Renewing the Boot Draw Down Blind in the Bentley Mk 6 / Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn

by Andrew Marsden

The Bentley Mk Vl and the pre-R model Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn have a small boot, with a separate boot hatch for the spare wheel access. The top two thirds of the boot aperture has a bottom hinged door, which can be locked down flat, when open, by special knurled nuts on either side, which grip a forked hinge arrangement. The bootlid was designed to carry an extra suitcase(s) or large wicker hamper, strapped on by leather belts and with a pair of hinged prongs which support the case along the forward edge. The problem with this arrangement is the ingress of dust, and perhaps, exhaust fumes into the boot itself.

The Company solution was the fitting of a spring loaded pull down blind, which locks into place, effectively closing off the boot. The original cover was a form of plastic coated canvas, with a canvas backing material holding a series of 18 narrow wooden lathes or slats, running in a chrome grooved fitting on each side. On my car, B334LJ, the covering was perished and rotten, and the spring return mechanism did not seem to work. The whole blind hung limply from the roller, well out of the retaining groove.

1. Removing the roller and blind complete

The roller and blind run between two upper inner boot guide rails on either side. The axle is a square section rod. The left side is fitted into a small bracket which is held in a recess in the guide rails by two screws at the base (screws A and B, on the schematic diagram). When these screws are removed the left end will drop down, and the right hand end simply pulls out of a square hole in the right hand guide rail. (It may be necessary to undo a small grub screw holding the axle of the roller at the right hand end. This screw runs vertically into the fitting and has a small locking nut; fiddly, but loose as it happens on my car.) The blind can now be removed. The left side bracket can be removed from the square section axle for the roller by undoing a similar grub screw and locking nut to that found on the right side.

2. Dismantling the blind

Pull out the slats and keep carefully. They are wooden and difficult to make. There should be 18 of them. I replaced two missing ones with 19 mm by 3 mm aluminium strip, readily purchased from your friendly hardware store. I thought of replacing the lot with aluminium, but 16 were perfectly good.

The inner end of the blind is stitched to a piece of canvas simply wrapped and glued around the central steel roller. Big one centimetre stitches hold the vinyl about every three centimetres along the roller. The outer or bottom end of the blind is simply wrapped around the base support wooden bar, which is made of a simple wooden bar 30 mm by 19 mm, with some shaping at each end, to narrow down into the support groove on each side. The latch fittings unscrew easily, and there are two guide posts to help locate the blind when pulled down. l did not replace this timber, although one end was broken, and needed some simple cut back and wood replacement to bring it back to length and function. It was untreated, so I varnished it all. The workmanship in the wood to fit the various plates and slots for the latches was good and obviously craftsmanlike.

3. Making a blind

I used black leather patterned exterior quality vinyl needing only a running metre from a standard width. (From Upholstery Distributors Australia, 18 Hazelhurst, Kewdale, who are always really helpful and have every shade and type of vinyl, or other similar materials. I had to pay cash because the order was less that $25.00).

I measured out a length for the top and tail, using the old blind as a reference. For backing material, I used heavy duty beige canvas from Textile Traders in Cannington, using the selvedge on one edge and turning the other long edge to produce a fray free edge. The backing material was stitched onto the back of the vinyl using a domestic sewing machine. I run a hand driven 1930’s Singer, which has been fully serviced, and eats this type of job.

The trick is to use proper leather needles of 16 size, and these are available at any Singer Sewing shop. The needle has a rounded chisel cutting tip, and a groove above the cotton hole to protect the cotton as it dives in and ouf of the vinyl (or leather). I used black, heavy duty button thread top and bottom (Singer Shop again). The slat lines were exactly one inch apart, ie 19 exactly straight stitching rows, with a turn back at each end to stop unthreading. I ran the lines to exactly one metre each The slats were exactly 105 mm long, and originally l had the vinyl cut about 10 mm extra in width. After the lines were stitched, in went the slats and now the vinyl width could be trimmed to exactly the same as the slats, while the backing was slightly less (5 mm each side).

4. Fitting the bottom bar

I combined contact adhesive gluing of the material, and vinyl to the bottom bar and finally for the last inward double fold of the vinyl, I used a staple gun. The original craftsmen used tacks, but I think a staple gun is better these days.

5. Replacing the Blind Assembly

I found the internal spring system in the roller was working perfectly well. The axle has a square section at each end and is designed to fit into square holes at each end. It is possible to wind up the tension in the spring on the left hand bracket and then offer up the right hand end into its square hole. The tension has to be wound anticlockw!se, as you Look at the left hand end...it took me several goes to get that right... The bracket is then offered up into the support rail, and the two base screws replaced. The blind now retracts onto the roller.

In order to prevent dust ingress, there is a piece of wood across the top of the blind just inside the lip of the boot, with a thin 40mm wide rubber strip to brush against the blind In two places on this wooden bar, corresponding to the latches on the blind are two tongues of wood, somewhat crudely made and screwed to the bar. They prevent the blind from coming right out of the grooves on either side and were missing on my car. (Snapped off, easily remade and fitted) When first pulling the blind off the roller, the sides are carefully fed into the side grooves, and the latches winkled under the wooden tongue tabs. Now, when the blind is raised it stops at the tabs and does not fly back to the roller and out of the side grooves.

I do not think the grooves need any lubrication but perhaps a little beeswax would not go amiss. I think the original design may have had the backing material stopping short of the grooves to leave the wooden slats next to the chrome groove (when beeswax would definitely help) - and if all looks so much better. Now I need a big wicker hamper and leather straps - and I am sure the leather belt man in Fremantle Markets could make up a special order for the straps - just don’t tell him it’s for a Bentley or a Rolls-Royce, for the usual reason! ¶