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MG TD TF 1500 - Side curtain help

If anyone has the time could you measure your RH front TD side curtain and let me know if it approximately matches mine?

Thanks

Tim


Timothy Burchfield

Tim, see http://www.ttalk.info/Curtains/index.html for some measurements. Bud
Bud Krueger

Bud, thank you. I have Moss' information. It came with the curtains. What I really need to know is if the curtains I received from Moss are actually for a TD. The fit is atrocious. I hacked the heck out of the LH side screen to get a decent fit. But the RH Moss curtain fits even worse than the LH curtain. So I'm wondering if the curtain is for another car. The photo shows the fit with the leading edge lined up with the windshield edge. The frames are not installed yet.

Tim


Timothy Burchfield

Tim,

Two bow or three bow top? It makes a difference.

Jim
James Neel

Jim, right you are. My bad. It is a three bow top. Thanks.

Tim
Timothy Burchfield

The location of the stitching on the Moss side curtains that I purchased doesn't line up with the original 2 bow frames that I borrowed and used to create a new pair of front frames. The side curtains are for a two bow TD as are the original frames. One side is acceptable while the other will need some creative placement to ensure that the exterior chrome trim just hides the stitching. I'd return them to Moss but bearing the cost of shipping them back to the States and then paying for shipping a replacement set is incredibly expensive. And there is no guarantee that the replacements would be a better fit. I was also disappointed that the treatment of the edges used a capping piece, as opposed to the original method of folding both inner and outer pieces in on themselves. Caveat emptor. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Tim,

I just did mine and found that the position of the hood support is far more critical than one would think. I used the Robbins' products and my hood would not fit until I lowered the frame. When I installed the side curtains, I found the hood was still too high. I just made the best of it, with the idea that the curtains will not get used much, if at all. However, yours does look way off - either the wrong set, or hood far too high.

On another note, I did not like the supplied rivets, and ended up using black plastic auto interior fasteners from the hardware store. They look good and work fine, but I also melted and flattened the inside of them by using a flat blade heated with a torch. Takes just a few minutes.

Jim



J Barry

Interior shot is more damning. I didn't even notice the gap until I was done. Another half inch down on the hood support would have been good, but the hood is done and I'm not going back. The gap is a drag, but I think it is probably more important to get the top edge tucked under the flap in the hood.

Jim


J Barry

This is really a tough job to get right. My approach will be to use bits of ply to mimic the thickness of the finished panels and to attach the bows and framework and the side curtains and their fixings BEFORE they and the car are upholstered. I'll keep shifting things around until I get the uniformity with the frames that I seek. I'll then offer up the fabric to the frames, the hood and to the side curtains to ensure decent coverage and no gaps anywhere. There have been examples of truly shocking installations where a set of measurements were slavishly followed after the car had been upholstered. I don't believe there is one right way, only the one way that is right for your car. Testing the stitching on the side curtain fabric and their relationship to the frames is the obvious starting point. If they are out of whack then ugliness will definitely follow. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Jim if ever you decide to use fixings that look like the real thing just email me and I'll post them to you at cost. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Peter,

I assume you are talking about the rivets... thank you but the plastic pieces look good and are very functional - far better than what was supplied. Side curtains are properly stowed and not likely to see the light of day in the near future! But you are right, it is a tough job to get right. I think it is all in the hood height measurement.

Jim
J Barry

Jim, I sympathize with your situation. Because they are seldom used I won't spend an inordinate amount of time getting the SCs perfect. The rivets I got from Moss were to short in length. From the Frame Up has rivets that are longer.

Peter, I agree with you that standard measurements are useless on a T Series car when it comes to upholstery and weather equipment. Time and time again I've heard that the 20 1/2" hood frame height measurement mentioned by Moss for a TD is incorrect.

Now if someone with a TD with a three bow top would only measure their RH side screen for me I'd be a happy man. :-)

Tim
Timothy Burchfield

Tim,

My 3 bow right front curtain measures;

LH 20 1/2, RH 15 3/8, Top 23 1/2, bottom 28 1/2

Jim
James Neel

The SC dimensions are fixed; the opening created by the tub, wind screen and hood are variable. If I had it to do over again I'd install the SCs and then locate the hood support to get the best fit possible. I also found the published height for the hood frame to be a coarse approximation that just gets you into the right ballpark. Like others, my SCs are for dire emergencies only. Even if I'm caught in the rain and have to put the hood up, I rarely install the SCs.

Jud


J. K. Chapin

Jim, thank you very much. Looks like my screen is the correct one. But it's disappointing that it fits so poorly. I dug though a ton of boxes and surprisingly found the original curtains. The old one is laying on the new one. It is pretty obvious that the hood frame sat much lower than the 20 1/2" I used. Look at the extra bottom material of the new SC under the old one.

Tim


Timothy Burchfield

Tim,

I started with 20 1/2 and I could not fit the hood properly - I have a post about that. After a go-round with Robbins for not providing enough material, I lowered it to 19 1/2 and the top fit fine. I had to apologize to Robbins after that! I think 19 inches would have been perfect.

As much as I doubt that I will use the curtains, they have a cozy feel. I also remember my Dad using them throughout the Virginia winter back in the day for his daily drive to work. So they do work, and one day I may be glad to have them available.

Jim
J Barry

Jim, I'm thinking of lowering the frame but I think it would screw up the back rail fit. I'm already going to unfasten and re-stretch the front. I guess the only thing you have to worry about is keeping dry, not getting cold.

Regards

Tim
Timothy Burchfield

Tim,

I don't recall much of an issue with the back when I lowered the frame, but it made a lot of difference in the front. Unfortunately, my car does not live with me but resides in Southern California, which is also not a bad climate for an MG.

Jim
J Barry

This thread was discussed between 21/01/2020 and 22/01/2020

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