Thanks to everybody who gave me very helpful advice regarding the fit
between side curtains and the top (hood) of the car. This includes Paul,
Drew, Fred, Andy, Mike, George, and Ed. This list is great!
I said I would try some of your suggestions and get back. I did and I am.
Paul: I don't have the wedge type of holders, but the later type with the
big dzus fastener. The plate has vertical slots for adjustment. Drew: Yes,
it sure looks like the front edge of the curtain is supposed to fit into the
slot in the windshield stantions. Fred: Beating your head against the wall
for two years trying to close the door must have been very painful. Thanks
for the tip about forcing the flap out from the inside. Like you, I have to
lift up on these old doors to close them. Ed: Yes, I did try closing the
door with the top removed. It closed fine.
My problem, to refresh your memories, is that with my new professionally
rebuilt side curtains, I couldn't close the doors. There was lots of
interference between the curtains and the top (hood), and the tops of the
side curtains wouldn't fit under the outside flaps in the fabric top.
Thanks to you all, the problem is 90% solved. I had to lower both brackets
on each door that holds the side curtains. The PO had them right up near
the top of the door, so when I rebuilt the interior that's where I put them.
That's why the side curtains would not fit into the flaps in the top
(hood) — they were too high. There are adjustment slots in the brackets,
but that wasn't enough. I had to drill new holes. The front bracket was
not bad, but I had to lower the rear one about 7/16ths of an inch. I now
can reach up from inside with my hand and get the fabric over the top of the
side curtain to keep the rain out. The rear is still a little too tight, so
I think I will lower them even further, which means drilling another set of
holes in the door panel. (Again, the adjustment slots are not enough). The
final result will be that the front bracket is about 1/4 inch below the top
of the door panel, and the rear bracket will be about 1/2 inch below.
Other comments: I thought that the bottom of the side curtains would clear
the snaps on the outside of the door that are for the tonneau cover (which I
don't have). They don't clear, and I have to overlap them. That causes a
little gap on the bottom, but that's OK — no rain can get in. The left
curtain fits in the front windshield stantion groove nicely. The passenger
side isn't that good — the top fits nicely but the bottom wants to stick
out. I'll play with that some more.
All this was done with the car on jack stands, which distorts the frame a
little and causes the doors to bind a little. All this experimentation
caused the driver's side door latch to put a 1/4 inch tear in the fabric of
my new door panel. Ouch.
Thanks again, a little more diddling and I'll be all set. They look great,
too.
Sumner Weisman
62 TR3B
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