Zippers and vent hoses Jack Chesley

The zipper on a tonneau cover gets much more wear than one on a coat or dress because of its length and the sideways tension on it. One type of wear failure leaves the zipper teeth apart, instead of connected, after the body of the zipper has passed. To fix this, first work the zipper body to the bottom so the zipper is fully open. Then gently squeeze the rear of the zipper body sides together slightly. Compress both the top and bottom the same amount, then try the zipper and squeeze a little more, if necessary, until it works properly. The secret is in using a Vice-grips so that the pressure and movement of the jaws can be controlled and increased precisely without over-tightening the zipper body.

The next time you throw out a broken canister vacuum cleaner, save the 1 1/4" hose for your 101 spider. Sprayed with black vinyl color, it makes a neat, waterproof replacement for that missing or rotted paper defroster hose.

Capital page

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1996