Folding a Morgan Tonneau

Folding a Morgan Tonneau

The Morgan Roadster Tonneau Front Section needs to be Folded Neatly when there are Two

Passengers  using the car.

Here are two methods that may be used. 

The First Method is Donated by Roger Tatton, The Morgan Sports Car Club Archivist.

" It is possible to fold the Tonneau tidily, once you have the Knack and it only takes 

two minutes!"

Start withe the Tonneau, with the zip closed, back across the spare wheel. Fold the two 

front corners in towards the zip. (the back corners as it lies across the spare wheel) 

Then Fold / Roll the fabric up in about 8in (20cm)  to 10in (25cm) folds towards the luggage compartment, straightening it as you go so that it sits neatly.

When it is all folded, then tuck the sides under so that it rests on and above the Windscreen Header Rail.

Finally tuck the sides in tidily and you will find that it looks neat, it doesn't foul the seat belt travel and I have found that items stored beneath the Tonneau do not blow out.

I hope that this helps. Roger.

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The Second Method is Donated by Frank Lomax, given to me by a member of the Talk Morgan 

website.

First, I have just change the rear Poppers on the Tonneau from Press Studs to Tennex Fasteners. 

On my car it was almost impossible for me to close these Press Studs due to the Tonneau 

being made just too small. 

Then each Press Stud would undo during driving. 

So I changed them and it fits well now.

With my method, The gap and area behind the seats is closed completely hiding any items stored 

there.

To begin. The Tonneau is also pulled back across the spare wheel but this time with the zip only fastened 

about 5ins (12cm) . 

First Fold the right side into the centre, overlapping the zip.

Next Fold the lower edge up to the 'V' notch.

Next make a second fold of the same amount.

Next make a third fold. 

Make the last fold over so that the front edge is in line with the back of the Drivers Seat Headrest and repeat the previous steps for the Left side.

Next, Slide the Zip to close just over the front fold and tuck the folded sections over the Windscreen Header Bar as with Rogers method.

The cleanness of the very first fold will provide the neat finish at the side of the hood with no fold in section at each side. 

This keeps the Tonneau in good conditions. There is no fouling of the zip travel.

The zip only needs to be closed as far as is easy to reach.

This operation could have been carried out with the headrests in place. I had just fitted the tonneau at the front end so would put them back in their Seat Back Slots now.

Frank. 

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Philip Loring's, 'Folding my Tonneau' Improvement

I am not sure if this topic is any use for our members, but at a recent event following comments on the neatness of the tonneau, I  was demonstrating the "correct way “ to fold it when I had an idea.

The correct way to fold a tonneau is to fold it out over the back of the car, turn in each edge, then taking the bottom end roll it up tightly until you reach the top, lift it over the back, pull out the side flap with press stud and fix to the car.

Lay Tonneau over the Spare Wheel & Fold In the Edges

After Rolling Up, lift out the Side to reach the Press Stud.

Fix the Press Studs each side

The problem is that whilst the tonneau fits quite well and provides a cover for the space behind the seats it tends to sag in the middle, also it can sometimes be a two handed job to roll it if you want a good finish.

However I experimented with rolling the tonneau around a piece of 18mm dowel and found that not only was it easier to roll single handed,  but it produced a neat solid edge with no sag.

Using a Dowel Rod to Roll the Tonneau Cover for Support

The dowel I used from an off cut in the garage is a little bit short and I will replace with a piece about 1 mt long in due course.  

The Rolled Up Tonneau with the Dowel Rod inside, before Lifting it Over to the Seat Backs

When not in use the dowel sits neatly at the back of the shelf behind the seats. I might make a clip for it if I get bored!

The Finished Task with the Supported Tonneau in place at the back of the Seats.

I have made these photos of the process above as this should be of interest to Members who currently have difficulty with attaching and presenting their Tonneau.   

Regards

Philip