> 1. My post-60000 TR3A did not have side plates between the bolt-mounted
> (non-Dzus) stanchions and the body. Instead, there was a 1/16"
> thick cork gasket
> between the lower end of each stanchion and everywhere it touches
> the body.
> I've seen no listing for a cork gasket, so was this a PO's way of
> compensating
> for the lack of side plates? Are the side plates supposed to be mounted
> directly against the body?
Bill, there's been considerable debate on this subject ... all I can say is
that all the post-60K cars I've dealt with have had the chrome plates,
bolted directly to the body. My memory says the holes are in different
locations than on the pre-60K cars, but I could be wrong about that.
> 2. There is an angled groove machined into the inside edge of each
> stanchion, but it's not clear what this channel is for. It's
> approx. 1/4" wide by 3/8"
> deep by 2" long, and it runs roughly parallel to the length of
> the stanchion.
> Mine were empty and serving no visible purpose. What gives?
Again, every car I've disassembled had some sort of (cork ?) seal in that
groove. It does not appear in any parts catalog that I'm aware of. I
believe it was to seal the lower part of the stanchion to the body, to
prevent water from getting into the passenger compartment at that point. As
a side benefit, I believe it helped preserve the paint.
HTH
Randall
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