Mini 1000 padded top rail fixingbbbbbb

[Irishtony]

Hi Folk, I'm new to the forum and I restoring a 1988 Mini 1000 from shell. I have a problem fitting the padded top vinyl rail to the bulkhead top rail. The problem is that the vinyl has 3 bolts one in the centre and one at each end, but the bulkhead has only 2 holes one at each end and where the centre hole should be is the cut out for the ashtray. Any ideas as to how we do this?
Thanks folks.

[ADRay]

Hi Tony, welcome to the forum.

Does it seem like it will fit into place with just the two bolts holding it? If the 3rd (middle) has nowhere to mount, maybe could you use 3M 2 sided tape to hold it down?

[MPlayle]

If the top rail has the cutout for the ashtray to drop in from the top, the it is the kind of top rail that usually does not have any padding?

Either that, or maybe the center bolt of the pad is supposed to go through a plate that bridges the ashtray cutout from underneath?

I would have thought by 1988, they would have stopped putting in the ashtray cutout from the top as the padded dashes have their ashtray coming out the front of the pad.

[MiniDave]

Does the dash pad have the hole in the top for the ashtray or not?

Oh, and welcome to the forum! Post some pics of your car, we love pictures!

[Irishtony]

Thanks everybody. The car is 1988 alright and it has the two holes at each end of the bulkhead and the ashtray cutout. When they did the cutout they just bent back the steel so it hangs down in side the cutout. The centre bolt is hard up against the lower part of the cutout and is shorter than the hangdown. The front of the rail (your right non-padded) must be pulled down hard as it has to reach the lower window rubber so that it lines up with the windscreen air vents ( I suspect if I were to do it right I should take out the windscreen). This is a shell up restoration but I didn't take down the original and noone can remember. It's a real puzzle and nobody seem to know how to solve it I suspect I'll have to fabricate a solution. This is a interesting story and I'm nearly finished so loads of pics and ancdotes to follow soon.

[MiniDave]

from your pics it looks like the stud goes behind the hole cutout? If so, can you just drill a hole in the right place and bolt it in? If not, I think taking a hammer to the back flap that sticks down in the hole and bending it flat again should give you a place to locate that stud.