Tonneau Cover

Take it to a boat top guy. They are used to stretching vinyl AND fiberglass.

And yes, a tonneau is worth it. It keeps the sun out(no more hot seats), keeps debris out(leaves, bugs, dust), and keeps most people out.

Unless you have an angle drill(and probably even if you do), the windshield needs to be removed temporarily if there are no snaps in front.

Danny's correct in saying you'll need to remove the windshield ( makes the snap install easier but it can be done with the windshield in place....  I've  remove the seats for better access. Measure on the new Tonneau cover the distance you want the two snaps L & R of the zipper.  Plot that measurement off of the center rod location on the dash.  From the underside of the dash, drill the two snap stud holes a bit smaller than the snap stud. Use a mini Phillips head ratchet screwdriver to seat the snap studs. (Wait until later to do the snaps forward of the door) To match the studs to the rear section of the tonneau from center, I press down on the material and mark with chalk one location at a time on the new tonneau cover alternating left to right. Then do the snaps forward of the door and lastly the two at the windshield post ....Constantly check.... for any variation as you install each stud and snap . You can, do this yourself. (Me, I take the 15 minutes to pull the windshield as it's so much easier)

Greg54

My car came with a quarter tonneau that was fitted with the snaps for it installed on the car, but no snaps from the rear of the doors forward, like yours.

It came with a full tonneau, no snaps.

I put snaps in the full tonneau myself. Takes time and careful measurement, but it isn't difficult. I have not finished it at the windshield yet.

I sourced the snap kit at a marine hardware store. It came with the tool and all the necessary hardware.

If I can do it, you can do it.

Alan's method is the right way.

Thank you, Bob. If you get a chance to take some pics and post them, that would be super helpful. I’m worried about messing something up. I’d prefer to not have to take out the windshield to do this. Shoot me a link for the snap kit. Keep me posted on how easy or difficult it was. Does it require 2 people? Are there only 2 snaps to put in?

Mine has two snaps in front of the doors and will require two snaps at the front. I. didn't put any snaps on the doors. They would bug me when I felt them under my arm when driving with my arm on the door. And, after looking at dozens of pictures of other cars, hardly any of them showed snaps mounted on the doors.

One person can do this job, except I wouldn't pull the windshield by myself.

I think that if you were to install the same snaps at the very front that you have at the back, perhaps you could get around pulling the windshield.  Depends on how close you put them to the base of windshield, but I defer to guys with more experience.

I'll post some pics later today.

I used Tenax fasteners instead of snaps.  I too didn't want them mounted on door.  So I put them on a tube filled with epoxy that would slip into the side-curtain openings.

Very nice! But you still have to put snaps on the dash, right? How many do you have to use on the dash for a good fit?

Michael:

Great idea!!

I did have to put fasteners on the dash.  I followed the CMC build manual. They are about 6" apart, 10 total.  Other builders don't use as many.

Greg:

I'll have the one on either side of the mirror post and one at each corner. I hope not to have to add any more.

In my case, the tonneau will be used for short periods of time. All it does is keep crap from blowing in and the curious out. Not really a security device.

@Panhandle Bob posted:

Greg:

I'll have the one on either side of the mirror post and one at each corner. I hope not to have to add any more.

In my case, the tonneau will be used for short periods of time. All it does is keep crap from blowing in and the curious out. Not really a security device.

I had the same as Bob. One snap on each side of the mirror post and one snap at the outside edge of the dash near the windshield frame edge. I can't send a picture as I don't have a car anymore. I did not have any snaps along the top of the door because that's where my arm goes and having it rest on a snap or a Tenax fastener is not comfortable.

Hello to all,

I have a CMC WB Speedster. Mine came with a Top and Tonneau that was manufactured by Haartz/StayFast - full black Tonneau with center zip feature. Possibly one of the guys in the club installed it for the previous owner. See Pics Below.

My purpose for the tonneau cover is to keep out debris and rain when parked. Plus, I wouldn’t mind driving it with just the drivers seat exposed when it’s cold out.

Maybe I’m making too big a deal out of installing the fasteners. Sounds like it’s not that difficult and won’t damage the dash. Am I wrong? Is this something I should have a car upholsterer do?

I would go with Danny's suggestion and take it to a boat canvas shop, if you're not doing the work yourself. It would be a piece of cake for a boat canvas guy, Ask around your local marina for recomendations. ( and brace yourself for their estimate for the cost of the job). Good luck!

Bill

The studs or fasteners aren't really a big deal, no matter which version you use.  Just take it slow drilling into the body with very little pressure until the hole gets started and then very light pressure on the drill.

Any boat or Corvette upholstery place knows this and won't see it as a big deal - They do it all the time.

The big deal comes with removing and then replacing the windshield without cracking it.  You can get it off pretty easily (Literally, 4 small screws and a small nut), but when re-installing it, people unfamiliar with these cars (or the original Porsche 356 Speedster) often try to tighten the glass down to what they believe is secure, especially the center strut.  That is usually way too tight and the owner will head to his/her garage the next morning to find a big vertical crack in the glass overnight (or on the way home from the shop when hitting the first good bump).  

Alan Merklin and I wrote up an article on how to properly install a windshield and put it in the Knowledge section under Resources up above, or CLICK HERE for a direct link.  That should give you enough info to decide if this is something you wish to tackle or maybe it should go to a professional.  Last I bought a windshield, it was over $200 each before Covid just for the delivered glass, and you can get one from Carey at Beck Speedsters or Greg at Vintage Motorcars.

Is it the consensus that when removing the windshield one should leave the posts in place? When I remove it to revise my defroster outlets I was planning to detach the posts from the body.

@Greg54 posted:

Maybe I’m making too big a deal out of installing the fasteners. Sounds like it’s not that difficult and won’t damage the dash. Am I wrong? Is this something I should have a car upholsterer do?

They are easy to install. I drilled a small pilot hole first and then drilled a larger hole into which the screw base was mounted.

Installed front snap.

@Greg54 Depending on the color of your speedster I may have an attractive, certainly a unique, option for you. Please see https://www.flickr.com/gp/farsightful/TvM5P5YL26 . I bought the last two of some NOS white vinyl full tonneau covers. I put snaps on one for my car, and made this design on the other. The custom one is still a snapless virgin ready for your car. It does not look as good at arm's length as it does in the photos, because I had lots of trouble keeping the vinyl spray dye solvent from lifting the masking. You or other SOC supporting member can take it for $125 incl. shipping. That way you avoid having a new $700 tonneau be your first shot at mounting snaps.

If you hate the flags design, vinyl dye grips well; you could paint over it. I'm not going to do anything with it: My experience with the stock vinyl one told me that I sit too far back to use a stock tonneau with just the driver side open. I had a new white vinyl tonneau made with extra zippers (see https://www.flickr.com/gp/farsightful/x9820V9119 ) to solve that problem.

Why vinyl rather than canvas? Only vinyl comes in the bright white that I really like on my silver car. Also cheaper to have made from scratch to my specs.

For drilling the dash, I used an angle drill adapter and a set of stubby drill bits. I would never have the nerve to take the windshield off and on.

Let me know if the America/Deutschland tonneau has any appeal.

@Michael McKelvey posted:

Is it the consensus that when removing the windshield one should leave the posts in place? When I remove it to revise my defroster outlets I was planning to detach the posts from the body.

No, leave the posts in place and simply remove the two little countersunk machine screws in each one, then remove the nut and washers and angled tube (if there) from the center strut from under the dash, then grasp the windshield and top frame as a unit and lift it out.  I hope you did not put any sealant/silicone between the glass and the top or bottom rubber gasket - That would only make things harder.  Glass and top frame should slide right out of the corner posts.

Please note:  You can do all that, above, with one person, but it is one helluva lot easier with two people, both pulling up more-or-less equally.  They really do slide right out, following the angle of the corner posts, unless they're glued in somehow.  I'm often surprised at how little is holding the glass in and erect.  Glass shape is everything.

The 2 screws either side on the windshield post are just threaded into the soft aluminum frame.  They can easily strip out.  Using longer screws or tightening them too much can touch the glass and "crack!"  I think I'd measure twice and drill from under the dash up.  You can get Tenax or snaps that have machine screws and a nut to hold them --- rather than the ones with a wood screw thread.  Install with a small stainless washer either side. I'd go with the Tenax just cuz they are more secure snapped and easier to unsnap without pulling out the base.

A lot easier to leave the posts attached and pull the entire windshield assembly out. Leaving the posts in place and reinstalling those four small and short thread screws can and will strip out in the aluminum frame,  a disaster in the making .

Or... wait till you need a new windshield

I have a tonneau cover that zips down the middle, and I use it a lot in the summer.
When it's just me driving (most of the time) I just have the drivers seat open. Super easy to just zip up the middle if I'm parking for a little while (I don't even bother snapping the front drivers side, the zipper holds it in place).
One thing I will note though is the center snap on the dash needs to be strong, it takes the brunt of the strain when the drivers side is unzipped. With a cross wind or at speed there can be some flapping and movement on the cover.

I upgraded all of my press snaps to Loxx locking cam snaps (manufactured in Germany, popular with the boating crowd). What I like about the Loxx fasteners is when it's locked in it's not coming off, even if the top is flapping or otherwise loose, the press on snaps on the other hand I've found can easily come loose (especially as they age) with a bit of flapping or movement.

Thank you for sharing that. I think I’ll wait until I find some who can competently put the snaps on the dash without damaging it. I wish VS added them to all their builds. I would have bought the tonneau cover by now.

I think some would not want a tonneau cover.     Just saying.

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Whenever this comes up, I usually jump in and say how useful I find the tonneau, for most of the reasons already given.

It's always on my car. When driving solo, I like having the passenger side covered. I always close it up completely when parked. It's amazing how a thin layer of canvas will dissuade monkeys from monkeying.

Here are a few more photos of how the old (Kirk and Mary) VS did the install (on several thousand cars). No snaps on the doors. You don't need them. If you do have them, you need to unsnap them each time before opening the door.

If you're not super handy, this is probably not a job to try on your own if you've never done it before. Mistakes are pretty conspicuous and forever. The boat canvas shop or Corvette fiberglass shop are good suggestions. But print out a copy of Alan's instructions for setting that snap in the middle of the dash, anyway, and show them to the shop — which is not likely to have worked on one of these cars before.

One last thing. Tenax fasteners are generally considered an upgrade to snaps and to the 'pull up the dot' fasteners VS uses at the windshield. If you're springing to have someone else do the job anyway, I think I'd spring a bit more for Tenax — especially for the four up front, and maybe for the first one in the back, on each side (notice that VS uses a sturdier connector than a plain snap at this last location). The four at the windshield get a lot more use than the rest. If you leave the tonneau on the car in regular use like i do, you hardly ever need to undo the snaps in the back.

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When I was shopping for Tenax fasteners I found that British Tenax fasteners were cheaper than German ones.  Get the little 2-prong tool.

https://www.vintagecarparts.co.uk/

I can't imagine not having the full tonneau cover.  In the year I've owned the car, I think the tonneau has only been off three times; twice for washing, and once while driving home from SLO.  After several hours of driving straight into the sun I finally had to put the top up for the last leg!

I know what you mean but you are in the the land of eternal Sunshine as for us we cannot imagine Living without roll up windows and a real top .  Up here we hope that global warming will come true and we will have eternal summers as well.

@IaM-Ray posted:

I know what you mean but you are in the the land of eternal Sunshine as for us we cannot imagine Living without roll up windows and a real top .  Up here we hope that global warming will come true and we will have eternal summers as well.

Ummm, not, to the nth power.

So as I was mentioning where is GW when you need it .. today at 5 pm Hail and lots of it and ccccCold