Josef Posted July 2, 2022 Report Share Posted July 2, 2022 The body has (had!) holes for four fixings each side on the floorpan and five on the bulkhead. Though I usually ignore the top-middle one as access is really awkward! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2022 Thank you all. So it's back to crawling around in the footwells to measure up for the holes. Don't you just love it! Are the spire clips supposed to be on the bulkhead or the tunnel cover? Parts diagrams show them on the cover and there were two on the bulkhead some on the back of the cover (top left and centre on the photo on page 56). I'm sure there are some on the bulkhead too but will check later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2022 On checking the car, I find that I have three horizontal spire clips on the body on either side of the gearbox, none between the third clip and the back (approx. 12"). On the vertical on the body, I have two spire clips about 2" up from the bottom on either side, and three holes along the top which have corresponding spire clips in the tunnel cover which looks like self tapers are fed in from the engine bay through the bulkhead. This would appear to agree with one of the parts diagrams and also fit in with the clips and hex head self tappers that I have found after knocking over the box and spreading them all over the garage floor!!. Before I start to mess can anyone confirm that this is correct please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonMember Posted July 2, 2022 Report Share Posted July 2, 2022 I'm fairly sure all of mine have all the clips on the bodywork and the screws all go through from the cover side. Whether that's how the factory fitted them is another question entirely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted July 2, 2022 Report Share Posted July 2, 2022 modify to use Dzus fasteners you know it will need quick release anytime soon in out in out shake t all about comes to mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted July 2, 2022 Report Share Posted July 2, 2022 As Rob says clips go onto the metal bodywork. You're meant to start the setscrew by pushing it through the tunnel cover into the spire clip, then once it bites sufficient threads you drop the keyhole clamp over it, slide to lock, and tighten. I have four along each floorpan edge and two on each side of the vertical face, one at the bottom and one at the top, nothing between. In the Herald they screw from inside out so that the screw thread is very visible in the engine bay. A long(ish) spire clip does the job on those, with a large penny washer on the inside under the screw head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2022 N/M - Like you, not sure as to whether what I took off is what should be there or even in the correct positions Pete - Never used Dzus fasteners. What size would I be looking for. Are you suggesting all the fastening or just the bulkhead ones and if just the bulkhead would that just be the three that appear to come from the engine side or all of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2022 Found this one, which is mine to a tee... ..with the three holes at the bottom, three spire clips along the top to screw from the engine bay and holes into spire clips at the bottom of the bulkhead. Looks like this is what it 'should' look like so off we go!! It's I testing but this diagram looks like it has an inspection hole for the gear box oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted July 2, 2022 Report Share Posted July 2, 2022 dzus use all depends on having a big enough hole, and the ability to crush the foam seal , they were used a lot on removable floors/panels in the 60/70s all you need is a push and half twist and its all adrift . it was just an idea Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2022 Pete - And a very good idea for which I am grateful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted July 3, 2022 Report Share Posted July 3, 2022 are you about to offer a re design to Dzus on mine i used some self cutting 8mm af headed acme threaded screws and whacked them in with a battery drill and socket can end up with the pepper pot method you know lots of holes & nothing lines up Ha ! Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2022 Pete - Thanks for the info and pointers on this. I don't think that a redesign is on the cards for this one. It's taken me long enough to get to this stage so now that I have a better understanding of how it is supposed to be done (ex factory), I will try it that way. Maybe consider the dzus clips at a later date. The idea is very tempting but I will pass for the time being. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Truman Posted July 3, 2022 Report Share Posted July 3, 2022 I presume the location of the holes in the tunnel lips will depend on the thickness of the seal installed on the lip esp the vertical flange. I spent ages trying to ensure the holes in the horizontal lips aligned with the floor pan inner edge flange holes only to find there was still a mis alignment and the tunnel holes had to be enlarged but there were no issues Re the vertical flange holes. My Dolly Sprint which still has the original vgc steel gearbox tunnel cover still reqd heavy prying to get the screws to align Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted July 3, 2022 Report Share Posted July 3, 2022 One thing I've noticed from this thread is that Heralds have four holes per side and Spitfires 3, which will necessitate some modification when the Spitfire tunnel arrives for my early Herald... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2022 Ahh, at last something useful has come out of this. I am currently trying to find some aluminium strips that have very sharp points on them. I have put them away somewhere safe, where they couldn't possible cause any harm. 3 hours later, still not found, but I have found a lot of stuff that I didn't realise that I had lost though! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2022 Well, apart from the rubber sealing strip for the base and the bulkhead face, it's done. You'd better believe it!! I was planning to add some aluminium reinforcing strips along the tops of the bottom fixing flange thingie, but after spending a long time this afternoon looking for them, I have given up. The sealing strips are due this week and I am just sorting the photos out to bore you all rigid with, which should be posted here tomorrow. As Carl (Bordfunker) would say, this is probably how not to repair a tunnel cover, but it's going back on, just the same. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 5, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2022 As mentioned above, I am just waiting for the rubber sealing strips to finish off along with a couple of other bits and pieces, more of which later. As you will remember the worst part of the cover was this.. around the throat which had been damaged over the years, but finally by the garage when they came to refit it after freeing up the clutch. This was repaired with a mixture of cardboard, 2mm hardboard and evo-stik/F/Glass. The whole thing was given several coats of Fibreglass with special attention to the lips on the base that hold the thing to the floor. These had extra holes, other damage and were very 'wibbly, wobbly' due to the keyplates bending the board. These were repaired with F/G matting and then sandwiched between silicone release paper, to stop everything sticking together, aluminium strip and tubular steel (from the adhesive tests!!), all firmly clamped together... to flatten and straighten... The cover was then marked out for the access panels... and cut out... Note the rounded corners as per the advice from Pete BFG. Then a coat of paint to the outside. The right hand side showing the access for the gearbox oil filler... .. and the left hand side for the clutch slave access. You may notice spire clips fitted along with some extra holes, but this was where things started to go wrong.... More later. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 6, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2022 To continue... It seemed a shame just to chuck the cut out pieces of board, so using some left over adhesive, tt was bonded to the aluminium access plates and rivetted in place. The gearbox access plate then had jack-nuts fitted to accommodate the footrest, making sure that the washers were in good contact with the metal plate and would not spin in use. ..on the left is the gear-box oil filler access plate, on the right is the clutch slave plate as seen from the inside, with the remains of the tunnel cover cut out and rubber sealing strip ... and yes, I did salvage the little corner discs that came out when I cut the 'starting' holes the hole cutter. So, what went wrong? Well the plan was to hold the access panels in place using jack-nuts, a sort of skeletal version of rivnuts. Unfortunately it became apparent very quickly that the jack-nut bodies, when compressed would dig into the tunnel cover board and would probably pull right through, even with the coating of F/Glass. So I put a washer over the nut frame and tightened it up. This spread the load but on tightening the bolt, the whole assembly turned. So a rummage through the spares box brought up split spring washers. That didn't work any better, so the final attempt was using perforated anti shake washers (you know, those things that look like a spoked wheel without the rim). Fitted some, and in puling it up, stupid boy here then held onto the back of the jack-nut to keep it square, not thinking that if the whole assembly were to spin the perforated washer would do damage to the fingers (I know that I should have used pliers) holding the nut and washer assembly....it did and I ended up in search of the first aid box. After 'running repairs', it was obvious that the washers were now doing the same to the fibre board as thy had done to my fingers and cutting through. This was the point where the plan was abandoned and I went back to using good old spire clips (as seen in the previous posting) and self tappers. This did leave a couple of extra holes as the spire clips did not line up with the holes that were originally drilled for the jack-nuts. Not to worry, they would be covered in due course with insulation. The old rubber gaiter and footrest were given the ColinL treatment of boot polish to clean them up a bit... (the gaiter looking like the 'Sorting Hat' from Harry Potter) and then everything was assembled... ...and labelled up You will notice that the footrest can now be removed before fitting the carpet and then added afterwards. This is so that I don't have to cut any new carpet to fit over the footrest which was previously bolted directly onto the cover and couldn't be removed without removing the cover. From the front it now looks like this. and, as I forgot to photograph the inside repairs to the gear lever throat, here it is while I was adding the insulation to the inside. It needed new thicker spire clips to be made to accommodate the thickness of the repairs which was now about 1/4" thick and very strong. ..from the back and underneath. Now already for the arrival of the rubber sealing strips and then fitting. I must at this point thank and acknowledge everyone whose posts have contributed to this job, especially those ideas I have nicked and used. Thank you all. More to come Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted July 6, 2022 Report Share Posted July 6, 2022 I love the label on the footrest! I did acquire and refinish a footrest for my car but then didn’t bother to fit it. Partly cause I thought I’d have to cut the carpet, and then more so cause I didn’t think I’d find a use for it given it’d likely put my leg in a less than comfortable position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Truman Posted July 6, 2022 Report Share Posted July 6, 2022 Just noticed on ebay a job lot of Triumph spares available which includes 9 original gearbox mounting deformed clips/plate washers , eBay Item No. 325257551493,, starting price 0.99P 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted July 7, 2022 Report Share Posted July 7, 2022 As Colin Pointed out. The floor pans have 4 holes each side, to take Spire Clips. Mine (floorpans, new) where from Rimmer/Canley, and 5 in total in the Bulkhead. Pete`s suggestion of Dzus fasteners occured to me too?. I think I asked, back a while, if anyone had done it?. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 7, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2022 PeteH - Now you have me worried/paranoid. I only have 8 keyplates and only 8 are shown on the various suppliers sites. I only have 3 holes and spires in the floor and 1 at the base of the bulkhead on either side. Will have a scrape around later, just in case there are two more in the floor at the back that have been fillered, painted over etc during the life of the car. As you are all aware, it's not the easiest of places to get into for a close look!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josef Posted July 7, 2022 Report Share Posted July 7, 2022 6 hours ago, Badwolf said: PeteH - Now you have me worried/paranoid. I only have 8 keyplates and only 8 are shown on the various suppliers sites. I only have 3 holes and spires in the floor and 1 at the base of the bulkhead on either side. Will have a scrape around later, just in case there are two more in the floor at the back that have been fillered, painted over etc during the life of the car. As you are all aware, it's not the easiest of places to get into for a close look!!! I don’t think you need to worry too much about the exact number of fasteners so long as it’s held in place and not flapping around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 7, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2022 1 hour ago, Josef said: I don’t think you need to worry too much about the exact number of fasteners so long as it’s held in place and not flapping around Thanks Josef, but while I'm doing this and have taken far to long over it, I want to do it as best I can. Unfortunately, as I think I have mentioned, like so many of us, I have no idea what might have been 'upgraded' on the car in the past and am relying on parts diagrams which can be vague, unclear, or just plain wrong, along with the experience of you all. Will have a grovel and report back. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted July 7, 2022 Report Share Posted July 7, 2022 I had to do a few online checks to confirm how many holes originally; on newly pressed floorpans such as Rimmers sell there are four per side on the floorpan, both in the exploded diagram and in the photo of the actual floorpan: On the vertical bulkhead panel I managed to find a NOS version (although somewhat bent?) that confirms two per side, or at least upper and lower: As to the centre top hole.... I'll look for confirmation of that too. This has reassured me that my Spitfire tunnel cover ordered for the Herald will be a straight fit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now