G Graham wrote:
>
> At the risk of appearing (so to speak) really dumb-- what are tonneau
> bars & what do they do?
There is a bar that is 'C' shaped that extends from one side to the
other just behind the seats. There are metal tabs that fit in slots at
the top of the 'B' posts such that the bar is parallel to and about even
with the top of the rear deck.
The purpose is that, when the car is fitted with a full tonneau, the
tonneau can be unsnapped at the front and sides and folded down over the
bar with the excess tucked into the rear shelf. There are a couple of
snaps in the middle of the tonneau that are for posts mounted on the
rear bulkhead just above and to each side of the trans tunnel.
Thus the tonneau bars provide a crisp fold when the rear half of the
tonneau is still fitted.
There also is something called a 'half-tonneau' or something that the
anal-retentive must have. This is merely a cover for the hood (when
folded) and, with the tonneau bars, provides just enough material to
extend off the rear deck, fold over the bars, and snap to the previously
mentioned posts.
They are called 'bars' (plural) because they actually are in two
sections that were a slip fit in the center. The 'bars' were removed,
taken apart, and stored in a dogleg-shaped goofy pouch that was made out
of weird fiber/canvas material and lined with cat fur. This allowed the
bars to be stored in the boot when the hood was up.
The tonneau is pronounced TAW-new unless you are either a) high falutin'
or b) own a Triumph in which case it is pronounced two-NO.
There will, of course, be people that know much less than I who will
argue some minor points but you've just been given the absolute facts --
IMHO.
--
Bob Allen, Kansas City, '69CGT, '75TR6, '61Elva(?)
"The last manufacturer to service the masochistic needs of sports car
owners was BMC, which persisted in building the Stone Age MGA until it
became some sort of four-wheeled fossil." -- Car & Driver, May 1966
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