tonneau cover..rusty stiff zip

[bonnietiler]

I have been given 2 tonneau covers for a TR7 but they have been in a damp garage the zips are a little corroded and very stiff..is there a cunning ruse, or are they for the municipal tip?
Bonnietiler

[saabfast]

Suggest spraying the zips with WD 40 and easing them carefully along until running free, wiping clean, then using silicon spray/grease on them.

[dmtrmp6]

By all means use a liquid/spray product to help get the zip free, but once this is achieved and the zip is essentially free from the corrosion, you are better off cleaning off the liquid and using a dry lubricant, either a spray lubricant that drys on application (maybe a garage door lubricant) or a dry stick based lubricant.

A simple, cheap trick from previous years is to give the zipper teeth a really good coating of wax, ie rub a candle along the length of the zipper face and work the zip closer back and forth to distribute the wax. If you use a wet lubricant you will attract dust etc and the zipper will eventually clog/bind up again. Rgds, DM

[Howard722]

If these tonneaus are `new` to you and your car has not had a full tonneau in use/fitted before you will need the button fixes along door tops, top of dash etc. (and header rail if they are of the the vertical `screen closing` panel style). All do-able but worth considering in your decision making.

[Cobber]

It shouldn't be a big job to replace the zip for an motor trimmer, sail maker, upholsterer etc.