Rear blind- information please

[Lapsed Cesare Ferrari]

   I would be very grateful if one or more members could explain to me how the Aprilia "tendina parasole", or rear blind, works.
   My car, a series 1 from 1938, had a horrible unravelled house blind where the proper thing should be, with a single cord attached. This ran under the headlining and emerged above the front seats with a ring attached. The roof lining has had to come off, and revealed that there is nothing of the concealed mechanism left underneath it. I may be able to find the proper blind, without any mechanism attached, but what to do with it?
   Firstly, I presume the original is permanently spring-loaded and needs to be held in the raised position. Am I right?
   Second, do the original installations all have three cords at the rear, or is only one also a possible variant?
   Third, when three cords are fitted what is the hidden arrangement that allows a single cord to operate the blind from the front?
   Fourthly, I know there is a guide of some sort, "pilota" in Italian for the mechanism: what sort of thing is it and where is it placed?
   Finally, are there any other parts of the mechanism that I need to know about?
I need to find out about this in a bit of a hurry before I decide on how to proceed with the renewal of the headlining, and would very much appreciate any information or pictures that anyone could pass on to me.
  Cesare

[simonandjuliet]

Cesare
I am doing the exactly the same thing , trying to recreate the original blind system. Let's share ideas and discoveries ......
My new headlining material is on its way from Italy as we speak

Good luck !

[Lapsed Cesare Ferrari]

Simon, deal! Meanwhile let us see what other members have to share.
Cesare

[Scarpia]

it is with three cords and is spring tensioned (you need to pull the cord against sprint tension).I don't know what the mechanism above the headlining is, mine is still original....see the photo of my car in the other post.

[Lapsed Cesare Ferrari]

Thank you Scarpia and Simon.
I am having to abandon my quest for the time being. What I have found out, which may of course be obvious to anyone, is that there are longitudinal sprung lengths of metal between the lateral roof spar nearest the rear window and the next one forward. The central longitudinal element opens at its rear to make an elliptical opening, in which should sit a small pulley.  Adjacent to this should be the hole in the headlining through which the central cord emerges. The cord will have run backwards from the point where it disappears at the front, through holes centrally placed in the lateral spars as it passes, through a Bowden cable-type arrangement, and finally above the element with the elliptical space to the pulley. Where three cords are fitted, there must be a lateral member of some sort towards the  rear to connect them, which I presume lives above the sprung longitudinal bits, and which I presume goes back and forward in some kind of runners, but perhaps relies on no more than a couple more pulleys. My investigations gave me no further clues however.
Simon if you find how things should be arranged, I would still be very interested to know, as it would be something good to achieve as a future improvement to my car.
Ciao.  Cesare

[Scarpia]

there must be someone that has removed a rotten headlining at some point and seen the mechanism?

[simonandjuliet]

That is what I am hoping for, either that or some vestigial parts once I remove mine - he says optimistically !!!