RHD 3.8 under dash harduras

[rswaffie]

Hi all, I hope someone can help with this.
Having finally sorted out the failed speedo drive I can at last fit the last few bits of the interior trim from the Aldridge kit. The passenger side under dash hardura and millboard trim went in a treat several months ago.
I’ve trial fitted the driver side millboards and I think they are ok. However, the harduras are stumping me. Firstly, they are black whereas the passenger side was Tan to match the rest of the trim. Is that correct?
I can get the door side hardura looking about right (to the right of the steering column) but the smaller piece that (I’m assuming sits around the air vent flap) just doesn’t look right. If I flip it upside down so the jute side is showing it fits better. Have I been sent the wrong piece ie got a lhd car version?
Factory fit only really show lhd cars and other sites show very different versions of the trim.
Can anyone provide some insight or pics of a rhd 3.8 trim?

[abowie]

If I flip it upside down so the jute side is showing it fits better.

Probably sewn incorrectly. All this stuff is hand made by Aldridge.

I think they should be tan.Mine are red for my red interior.

[tim wood]

I had mine made in beige (by Aldridge) but it was at request and not standard.
I think they are closed at the moment and not replying to email.

[rswaffie]

Hi Tim,
Was the shape you had made also bespoke, or just the colour? Was it similar in shape to mine?

[paulsco]

Hi Richard,

I had exactly the same Hardura's from Aldridge (black interior) and there was no way they would fit.
I contacted Aldridge who were a bit dubious that I was fitting them correctly and said that they had not had any other queries
I was told that if I made up some templates of what I needed then they would make some up free of charge.
Not so easy when you are unsure of the exact shape and fitment.
I looked at loads of photos on line and there appears to be no constant.

My car is not going to be a show car and I couldn’t be bothered to return them, so I have made up template in the shape I thought best and re-shaped the ones supplied.

This meant cutting and gluing some odd bits of Hardura in the right places and removing and rebonding with the original bonding.

It came out ok, but far from perfect



Paul

[tim wood]

Hi Richard.
The shape wasn’t bespoke, just the colour. Shape looked similar but not quite the same on the larger piece, but mine is a 4.2

Tim

[rswaffie]

Thanks chaps.
I’m going to fit the larger hardura as that seems ok, along with the two millboards. I’ve emailed Aldridge with the same question but it sounds like I’ll have to send the smaller hardura back and get them to make a ‘reversed’ version for me.

[david.coan]

1968 S1.5 4.2 OTS. I got mine from Aldridge too, about a year ago, both sides were biscuit colour as i expected. My passenger side , car is RHD, fitted a treat, But then drivers side was pretty poor fit around the peddles, but i just accepted it . It was similar for the black millboards , drivers side fit was not as good as passenger side.

[paulsco]

Richard,

I don't think it will fit even if you reverse it; it still needs a cut out where the steering column is and I found that that extra bit around the air vent is just well... in the way and just gets covered by the millboard.

Looking at your photo, your door side Hardura is a slightly different shape to mine.



Paul

[rswaffie]

Thanks Paul. I think you’re right. I was trial fitting the boards and the smaller hardura would benefit from some reworking around the flap end and I suspect it will end up looking something like your template.

[rfs1957]

Mine ended up looking like this, don't know if this is any encouragement or help.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10855&p=87086&hilit=hardura#p87086

I found the driver's side, particularly, always looked like a messy afterthought, and if you're not over-concerned by originality then IMHO it's possible to do quite a lot better oneself.

I can't remember whether I just used BAS' standard pattern or whether they made them up to my patterns, they were so helpful that it's quite possible they did indeed do that.

[rswaffie]

Well, I’ve sorted out the outboard side hardura and made a modification to the inboard side by cutting a notch out. Apart from the trip adjustment cable hole needing to be made, I’m not far off on the outboard side.





The modified inboard hardura is in place and covers most of the previously exposed metalwork, and I’ve got some spare black vinyl to cover the gap between heater flap and the console.