thanks enrique!
hey so ive been cursing your name since losing that damned ebay auction for the tonneau cover.
sorry to derail, but did you find it to be a good fit?? what manufacturer is it? infos!
It's an original Alfa Spider series 3b tonneau - the only one I have ever seen other than in a catalog! It was not complete however, and I knew that when I placed my bid. (You should know better than to bid against me. If I want something, I'm brutal!
)
I spoke to the seller at length on the very first day that he listed the tonneau. The portion that goes around the back of the car, like the normal boot does, is missing. The portion that goes over the headrests and the rest of the ****pit is all there and in nice shape. It does fit, but it's not the best fit on the older seats of the series 3, such as my '84 and your Graduate, due to the shape of the headrest and the seatbelt guide next to the headrest. Also, the way in which it attaches to the front is a bit more complex than anticipated. There are three small extensions at the very front that are supposed to slide down in front of the dash. That should work fine, but there is also velcro all around the front edge, so something must have been meant to go around the edge of the dash. There are also similar extensions that slide into the side windows, which hold the tonneau in place. Then there are snaps in several places, but I haven't figured out what exactly is supposed to go with this. The cover is made of heavy vinyl, and it looks much better than in the Accessories Catalog, where it has a "cheap" plastic like appearance. The cover is very well made, and the quality of the zippers, velcro, vinyl handle pulls, etc., is excellent.
All this said, I don't think it's that good for my '84, due to the fit over the headrests and seat belt guides. It does fit nicely over the '74, which does not have any seat belt guides, since it only has lap belts. I have not tried it on my '87 yet, which is the car it was actually made for, because the '87 has a hardtop on it. All three Spiders, and the tonneau cover are now in Ohio for the winter, and I am in NJ.
Now, I'm going to make your day.
I didn't buy the tonneau for my personal enjoyment. I bought it so that I could "rescue" an original one (like I've said, it's the only one I've ever seen, and I'm sure it's because these were very expensive when new, and no one ordered one), in order to figure out how it fits, and see if someone can make these for any
alfista who would be interested. It's not going to be an easy process, because the cover is much more complex than I thought, but my goal is to bring this piece out of obscurity and see if we can have a good and useful reproduction. (I know an excellent upholsterer in Ohio, but anyone on the BB will be welcomed to comment, make suggestions, etc., and to have one made for their car.) I just picked up the piece last week, and took it back to Ohio when I drove my '84 out, last Friday. I haven't taken any pics, but I'll do so later this winter or early in the spring.
Best regards,