Darrell Floyd wrote:
DF John, They were originally not only plastic they were white on Early TR6's
correct?
JM No and Yes, but white snaps were only found on cars with white soft tops
and tonneaux. White with white, black with black.
DF So if you use the commonly available black snaps you still have problems.
JM Not in my experience. Both colours were a confounded nuisance. Neither was
stronger or weaker than the other, both types broke and the warranty claims
were endless. It didn't take too long for the plastic to lose what little
elasticity it had - and they just broke. Winter was the best time for this to
happen because of the cold.
DF I almost never see them done correctly.
JM Neither do I but I think perhaps the reason is the tool available to fit
them hasn't got the necessary pressure to ensure proper adhesion and cling. As
originally fitted to tops and tonneaux, the tool that installed them was a
heated hydraulic welder. My best guess for badly fitted replacements is that
those using the tool don't have the necessary strength to fully compress one
part into the other and I sure don't have that myself. Maybe others are the
same?
DF I don't think any original white snaps are available. Even I, a known
stickler, run around with black plastic snaps on my 71.
JM Can't comment. My Triumph has a sliding sunroof that I can open from the
driving seat :) Don't need snaps.
DF The repro Plastic ones do break occasionally but not all the time.
JM Then I would suggest that perhaps the type of plastic used for them is a
better quality than the factory original - and that wouldn't be difficult to
achieve.
Deane Page also wrote:
DP Also the metal snaps that were standard on TR-4s and 4a's tended to bite
into the paint allowing rust to begin to form.
JM Agreed, Deane - but there's a way round that problem. At the company
Service Departments in Coventry and London it was commonplace when re-fitting
the *metal* male snap to the body, to put a small rubber disc between it and
the painted metal. I've done this several times myself over the years when
re-fitting these pesky things. I use a piece of rubber cut from a piece of
inner tube and then carefully trim the squeezed out excess. The rubber acts as
a cushion, saves paint damage and a thin smear of clear silicone on both faces
of the rubber will ensure moisture doesn't get trapped. IMHO, that's a far
better way but as I said earlier, "I'm not a stickler for originality" as the
rubbers weren't used in production.
Jonmac
=== This list supported in part by The Vintage Triumph Register
=== http://www.vtr.org
|