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Avoiding the rear window crease
Peter Garton (Woodcote Green RV8 1238) in Germany has devised a way of avoiding a crease in the rear window of an RV8 soft top. (Aug 01)

When one folds the hood down, the rear window has to be unzipped and folded down inside the car as we all know. The perspex rear window goes over the edge of the hood rail at rather an acute angle with the resulting tendency for it to adopt a semi-permanent fold - particularly if the hood is left down for several weeks. This happens for us as we only take the RV8 out when the sun shines! The fold is emphasised because the window rests on the carpeted area around the safety belt reels and pushes the window upwards.

I solved this problem by purchasing a length of polyurethane foam tubing usually used for insulating hot water pipes with an external diameter of around 6 to 8 cms. There is a hole running through the centre of the foam tubing of about 2 to 3 cms and it is slit along its length so you can get it to go over and cover the relevant pipe. The tubing is flexible and soft so one simply places it along the ledge loosely where the rear window disappears behind the rear seats, creating a round curve thereby eliminating the fold in the plastic window! In addition the window is no

longer pushed up from the floor and furthermore it tends to reduce creases in the tonneau when put in place and fixed on the studs.

Follow up comment from Ian Cranston. On receiving the note I went off to Homebase and purchased the tube as suggested in Peter Garton's article - the cost 69p! I think it cost me a great deal more than that in the petrol to get there and back! The suggested use of the insulating tube rang a bell regarding a similar tube protecting one's head so I checked and found RV8 Workshop Note 35 refers. So I bought a smaller diameter tube as well - the cost 42p. This car is costing me a fortune! With both fitted both head and rear screen are protected.