B-Post Caps

0neoffive

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Over the years I have seen both widths of B-Post caps on early & late cars. Was there a cut off date or serial number change?
1659920025379.png
 

michael-king

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Yes... If tbey are on an early car its a retrofit either due to availability or someone not wanting shipprd door tops.

The thinner verison was introduced at the start of series V alpine... So MKIa tigers. The B32 cars are the first ones to use them. The cross body cars still ran the thicker B post.
 

65beam

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Over the years I have seen both widths of B-Post caps on early & late cars. Was there a cut off date or serial number change? View attachment 15931
My parts books shows the change to the small one was made with B395004201 for ST Alpines and B382000379 is listed for 260 cars which I guess would be a Tiger reference.
 

0neoffive

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My parts books shows the change to the small one was made with B395004201 for ST Alpines and B382000379 is listed for 260 cars which I guess would be a Tiger reference.
Ponder this: Our original (from new) B382000078LRXFE came with the narrow caps. In the barn is B382000004LRXFE with the fat caps. I have found several drive side narrow caps that are cracked or broken where the fastener screw hole is so close to the edge.
 

65beam

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Ponder this: Our original (from new) B382000078LRXFE came with the narrow caps. In the barn is B382000004LRXFE with the fat caps. I have found several drive side narrow caps that are cracked or broken where the fastener screw hole is so close to the edge.
Randy.
I have a series 4 Alpine that has numerous odd parts and other oddities that I know to be the way it was when new and sold by Byers in Columbus. Dad never changed things. Unlike what most say about cars being built at the time it had the smooth grill badge holder. The interior had loose flap seats with the entire interior being black pebble grain material. I've been told many times that the interior is wrong but that's the way it was. The trans tunnel has the bulge for using the auto trans even though it still has the original all syncro trans. I once asked Wally Swift about things like this and as he said think about the fact that Chrysler was in the process of taking over Rootes due to Rootes financial problems. Were they using whatever they could get from vendors that Rootes had or were they starting to receive parts from new vendors? Didn't the incomplete Tiger bodies going to Jenson leave as a trimmed out body? ?????
 

michael-king

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Ponder this: Our original (from new) B382000078LRXFE came with the narrow caps. In the barn is B382000004LRXFE with the fat caps. I have found several drive side narrow caps that are cracked or broken where the fastener screw hole is so close to the edge.
Randy, the narrow B post do have a habbit of cracking where the screw goes through as the casting isnt as strong as the early style.

As stated the SV and MKIA had the narrow ones as a design change. I would assume this was to stop slight door misalignment causing the B post to chip the door paint.

Its possible your very early mkia Might have had the early style caps fitted ..but i would think more likely they were replaced at some point as you often see late style on early cars (even s3 alpines) and even mixed sets.

As a side note rootes also had 2 types of B post on the early SI/II alpines... Either they were really bad at getting B post design right... Or were chasing the perfect B post cap šŸ˜›
 

65beam

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As stated the SV and MKIA had the narrow ones as a design change. I would assume this was to stop slight door misalignment causing the B post to chip the door paint.
Considering the financial problems encountered by Chrysler to turn around Rootes and make it profitable the change was probably to cut production cost. There were many production changes with the series 5 versus earlier cars which without a doubt were intended as a cost savings.
 
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