| Author | Message | ||
     Brian Vogel Grand Master Username: guyslp Post Number: 813 Registered: 6-2009 |
I believe I may have asked this question a long time ago and if it's a repeat I apologize. I am, again, dealing with an area (duct between fan and heater/ac box) where Crewe used straps with square fasteners on the end to hold the box end of these ducts in place. The material is about 5/8"/2 cm wide, is made to look leather like on the surface, and is composed of some sort of woven material beneath that appears to be a natural plant fiber of some sort. Whatever it is, I'm really not interested in replacing it with the OEM material. This material really doesn't age well at all. What have people used in its place? I'm thinking along the lines of the nylon material that's used for ratchet tie-downs, but in a size/width/thickness more akin to that of a medium dog collar. There may be better options, that's why I'm asking. I know that I will try to get a buckle arrangement that allows me to easily tighten or loosen these up to remove them when necessary. I await to hear what members of the cohort have tried and what they think about those. Brian | ||
| Geoff Wootton Grand Master Username: dounraey Post Number: 404 Registered: 5-2012 |
Hi Brian My view is the nylon material used for tie-downs would be functionally perfect. However, it will look like a nylon tie-down on the car, so aesthetically not so good. Another option would be to use a strap cut from rubber sheet with the original square fasteners fitted at either end. I think this would be indistinguishable from the originals in appearance and would also be ok functionally. Rubber sheet can be bought cheaply from Graingers. I used it when I overhauled my heater ducts, for gaskets. In my case I was able to re-use the original straps, which were in good condition. Geoff | ||
| Geoff Wootton Grand Master Username: dounraey Post Number: 405 Registered: 5-2012 |
Out of interest I checked out the straps on Flying Spares. They refer to them as rubber straps, which implies they are elastic. This is not true of the originals. The elasticity that allows the duct to be pulled against the central plenum is provided by the foam rubber lining between the duct and outer vinyl sleeve. The reason the straps become loose over time is the foam rubber becomes tired and loses it's elasticity. i.e. what was 1/4" thick foam rubber 40 years ago is now a 1/16" thick powdery material. It does appear that flying Spares have opted for the rubber strap option. | ||
| Brian Vogel Grand Master Username: guyslp Post Number: 814 Registered: 6-2009 |
Geoff, When it comes right down to it I really don't care about whether the replacement looks anything like the original (other than being black). I just want something that will actually hold these things (along with some others like the battery cover, etc.) in place like they're supposed to. However, I had not really considered rubber straps before, and they're an excellent idea as well. There are many varieties of "rubber" that can withstand the environment of the engine bay and retain elasticity for many years. Provided one does not cut these too short, tempting them to become whips, they'd seem ideal. That idea is definitely under consideration now. Brian |
