These chromed bolts belong somewhere on a 1972 Series III OTS manual.
The pair of bolts were in a zip-lock baggie labeled Conv Top - but no guarantees that is where they belong. The top was removed in 1992 by a defunct shop in Phoenix.
My first thought is the pair belonged to the convertible top frame but I couldn’t find a home for them. They are too small to secure seat belt hardware. They do NOT have a hex head - there are only two flats.
Totally bumfuzzled re: the single, large bolt. It DOES fit in the thread hole (on the sill and the tranny hump) for the seat belt fastener. BUT – then there shouldn’t there be 2 of them if not 4? Right?
By George - I think Andrew nailed it! @REBUILD61OTS Danny - looks like Andrew got a two-fer. Is this a match for your bolt? According to SNG Barratt site, this bolt was used on all Series of OTS.
And I believe @John_Walker is likely a winner on the larger bolt.
Just waiting for @Chippewa-Rod to confirm . . .
The two on the left are the rear hard top retaining bolts - they go into the holes at the top side of the tub - just behind the door opening - when the top is not on they just screw in.
Just on the inside of here - you can see the captive nut that they screw into
Bolts on the left appear to be BD37889, Seat Belt anchor bolts (early cars) from the S3 E-type RTC parts book page 28.38.
The second bolt, which also appears to be chromed, is not a seat belt anchor bolt. Seat belt anchor bolts were Yellow Cad plated; this one is Chrome plated. This tends to lead to a Hood mounting/pivot bolt, BD37320 (pg. 28.47). If so you should also have three (3) more for a quantity of four (4).
No they are the hard top securing bolts - the seat belts bolt to the rear bulkhead above the storage box with a standard seat belt bolt. My car is the 11th RHD OTS (1971) made and I have had it since the early 80s with the hardtop fitted
The chamfer on the bolt is to guide the hardtop to its correct position as the bolt is screwed in. The head of the bolt is not hexegon but is two sided.
I have a 71 2+2 awaiting some love that was the 7th LHD series 3 made, so when I get to it I expect to have some questions. In fact, I am told that when new it was used in a US sales brochure photo shoot that I have a copy of.
not even for a Jaguar
In the mid-80’s Alfa Romero ran an ad campaign called “The Last of the Red Hot Sports Cars”
The cover featured the nose of their Spider Veloce
In the upper left corner were photos of sports cars gone by
TR3
Auston Healey Mark III 3000
Jaguar E-Type
That E-Type is mine - replete with crushed velour interior (ugh).
I was having hail damage repaired from a storm in 1984. The shop had just finished the re-paint. The engine work I was having done simultaneously was not yet completed - the ad company paid for my Jag to be flat bedded to the photo studio
The pair of small, chromed bolts fit nicely in the forwardmost and uppermost bolt hole - to include the taper.
Here is the passenger side as viewed from across the car. The only opening without a bolt is “home”. I didn’t even notice it when searching for its home yesterday. Note the convertible top mounting plate is secured with 3x nuts on studs, 2x hex bolts at the bottom and 2x larger chromed bolts in the center. More on those in moment.
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Here is the bolt in question installed (driver’s side) - including the hoop to hold the shoulder belt off the leather upholstery. The circular opening of the hoop fits perfectly onto the shaft of the bolt:
Kinda fuzzy - pulled focus on the plate behind it.
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The large shoulder on these bolts (2 on each side) support a plastic bushing and copper washer . . .
. . . which I assume is a pivot point for the “legs” of the top frame.
So mystery solved for the 2x small chromed bolts. They are Blanking bolts for hardtop mounting bracket BD37889.
The single large chromed bolt does not appear to work on the top frame - all my bolt holes are accounted for.
It is not for the seat belt system because being chromed detracts from that possibility, as mentioned by @Dick_Wells
So the jury is out on it.
I am taking my top frame to my upholsterer on 08JUL24 to remove the canvas from the frame (so he knows how to install the new top). This will allow me to install some new hardware and paint the frame. Maybe he’ll have an idea where this one bolt goes . . .
None of those Craig. I recall it as a 2/3 page picture of a Regency Red 2+2 LHD Series 3. Maybe it is a proof page from a magazine ad rather than a brochure. When I can I will scan it for you.
The first series models did not have a seatbelt guide at all - the seatbelt just went over the top of the seat back - later a U shaped guide was screwed to the back of the seat back to keep the seat belt in place. I thought the guide as shown in the pic above was only OTS very late in the production run.
Turns out my 1972 (Sept manufacture) had both. I bought mine in 1979 with it having passed through at least three previous owners – it only had 25,XXX or 29,XXX miles (can’t remember any more). Who know what was added over time/
Finally responding to your request for visual evidence, I am attaching the magazine page referenced re my 71 2+2 VIN 1S70009BW (9th car, not 7th as I remembered) and a current photo of the car (still in original paint). I think I was wrong that it is the same car since the bumper overriders are different and I don’t think the ones on my car have been touched since it left Coventry.
