. Haven't seen that since my 1940 Ford.
 
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