Tonneau Cover

[VagueShot]

Does anybody know if anybody makes a proper old-fashioned tonneau cover for the Elan? That would enable warm driving in the winter and also allow driving in showery weather with the hood down.

[theelanman]

erm.....no...
its been asked about before but other than the shower cape there's nothing smaller available really.........
we'd need clips on the dash etc and as theres nothing there then I think thats why noone has bothered........
I suppose it could be done...shouldnt be that hard........
Im thinking elastic over the rear deck...or button clips on the down leading edge on the hood deck......
what do you think????

[chris.t]

sorry for insensitive posting, brain not in gear.

[VagueShot]

I wish I had both; tonneau cover and wife!

[inkitin]

.

[VagueShot]

Just a quick note to say I didn't mind the original post. After all the Lotus was bought by my late wife and now it is a car with lots of happy memories. The Lotus has already charmed another widow, who incidentally HJ2 has met!

The only thing I would say, is that being a widow or widower (I prefer the female form form in most instances) is not easy and you tend to get left out or behind, hence the title of my blog. This Christmas, if the weather closes in again, I might have to spend it alone. Not good! Especially, as the one toy that is guaranteed to make me happy, K9 WFF, couldn't get through the snow to the open road. So if there is a widow or widower in your street, make sure that they are having a good holiday. I correspond with one, who hasn't any family, on the Internet. She has voluteered to work long shifts in her hospital over Christmas, so others can be with their families. She enjoys it, but I suspect she would prefer to be tucking into her dinner with a nice man!

[inkitin]

James

Have you thought about having seat heaters fitted instead? I've done them on mine and they are fantastic in cold weather, sometimes even a little too hot ! May be cheaper and easier than custom making a tonneau cover.

[VagueShot]

That's an idea. I have them in the Jag and they are wonderful on a cold day. I do worry that my mother said I would get piles from sitting on something hot.

[inkitin]

If you're interested, there's an excellent write up (not by me, I might add !) of how to fit seat warmers here.

I found it invaluable and certainly wouldn't have attempted fitting mine without it to guide me.

[VagueShot]

They look good and not too expensive. I do disagree with the bit at the end about a cold beer or two. As I'm a coeliac would a couple of glasses of Aspall's cyder do instead.

[tigerdog]

Cider would do, but don't count yourself out just yet. A good friend's daughter was just diagnosed and whilst researching, I came across this(quite long!) list of gluten-free beers. I also received a buckwheat beer from Belgium for my birthday and found it delicious. Great advice regarding the widow/widower on your street / in your life. Thanks for this post!

[VagueShot]

Gluten free beers are all not very good. I think too there's a taste issue. I know the head brewer at Adnams and he said try a bottle of their bitter, as he thought that it might be low in gluten. I should say that he said this at my risk, but as it was at home I took it. It tasted aswful and I didn't finish the bottle.

Now, until I was diagnosed at 55, I drink at least five pints of Adnams a week. So I suspect that my taste for beer has been replaced by something else.

[theelanman]

theres a pub in manchester call the marble arch which do their own beers for people unabel to drink run of the mill stuff....
they do vegan beer....gluten free beer.....amongst others...
doesnt help much I know but Im sure they sell to other pubs.....you never know they may even do mail order.....
tends to be the way that the micro brewery survives in these times.....

[cliffyg]

Actually, given the technical and fabrication ability of some of you folks, I'm surprised someone hasn't fabricated a tonneau thus far. It would probably be less difficult than you think--and wouldn't necessarily require clips on the dash. I had a 380sl and bought a tonneau for it. the front of the tonneau was anchored by a flexible fibreglass rod with two rubber caps on it. It threaded through loops in the front of the tonneau. It was connected to the boot cover in the back with elastic and had 2 clips per side which slid under the chrome moldings on the tops of the doors. For our cars we would probably have to put two snap clips on each side, but otherwise, it wouldn't require chopping up the dash. The benz design is simplicity itself. Just a thought for anyone else who thinks tonneaus are appropriate for a top down car--especially a british roadster!!!!

cliff g.

[petezipp]

I have also looked at this - it's also useful when leaving the car during our iffy weather. It's a bind lifting the hood up and down like a fiddlers elbow.
Could the wing mirrors form the front fixing ( elasticated strips)?
I like the idea of clips for the rear.
I was looking at cotton Tapalin for the material as it may be ok to sew with a normal machine.

Peter