Does anyone know if the hold down straps for the soft top (boot) are sold by anyone? These attach to “lift the dot” studs on the back bulkhead when the top is down to hold it fast at speed.
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A while back I sent John Farrel a new old stock strap and he made them up and they were beautiful. Now that he sold the business, we might have to wait to see who sells them again.
Phil.
Looks like XKs has them (black or biscuit)
http://xks.com/i-7085444-jaguar-strap-pair-blk-e-type-top-black-excellent-quality-bd-20660.html
http://xks.com/i-7085455-bd-20660bis-top-strap-pair-e-type-biscuit.html
Other vendors probably do to.
The ones in the photo are grey in color, believed to be original on a car that has its original beige interior.
Just got a set from SNG Barrett.Very nice. DJ
I am having a hell of a time finding them on the SNG Barratt web site!? Do you have a part number or name? "Soft-top strap brings up nothin’ !
By the way, I would love to see a photo of someone’s “lift the dot” stud placement on the back bulkhead of their xke!?
Thanks,
Jeff
Looks like Welsh has them, Terry’s has them (even in green?) and Norman Motors (a fine UK source I have used) - I too could not find BD20660 on the SNG site.
You will have to examine this photo closely to see the two studs - but if you cannot find existing holes in the sheet metal then you will need measurements:
Here’s a possibly better look at one of them:
What did we do before the internet!?
I ordered the straps from Welsch, as well as the clips that attach to the chrome strip that fits over the back edge of the soft top.
Any advice on trouble I can get into installing the clips? I asume that they mount to the underside of the chrome strip?
Thanks again everyone who has helped with this so far!
Best,
Jeff
Hi Mark, thought I recognised those brackets:-)
Dave
Jeff,
the little chrome clips fit under the chrome. They should be mounted flush with the hood fabric, that means the underlying wood strip has to be recessed more or less exactly where the clips sit. My new wood strips were far off regarding this. If you already have a cover double check the placement of the clips before drilling.
Martin
Interesting to see another car with green straps on a contrasting interior.
my car had green straps in a black interior from new. When I had the seats recovered I had the shop make new dark green straps using the original hardware.
I never got the point of the straps. if my car was suspended upside down I would still have a struggle to get the top “up” from its folded position!!
safety issue when driving. recirculating wind could lift the top at speed.
When I purchased my June 1966 OTS in 1975 from original owner at 18000 miles from new, it had its original pale-mid-green tie-down straps, but one was damaged (my E is OEW with RED interior). I was able to buy brand new ones, in Jaguar paper-bag/labelled but only in BLACK, with matching green straps just not available as back in 1975 the after-market reproduction industry didn’t exist, with most suppliers selling factory replacement parts or second-hand parts from cars parted-out.
But indicative of why factory replacement parts purchased some years after, are not necessarily AUTHENTIC for a particular chassis no E-type. I have no idea what the age mix was originally between GREEN and BLACK straps, and I doubt very much colour of these straps was related to interior colour, but more probably an age or batch issue.
But having done many high speed drives with top down, got to say these straps are ESSENTIAL to keep soft-top in its fully folded/collapsed position, as otherwise air gets underneath the folded soft-top and lifts it, and indeed if tonneau cover is not fitted 100% correctly, can lift the tonneau of its rear clips, with tonneau still secured by its two straps (on the same long studs as the green/black soft-top straps, but whole thing flaps around. The soft-top will not lift further up restrained by the seat backs in a 4.2, but I guess it may be possible in a 3.8 with their narrow seat backs.
Have seen many after-market hoods (soft-tops) that don’t even have the two holes in the leading panel for these straps to go through, let alone the straps and the studs on the bulkhead to secure the straps.
Roger
Can someone post a picture with these straps holding down the convertible top when it’s retracted? I don’t see how the straps can reach anything to be used for holding down the top.
I dont have a picture handy ( I’ll bet a fiver Geo has one ready to go)
but the straps feed thru the chrome holes in the metal part of the top and then attach to the studs, they actually reach fairly well if all is in order.
The part nr is bd20660. They describe it as strap assembly on canopy
rail. Ask them to send you a catalog. Everything is in there. I only
order by phone., Thanks DJ
I have spoken to Eric Suffolk, Mick Turley and Stan Swann who all worked in the ‘Blue Room’ (how Jaguar referred to the trim department) from about 1964 onwards and they all insist the straps were dark green leather. In fact Stan had a pile of about 50 green straps which he had just made up and was preparing to ship to a supplier.
When I asked about black leather straps they all just shrugged and said the ones they made, on piece work, were green. Apparently when you have been making them for days on end you tend to have such details imprinted on your brain!
David
I left the car at my dad’s house, so I can go and double check it, but last time I tried, I didn’t see this path for the strap on mine because the rest of the top was in the way.
You might want to carefully read the instructions for folding the hood as given in the owner’s manual.
I was folding it the way the PO had done and the top ‘wanted’ to go - then I followed the instructions (when I did my new top) and found I had been doing it all wrong.
The correct was not intuitive (for me anyway).