Genuine Ulster(Ulster Rep) bonnet rubber

[JonE]

Erich - it would be worth trying to work out what the provenance of that bit is, which car, and from exactly when. I'm pretty sure the Nippy my pic is from HAD been restored, but it could have been re-used, I suppose. It just seems quite an uneccessarily complicated moulding for 1931.
The 7 Workshop stuff is indeed excellent and not fussy in appearance, but it would equally be good to find the exact stuff used, for posterity.

[Mike Costigan]

It's an awful long time ago, but I'm pretty certain both my Ulster and my Type 65 had this much smaller and simpler rubber, as illustrated on Jon's Nippy website:


  bonnet rubber.jpg (Size: 42.73 KB / Downloads: 322)

[Lowespeed]

The Complete Automobilist list two "rubber extrusions"  which might be suitable, RM 12 & RM 13. The last one is the solid bead, which you used to be able to get from The Seven Workshop. The other RM12 is the hollow bead type

[Erich]

Jon, the bit I have was sent to be by Ken Morton. He got it from a car in Yorkshire from a farmer who has an Ulster and has had for many decades. I know he also sent me some information about the car. I will have a look for it.

Lowespeed, the RM 12 is the type that David Cochrane supplies and the RM13 is the type that Willie McKenzie supplies. Both will work, and I have both. The solid type doesn't fit well, the flat part being too flat and the rounded part is cut too low and deforms as it fits over the bodywork from the mounting flange. RM12 is much wider and the rounded part is more of a diamond shape. I realize these are fine points, but apparently Willie and David are having trouble even finding these. So my thought is, that rather than produce 50 meters more of something that isn't quite right, then perhaps making the correct profile makes sense.

Erich in Seattle

[Ruairidh Dunford]

And to do that you need repeatable evidence that the piece you are using, is in fact correct.

[JonE]

Exactly! Really not easy.
But having Erich on the case for trying to prove it will sort all sort of other interesting things out at the same time!!

[Erich]

Andy Hastings, who has been working on my car, has described the same profile as being correct. And he expressed this to Chris Garner, who is helping me, before I noted this particular profile. The key is the channel that separates the rounded portion from the sloped portion.


Erich in Seattle

[JonE]

But without the provenance backing Andy's statement , Erich, that doesn't really count for anything. Or at least must be challenged as Ruairidh intimates, for more supporting statements?

Humans have generally been restoring cars for years based on bad evidence - largely as cars 'owned for decades' were restored 25 years into their 90 year age. So which are the best cars or photos now which might contribute. Are the Ulster road test images helpful for instance?

It would be great if Andy has that information/confirmation then it would help the determination on Nippy items too, because of the evolutionary aspect. I'll go back to my photos of Nippy BVK, but a stockist like Edgware in the late 1940s could have been a likely provider for those first restorations?

There must be others who can help here. It's a vital pointless detail!

[Ian Williams]

I have a radiator cowl with original rubber from an early 30's car, I a loath to disturb it as once lost originally can never be replaced, I will take some pictures and measurements tomorrow. I do not believe it is the same as either Erich's or the 7 workshop examples.

[Mike Costigan]

The rubber for the radiator cowl was different from the scuttle rubber.