MadaboutKitcars

Hi Ash, I look forward to seeing bonnet straps, are they going to be a bit wider like the E type Jag ones?

Can you make a tonneau out of leather? I'd assumed it'd be a little too stretchy. I'm probably wrong but I was under the impression they need to be made out of hood material - duck/canvass/ heavy duty vinyl etc, so you don't come back to your car after a downpour and find the tonneau sagging inside the cockpit like a swollen ball bag.

Tonneaus and upholstery

Cover Care at Emsworth made my tonneau for my Arrow.They also make all my boat/sail covers and upholstery for my customers, and do an great job at a very competitive price.

I spoke to them about Sammie tonneaus and they said in. Acrylic canvas they could do one for £145 inc as a kit with popper's to be fitted by the builder. If you have a different requirement they offer a same day service where you bring the car in the morning and pick it up in the afternoon fitted and finished. Fritter away the day in the cafes and pubs of Emsworth! This will cost about £185. Inc.
It would be edged, with a central zip and hump for the wheel.

The most local spider Paul D's, is a mile away from them. If they could patten up from that one multiple orders may gain a bit more of a discount on the kit price.

Acrylic canvas is the stuff they make sail covers and sprayhoods from. Nicer to handle than vinyl it comes on loads of colours and lasts for years-my Morris hood is 16 years old and I have only just reproofed it.
No financial connection, but Dave the proprietor( who races a Mk1 golf) better buy me a beer for this post!!!
[url]www.covercare.co.uk[/url]

COULD BE A PLAN.....Thanks Nick.

Ash ....If your wife can produce the Jag style straps at a decent price ...she would certainly sell them , they are a better , but very pricey , option for us at the moment....


SIMILAR TO THIS STYLE BUT 2 SEPERATE STRAPS LIKE WE NORMALLY USE ( SEE WEBSITE ) .....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JAGUAR-XK120-140-BONNET-LEATHER-STRAP-NEW-BS2-D-/270964088272?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3f16b7ddd0#ht_500wt_1054

Set up

Hi All, seen Ash's wife's workshop, and the quality of the leather and her work. If she can get the pricing right, she's your erm? Woman.

Rocker

Picked up my Burlington Arrow from Cover Care this eve. Here, I hope,m are some pics. The cover is dusty cos I have been sanding a boat all afternoon, and was covered.


http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg263/Seanick_bucket/IMG_0777.jpg

And driven home like this....


Its black (obviously) acrylic. minimal stainless steel studs. Decided against the center zip, as its more waterproof as is, and cheaper!

And yes, I find the wonky mudguards annoying too. They are on the list!
Cheers,
Nick.

The Arrow looks great, wonky mudguards 'n' all. Can you MOT it without front mudguards fitted?

It's in daily use like this, but was moted with them on. I hear from hotrodders that you can drive without them in dry weather, but they must be in the boot and fittable if needed. The one i saw used lay flat rubber. Unfortunately i have no boot! My mot man says I could have a 'dry weather' mot though. It does bring a new meaning to 'gritted teeth' !

Bet it does the paintwork a lot of good too!!!!

Not strictly true ....but its a bit of an ambiguous regulation ....its true that the wording of the ruling 'suggests' wet weather use only but only because it refers to wet weather as the reason for fitting them....Hot Rodders , in my experience , embrace that 'loophole' in the hope it will silence the enquiring Police Officer......The reality is that if it goes to court , it probably won't stand up ...I know a few guys who have found this out...

The positive side of this though is , I have driven fenderless cars for over 25 years and driven them a lot , used them daily for periods of time commuting as well as up and down the country for shows etc...I have been pulled for it once in 25 years , most Cops aren't that bothered if you aren't driving like a tw@t or your cars not hanging ...the time I got pulled was for faulty rear lights and he added fenders to the list....

Also , at the moment , although it is destined to change sometime , the fenders aren't required for MOT .....so its an offence to drive them to a roadworthiness test but it wont fail when you get there !!!!!

The Burlington looks great Nick , I like it .....

Thanks Gary, I knew you would 'pull me over ' on that one!

Now, the 'front mudguards/fenders' issue is something I'd paid some attention to a few years back when I was thinking of building a Volksrod and rather liked the bare front wheels look. I have to admit that I couldn't find much relevant information back then and both my taste in cars and the World generally moved on anyway so it wasn't much of an issue for me.

But the question has sort of cropped up again as a matter of general interest on this forum so I took a couple of minutes at the end of my shift this evening to ask a colleague with near thirty years experience in Roads Policing whether front mudguards are a requirement?

The answer? As an individual officer, that particular scenario would be filed under 'too difficult to deal with' and words of advice would be given rather than a prosecution sought. Generally speaking I have to agree with his opinion on that one and if I were to stop a 'rod with no fenders myself for some legitimate reason I'd probably be too busy admiring the detailing to worry too much about the, erm, details. But I have to say that where vehicle condition and the use it's being put to is concerned, there are other bits of legislation apart from 'construction and use' that may apply depending on the circumstances.

So, in this little bit of West Norfolk you'd probably get by fine with no fenders on the front of your 'rod so long as the sun's shining. But there are officers who are far more 'clenched' than I and no doubt have a more thorough understanding of the finer points of the road traffic act, so if your front wheels are throwing rooster tails in your face when you fail to see the jam sandwich lurking at the roadside then don't come crying to me that you've got points on your licence...

....and talking of tonneaus.....reallly pleased with mine. In all that rain we had my Burlington stayed dry inside. Another plus side of the tonneau is it does preserve that new car rubbery smell
Ps. Mudguards going on....only because its too wet to use the car!

For those of you dithering/waiting on what to do, but you still want to get out-n-about then i can recommend the cheap-n-cheery approach of using an off-cut of groundsheet/tarpaulin, some after market eyelets and 4 bungees!

It worked a treat for me this last weekend and based on that i'm in no hurry to go "posher" as i've got other things to spend money on 1st <cough>engine</cough>

Like the tarp Dave, does what it says on the tin. What's up with your engine?

It's got a bit of a smoking habit after i leave it for a few days but it does clear after i do a few miles, so I'm thinking valve stem seals?

But i did go in to this project with the aim that as i plan on keeping it i would get all the fundamental things done during the build and get the car on the road as quick as i could (even then it took a year!) and then look at things such as an engine rebuild, enhanced interior, modified under-bonnet, overdrive conversion etc. over the coming years.

Tonneau cover enquiry

Hello,

Looking for a tonneau cover for my Merlin Munro. I have poppers on dashboard and rear with twist studs on the doors. I'm looking for black, with pocket over steering wheel and pockets over both seats - high headrests with zip down the middle so I can drive with passenger seat covered.

Any recommendations?

Thanks

Try a boat yard or do it yourself. Get some vinyl lay it over the cockpit oversize. Temporary fasten to center fittings and pull to shape. When you are sure mark and fit fixings. Cut around the edges and hem them. I used a medium vinyl which cost about£10 plus the fixings which I already had. I also fitted a center Zip with an overlapping flap. A professional could have done it better but it works. I have a temporary ally tube that holds the middle up so the rain runs off. Done with a domestic Singer sewing machine.

DarrenB – Welcome to the forum.

By chance, Dpaz is a Marlin owner who reads this Sammio sub-forum.

However, you are more likely to get some Marlin specific suggestions in the Marlin sub-forum here:

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=13

Good luck, Paul.

Brockwell Bros. in King's Lynn did mine in red Mohair with white piping for £120 (iirc), which included fitting. After taking the car in for a quote and making an appointment, I just dropped my car off first thing in the morning and it was ready to collect at lunchtime.





They're always busy and, ahem, a little eccentric, but they're traditional craftsmen and do a really good job exactly to your specifications.

https://www.yell.com/biz/brockwell-s-king-s-lynn-1365373/

They're a couple of hours away from Lincoln but the results would be worth the journey.

Paul, cheers for the puff but, Darren has a Merlin. Haven't seen one of them for years. Mr.T that is a seriously smart tonneau better than my £10 one but I do go for 'The object is no expense'
Dave