Correct tonneau stud pattern for 427 cobra

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by ERA Chas

Dan,
Thanks for your evidence about these stud locations. As I said earlier, I am quite surprised that AC took such pains to get these locations consistent. We have seen much evidence that their panel guys had difficulty getting the body locations consistent, left to right and front to rear. This despite hammering aluminum against a wooden buck. The joining of the panels being the critical part.

Dcmgt's evidence about the side curtain fitment on an unmodified car is quite telling.

Fenders were made by one of several suppliers according to the many sources in the UK. Each panel shop no doubt made panels differently and AC had to make them work. Based on old factory images and comments by ex-works people all the body holes including things like demister slots were put near the end using templates. I would think it odd to have more than one template but I can see how hand held templates could get used with less than great care. So were there odd balls, I would imagine yes but I use to play with Boss 302 and 429 Mustangs and they have hand done operations that sometimes got off plan also. I work in a consumer appliance plant and we produce more than a million units a year. Are they all the same, no way, all production operations have "deviations" so don't get too hung up on finding occasional anomalies. When people ask what is typical or normal for cars I can tell them that but I can’t tell them every screw up that no doubt happened. I have worked on Cobras that had holes and the part that was supposed to be in it missing like a carter key hole that never got drilled or a throttle stop that never was installed. Anomalies yes, normal no. Learning what was typical is a totally different subject than covering every possibility that might have or did happened.

The danger in answering anybody’s inquiry in writing is that somebody will have an exception to toss out. I know, I do it too when somebody says such and such was ‘never’ done.

Regarding the ill fitting side curtain. If it is the person and car I am thinking of the confusion was he did not know that the side widow hung over the back end of the door and tucked inside the windshield frame in front. The person I worked with couldn’t understand how a curtain longer than the door could fit the door. I took a series of measurements and photos of CSX2310 and presto the side curtains he had that he thought too long were the correct ones. Case closed.