Tonneau cover fit - body work advice please!

[jpyke]

Hi folks, after a bit of body work advice please! After a certain amount of fettling I've got the boot lid to fit very neatly all around and I've now moved on to the tonneau cover. It's a very bad fit indeed. Particularly on one side. I've got the cover nicely central relative to the B posts - but the gap is about 5mm one side as opposed to over 10mm the other! Despite the new rear wings being SOCTFL panels it doesn't appear as if the driver's side one is particularly well formed. The fold going into the gutter is a bit shallow but there is simply no way to tighten this with the panel on the car. I'm struggling to work out what to do. So far I can only conclude that my options are (a) to try and modify the shape of the tonneau cover itself or (b) cut the wing a little and reshape before welding it back up (this is what I've had to do around the boot lid to get a good fit). The tonneau is in very good condition and I'm loathed to hack into this as it could be a problem to get the chrome finishing strips to fit nicely afterwards so this leaves me with making some modifications to the wing. The biggest problem is maintaining the swage line in the top of the wing running to the front of the car. Any slight wiggle in this will look wrong.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome at this stage! I'm wishing now the body shop fitted 3/4 repair panels as they would have been a helluva lot cheaper as well as leaving the fit at the top of the wings as what it was (which, if I remember, was a lot better than I've now got with new wings ).

Pic 1: Aerial view of driver's side poor tonneau fit;
Pic 2: Gap on drivers side;
Pic 3: Ditto;
Pic 4: Gap on passengers side.

IMG_0489.jpgIMG_0498.jpgIMG_0496.jpgIMG_0497.jpg

Cheers

James

[staginhiding]

Hi James
I hate to say this but something looks very wrong with your panel fit.The rear wings look an odd shape as well from the top.
I have not had experience of the SOCTFL rear wings so hard to comment on the fit.
I think the clue was in the trouble you had with the bootlid fit.As with all things if the fit is wrong from the start it only gets worse as you move on..

You might need to backtrack a bit before moving forward again.

I'm sure others will help with advice,so hold on until you have a few more comments..

Sam

[jpyke]

Thanks Sam, what a Job's comforter you are (just kidding).

You make an interesting point about the fit - that was my first inclination too, but the wing is tight against the B post where it should be, and it is pretty snug against the closing panel in front of the boot lid, so I can't work out where the fit is wrong - this is what leads me to suspect the shape itself - this and the fact that the chrome horseshoes don't fit the shape of the new wings that well either!

I must admit the fit of most of the new panels isn't that great, possibly because the tooling is old(?), so I anticipate having to do quite a bit of fettling, particularly around the doors to get the gaps right. I could really do with another stag for reference so I can continually cross check - perhaps I should buy another one lol. ... Maybe that guy with the absolutely immaculate red one at the Bristol Classic show could be persuaded to do a deal hehe.

[staginhiding]

Hi James
I tried to put it as kindly as I could with my tactful hat on..

Looking at your pics again,it looks to me as if the panel gap between the rear wing and the rear deck might be a touch wide.
Not enough for the tonneau to be out of line quite so far though..

As far as I know the only panels still available from the original presses are the front wings and the outer sills..
The SOCTFL panels are meant to be the best fit available but looking at your rear wing contours along the line of the tonneau is doesnt look right.
If the tonneau fitted well before then there is the answer.

If you need to reference with a car I have a couple that are spot on for you to look at.
I am near Shepton Mallet/Bath area if that helps..

I dont know if anyone else here has fitted the full rear wings as you have that can help or comment..
Come on Guys this fella needs our help..

Sam

[staginhiding]

Just a thought James.
Where the back wing joins the sill.It hasnt been welded in the wrong place or too low.Which in effect would pull the top out of line..

[jpyke]

Hi James
I tried to put it as kindly as I could with my tactful hat on..

Looking at your pics again,it looks to me as if the panel gap between the rear wing and the rear deck might be a touch wide.
Not enough for the tonneau to be out of line quite so far though..

Agreed - ideally it would be 1-2mm tighter fitting here.

As far as I know the only panels still available from the original presses are the front wings and the outer sills..
The SOCTFL panels are meant to be the best fit available but looking at your rear wing contours along the line of the tonneau is doesnt look right.
If the tonneau fitted well before then there is the answer.

That would make sense, the front wings seem pretty good but I'm going to have to work on the door skins to get a good consistent gap between them and the wings. The other problem I have with the doors is a considerable variation in fit between the inside of the door and the lip where the seal goes. Some areas are really tight, others very loose.

If you need to reference with a car I have a couple that are spot on for you to look at.
I am near Shepton Mallet/Bath area if that helps..

thanks Sam, that would be really useful. What I would need to work out first though is some method of taking some measurements from yours so I could then go back and check mine. The best thing would probably be a long profile gauge - that said, I'm going to compare the two sides this morning as the passenger side must be different if it fits the tonneau cover better. This may reveal something...

[jpyke]

Just a thought James.
Where the back wing joins the sill.It hasnt been welded in the wrong place or too low.Which in effect would pull the top out of line..

Interesting point... I'll have a look this morning and see.

[staginhiding]

You could also bring your tonneau cover down and see how it sits in one of my shells..

[edd]

You could also bring your tonneau cover down and see how it sits in one of my shells..

That's nice of you Sam
Just to add another offer

My shell is in Bristol and close to the m5 just say if you would like to come and try the cover or take measurements. Your post has highlighted the fact I need to strip my spare cover and check its fit before paint

Regards Edd

[jpyke]

Thanks both, they're very kind offers! This forum is such a great place to get help and advice.

I'd certainly like to have a good look at one or two shells - lots of parts I'd like to compare to where mine has been repaired to see how it's supposed to be... Right now I've only got a sample of one. Are either of you around next Sunday if I were to pop by?

I'm actually feeling quite chuffed with my work this weekend; having decided to leave the tonneau fit for now I've moved onto door fit and achieved quite a bit of progress with the passenger side. I've focused first on the lip where the seal goes to ensure a nice consistent 'squish' when closed.

James

[staginhiding]

Sunday is always tricky for me James,as this is the only day we get to go out together especially if the sun shines..

Saturdays I'm usually doing stuff in the garage so that works or during the week late afternoons..

Edd is closer to you and he's having an enforced holiday at the moment,so I wont offended if its easier to go to him.

He also has done his shell work himself so will have lots of advice for you I am sure..
Just dont mention cement or concrete..

[edd]

Hi James. Feel free to pop by on Sunday. I'm not working on the car at present but might slip away and potter. I'm about to embark on final fit of my doors too.
Drop me a pm with your contact details and we can sort something out for Sunday. Bring a digi camera too for some reference photos.
Alternatively go to Sams but book a week off because he chats like a women
Edd

[staginhiding]

Alternatively go to Sams but book a week off because he chats like a women

And there was me feeling sorry for you Edd.
Besides I might chat like a woman but I've seen the pics of you dressed like a French tart if I remember correctly..

[edd]

Alternatively go to Sams but book a week off because he chats like a women

And there was me feeling sorry for you Edd.
Besides I might chat like a woman but I've seen the pics of you dressed like a French tart if I remember correctly..

I must remember not to throw stones when sat in my greenhouse
See you soon Sam

[jpyke]

My goodness, all these kind offers, it's almost like an episode of dragons den... Except for the fact the no-one's going to get a 25% stake in the finished vehicle

Sunday will work best for me, particularly on this weekend, so I'll accept Edd's offer on this occasion. I'll drop you a PM to get things sorted.

Thanks for the offer though Sam - I really do appreciate it and would like to drop by on another occasion to see how things are going!

James