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Retrim interior. 
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Part built GTM
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Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2020 7:27 pm
Posts: 64
Location: Lincoln, UK.
GTM: Libra
Post Retrim interior.
Hi there.

Anyone who built their car themselves, or have retrimmed their Libra recently, have an estimate of how much fabric is required for the hard-trim pack, roof panel, rear panel and door cards please.

I'm looking to retrim as my car is a bit sad right now with the door trim particularly hanging off.

Thanks in advance.

Phil.

On a positive note, the passenger seat belt unlocked - I guess it's just going to be a feature of the car !!


Tue Nov 24, 2020 5:09 pm
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Ready for SVA

Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2010 10:11 pm
Posts: 286
Location: Cwmbran, South Wales
GTM: Libra
Post Re: Retrim interior.
I’m sure someone will reply but I do remember a company mentioned on here who sells the full trim

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Tue Nov 24, 2020 8:40 pm
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Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2020 7:27 pm
Posts: 64
Location: Lincoln, UK.
GTM: Libra
Post Re: Retrim interior.
madmazturbo wrote:
I’m sure someone will reply but I do remember a company mentioned on here who sells the full trim

Thanks for your reply Madmaz.

That would be Coverdale who advertise carpet sets: https://www.carcarpets.co.uk/index.asp?function=search

I'm not sure if anyone knows if Coverdale did the trim packs as well before I send them an email, or if more likely it was up to the builder to trim the insides.

Phil.


Wed Nov 25, 2020 11:48 am
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Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2020 7:27 pm
Posts: 64
Location: Lincoln, UK.
GTM: Libra
Post Re: Retrim interior.
Hello all.

Yes, I'm still here - between other projects and work and home life trying to make progress on this little car.

I've fitted new tyres as the old ones were errrr, old !! Rears dated 2008, one front dated 2009 the other dated 2018. I went with the Khumo's in the end, not driven far enough to comment but they feel better than the old Toyos as one would expect.

Recently I have been stripping the interior fabric off the hard trim sections. This involves removing the outer fabric which has separated from the backing due to the foam interface deteriorating to powder, then removing the backing off the adhesive, then removing the adhesive residue.

Before:
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During:
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After:
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And yes, I know they are opposite side door cards - they are the only part I've completely stripped so far. A combination of white spirits, Scotchbrite, cotton cloth and abrasives seems to get the Evil-stick adhesive off.

Looks like I'm going to have to fit some threaded inserts into the doors and other body sections where the bolt threads have stripped out of the Fibre-glass to reattach the panels too. I'm thinking something like a Time-sert but with a coarse external thread to bite into the plastic but a fine thread for the fastener on the inside ??

A long journey ahead to getting the whole interior ready for reupholstering and that's before I've bought any fabric.

Phil.


Tue May 04, 2021 5:15 pm
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GTM Nirvana
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Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2014 10:10 pm
Posts: 1136
Location: Bristol
GTM: Spyder
Post Re: Retrim interior.
Rather than threaded inserts, spire nuts might work. I found I could get them on some of the edges but others were too thick but as it happened the thick ones were still able to take a screw in the grp (probably because of the thickness) but where it is thin the spire nuts slid over and took the self tappers well.


Tue May 04, 2021 5:23 pm
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Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2020 7:27 pm
Posts: 64
Location: Lincoln, UK.
GTM: Libra
Post Re: Retrim interior.
sanzomat wrote:
Rather than threaded inserts, spire nuts might work. I found I could get them on some of the edges but others were too thick but as it happened the thick ones were still able to take a screw in the grp (probably because of the thickness) but where it is thin the spire nuts slid over and took the self tappers well.

Thanks Sanz.

Spire-clips might not like the thickness of the GRP in the door sections, and some of the threads for the roof surround and rear quarter panels for example don't have an edge - they are threaded into either the GRP of the roof section or into filler which is blobbed onto the body to build up thickness for the threads to grip into.

Difficult to describe but you get the idea I'm sure.

I was thinking about these:
Attachment:
inserts 1.JPG
inserts 1.JPG [ 54.94 KiB | Viewed 1932 times ]


Or these:
Attachment:
inserts 2.JPG
inserts 2.JPG [ 82.27 KiB | Viewed 1932 times ]


Which could be inserted into a slightly bigger hole in the GRP and glued in with bonding adhesive.

Phil.

Edited to add: Must remember to resize images before posting !!

Edited again to add: The threads are all machine screw threads, not self-tapping threads.


Tue May 04, 2021 6:29 pm
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On the Road

Joined: Wed Aug 11, 2010 9:27 am
Posts: 619
Location: Sheffield
GTM: Libra
Post Re: Retrim interior.
(Rubber?) well nuts work?

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Tue May 04, 2021 7:11 pm
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Post Re: Retrim interior.
Just use oblongs of 3mm acrylic sheet - about 10mm x 25mm pop riveted (countersink the holes so the rivets are flush) to the back of the door aperture and drill / tap hole in appropriate place. Acrylic is very easy to tap using a battery drill on slow and holds a stainless cap headed set screw very tightly. Also did this on the dash which stopped some squeaking as the self tappers worked loose.


Fri May 07, 2021 3:32 pm
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Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2020 7:27 pm
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Location: Lincoln, UK.
GTM: Libra
Post Re: Retrim interior.
inkafone wrote:
Just use oblongs of 3mm acrylic sheet - about 10mm x 25mm pop-riveted (countersink the holes so the rivets are flush) to the back of the door aperture and drill/tap hole in appropriate places. Acrylic is very easy to tap using a battery drill on slow and holds a stainless cap headed set screw very tightly. Also did this on the dash which stopped some squeaking as the self tappers worked loose.

Thanks Inkafone, that is a good suggestion.

On the roof surround, there are small blocks of aluminium that have been glued/bonded to the fibreglass frame.

I've nearly cleaned the glue off the roof surround, and as the weather was fine I took the roof panel out and stripped the fabric and glue off that too.

I went for the obligatory drive with the roof off, it's nice but I can see a sunburned head if I took the roof out too often in good weather !!

Got one rear quarter and the rear window surround to do, and the handbrake cover thingy, then I better start thinking about what fabric to get to retrim.

Phil.


Tue Jun 01, 2021 4:20 pm
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Looking like a GTM

Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2016 12:41 am
Posts: 154
Location: Brisbane Australia
GTM: Spyder
Post Re: Retrim interior.
I look like such a dork driving along in the Spyder with roof off and my broad-brimmed hat keeping the sun off. :lol:
Don't care - feels good.


Last edited by Spider on Wed Jun 02, 2021 10:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Wed Jun 02, 2021 12:32 am
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GTM Nirvana
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Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2014 10:10 pm
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Location: Bristol
GTM: Spyder
Post Re: Retrim interior.
With the sun finally shining in the UK I'm having to wear a hat too. Have been going with a baseball cap but even with factor 30 my ears have caught the sun so maybe a broad brim is the answer. Will need a strap to keep it on though!


Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:11 am
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Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2020 7:27 pm
Posts: 64
Location: Lincoln, UK.
GTM: Libra
Post Re: Retrim interior.
Right.

Interior door handles.

My car has the Metro internal door handles fitted through the internal door trim panel - as you can see in the above pictures.

I think they are a bit naff, and are too far back along the door which means you have to reach around to pull the latch up to open the doors. I realise that it was originally intended to have a pull-wire through the handle of the door, a bit like the original Mini door pull.

Does anyone who has the original pull-wire have any commentary about how suitable it is - I mean does it work well and suit long-term use or is it a PITA ?? I was thinking maybe using a decent gauge steel or stainless wire with a shrink tube shrunk down onto it, using a bushing through the fibreglass to prevent it from "cheese-wiring" it's was through the panel etc.

Or does anyone have a better/nicer alternative door handle from another vehicle that could be adapted for use ??

Phil.


Wed Jun 02, 2021 5:58 pm
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The Terrible Tims

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Location: In the garage,Sileby, LEICS
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Post Re: Retrim interior.
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I really like the pull wire version of door opener. Really simple and does the job.

Can't think of any negatives, other than you'd need to make sure the cable doesn't rattle against anything when you are driving.


Attachments:
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IMG_20200126_183259.jpg [ 25.39 KiB | Viewed 1718 times ]

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Wed Jun 02, 2021 7:04 pm
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GTM Nirvana
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Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2014 10:10 pm
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Location: Bristol
GTM: Spyder
Post Re: Retrim interior.
I also have the pull wire and like it. I love the minimalist look and simplicity. The only downside is when you have a passenger that doesn't know and they use it to pull the door shut! They only do that once though.

No cheese wire effect on mine yet. It has a clear plastic sleeve to pull on. It doesn't seem to rattle.


Wed Jun 02, 2021 9:10 pm
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Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2016 12:41 am
Posts: 154
Location: Brisbane Australia
GTM: Spyder
Post Re: Retrim interior.
sanzomat wrote:
With the sun finally shining in the UK I'm having to wear a hat too. Have been going with a baseball cap but even with factor 30 my ears have caught the sun so maybe a broad brim is the answer. Will need a strap to keep it on though!
Yeah - I have a chin strap but surprisingly it doesn't feel like it wants to fly off - at any speed.


Wed Jun 02, 2021 10:26 pm
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