FHC Rear Parcel Shelf refurb

[Stevie P]

Anyone done it?

How?

Anyone flocked one?

Anyone fitted a fibreglass one?

Whats to do!?

Steve

[gordon kerr]

<font color="green">Mine was covered in leather to match when the seats were done and it was great to start with but parts of it were glued down and the glue did not seem to want to stay doing it's job when it got hot. I tried gluing it back down which again with a contact adhesive which again worked for a while but did come unstuck again. It seems to be the effect of the heat of sun through the window which causes it to come off. I have given it much though but have still not been able to come up with a way which attaches the leather permanently. There is a picture in my pictures which shows it just after it had been done - sadly it isn't looking as good as that any more. </font id="green">

<font color="green">Gordon
GRD 1980 Brooklands Green 2l FHC
OVC 1980 Platinum Silver 3.9l V8 FHC (sadly now sold cost of fuel etc. too much for a now retired person)
Bedford, UK.
</font id="green">

[nick]

I have mine out as well and have been pondering how to re-upholster it. The hardboard is also cracked on both sides where the seat belts come through. I've bought some thin board which I will cut to the full length and probably rivet into place to give it some stiffness. But I am stumped on how to recover it. The old material must have been formed with heat application. If I could find some of the same material it would be a good start. Most of the material I have found so far has a cloth type backing and would never conform to the shape.

I saw an after market one made from fiberglass and it sucked. The guy who bought it had not installed it so it will probably end up in a scrap heap.

[img][IMG]http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/nickmi/TR7%201975/Yellow.jpg[/img]
nick
'79 TR7 DHC
'76 TR7 FHC

[Chris Turner]

Ive used a fibre glass one and am very pleased about the results, to make it look better I sprayed it with black vinyl paint.

www.triumphtrs.co.uk
THE Coca Cola car
The C+C Conversions rally car JDG 941V
TR7 Sprint SJW 530S on the road for the 1st time since 1984
TR7 Sprint SJW 539S

[John Wood]

I have a mint one. It's not in a car though. I am sure if I fit it, it will end up like the rest.
CT has the best solution.

TR7 Sprint SJW550S
TR7 Automatic

[FI Spyder]

I don't have a FHC but this is what I would do. I would get some vinyl (with out the cloth backing) with the desired colour and texture (search out fabric and craft stores or failing that an auto or furniture upholstery place, don't forget the internet). Place it over the hardboard (make any repairs required to the hardboard first). Place a piece of plastic over the vinyl and pour in sand so it puts even pressure on the vinyl, put some boards over the sand and add weight (what ever's handy). Set out in the hot sun or failing hot sun, heat with hair dryer (heat gun might be too much) or put halogen shop lights close to it (they generate a lot of heat). After several hours or so the vinyl should stretch to take the shape of the depressions. Take it apart and spray with trim adhesive (if it's not heat sensitive, do some reading on the properties section of the companies website) or use something like Automotive goop. reassemble with plastic, sand etc. and apply pressure as before and leave until gluing agent cures (X2). Take apart and trim the excess vinyl off. I never tried it but that is what I would do to have best chance of working. What do you think?


- - -TR7 Spider - - - 1978 Spitfire- - - - 1976 Spitfire - - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra - Yellow TCT

[nick]

It would take a bunch of stretch but it might work. What happens on these parcel shelves, at least on mine, is that the vinyl shrinks. So I think the deteriorating process is that with heat from the sun the glue fails and then vinyl shrinks as everything cools and eventually takes a new set. I was thinking I may be able to re-stretch it but when I put heat to it, it did not seem to have enough compliance to stretch anywhere near as far as I need it to go.

[img][IMG]http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt234/nickmi/TR7%201975/Yellow.jpg[/img]
nick
'79 TR7 DHC
'76 TR7 FHC

[John Wood]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by FI Spyder</i>

............I would get some vinyl (with out the cloth backing) with the desired colour and texture (search out fabric and craft stores or failing that an auto or furniture upholstery place, don't forget the internet). Place it over the hardboard (make any repairs required to the hardboard first). Place a piece of plastic over the vinyl and pour in sand so it puts even pressure on the vinyl, put some boards over the sand and add weight (what ever's handy). Set out in the hot sun or failing hot sun, heat with hair dryer (heat gun might be too much) or put halogen shop lights close to it (they generate a lot of heat). After several hours or so the vinyl should stretch to take the shape of the depressions. Take it apart and spray with trim adhesive (if it's not heat sensitive, do some reading on the properties section of the companies website) or use something like Automotive goop. reassemble with plastic, sand etc. and apply pressure as before and leave until gluing agent cures (X2). Take apart and trim the excess vinyl off. I never tried it but that is what I would do to have best chance of working. What do you think..............
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

-

I think that would take longer than a full restoration[:D]


TR7 Sprint SJW550S
TR7 Automatic

[Maxwell]

Flocked mine - not a resounding success, but a vast improvement on the cracked and blistered vinyl. Sprayed matt-black first - looked a bit like a pie-bald badger with mange!

Maxwell [:D]


2.0 TR7 FHC \ Current
1.8 Mazda MX5 \ Current

[Stevie P]

I managed to get all the vinyl off tonight without cracking it, by using a hot air gun carefully.

I did try putting the vinyl onto the bottom of the shelf and heating the pockets and reforming to shape, had some success but will need more when try to refit it.

On the board itself, I have used super glue to penetrate the board and steel plates clamped either side to try and straighten and strengthen the seat belt holes.

I am thinking of something like masonry stabiliser for the board overall, it will sink in and when dry make it hard and repair any cracks, also making it sandable and fillable!

Another option I am thinking of, is to get some hard board and just 'board over' the pockets from the top, will lose the pocket recesses but make recovering so much easier on a flat surface and a cleaner finish. Separate tubs could then be let in.

Steve

[trekcarbonboy]

Use fleece material to cover it and then fibreglass resin the material. Sand, paint, install.

Craig '75 2.0 FHC

[Chris Turner]

Ive seen a few covered in carpet like material but they don't seem to look right.

www.triumphtrs.co.uk
THE Coca Cola car
The C+C Conversions rally car JDG 941V
TR7 Sprint SJW 530S on the road for the 1st time since 1984
TR7 Sprint SJW 539S

[TR Tony]

Who is the guy from Bristol area with the pair of very early coupes that he has restored, with V8 power? Him & his wife have been along to some shows this year. Embarrassingly I can't remember their names right this moment [:I]

Anyway, on his cars he told me he stripped the old vinyl off then gave the fibeboard several coats of dilute PVA, which both seals the surface & strengthens the board. Then he simply sprayed the shelf with several coats of satin black paint. The end result looks decent.

Tony

<font size="1">1981 TR7 FHC Cavalry Blue
1980 TR7V8 DHC Jaguar Regency Red - sadly sold!
1977 TR8 FHC EFI Factory development car Inca Yellow</font id="size1">

[TR Tony]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by John Wood</i>

I have a mint one. It's not in a car though. I am sure if I fit it, it will end up like the rest.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

John you are right - I bought a mint one & put it in my TR8. I took huge care not to leave it parked in the sun, I even took some lenghts of cardboard around with me to cover the shelf when the car was parked. All to no avail, within 6 months the vinyl started to lift & now after a couple of years it looks as bad as any.

I should keep yours as a museum piece[:D]

Tony

<font size="1">1981 TR7 FHC Cavalry Blue
1980 TR7V8 DHC Jaguar Regency Red - sadly sold!
1977 TR8 FHC EFI Factory development car Inca Yellow</font id="size1">

[Stevie P]

Some great ideas here.

What's the issues with the fibreglass ones?

I've heard they are not very good.

Steve