MG-Cars.info

Welcome to our Site for MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey Car Information.

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG Midget and Sprite Technical - A couple of hood fitting questions

Hi, I'm having a go at fitting my hood and I have a couple of questions.
1: At the corner near the door the hood has velco but I think mine should have a clip. I put a stud in the end of the rail for a clip. So do I punch a hole in the hood and fit another clip or is there another way of doing it?

2: There's a strap and stud on the inside but it looks too long for the clip on my hood frame. What should happen here?

Thanks, Greg

Greg H

...

Greg H

The early cars with folding hoods had an extra Tenax fastener at the front, whereas the later ones relied on velcro to attach the front of the hood.

The velcro was not very successful!
Dave O'Neill2

I punched a hole and fitted another Tenax at the front - the velcro is basically rubbish.

R.
richard boobier

Greg,

2: There's a strap and stud on the inside but it looks too long for the clip on my hood frame. What should happen here?

The strap is the correct length. You connect it on the frame shown in your photo and the strap pushes the hood out so that the hood makes a better "seal" against the window. Not a proper seal of course, but better than flapping in the wind!


Simon
S Holt

Thanks guys. Another tenax it is then and I'll clip them both on. The back half of the hood will be quite easy but I'm sure the front will need some stretching and fiddling.
Greg H

don't know if you have read this i am waiting for good warm weather to fit mine so might get it fit in the next few years the way our weather is.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/safety_fast/sets/72157623606866759/
mark (1977 1500 Midget) Preston Lancs

Put the tenax in. Happy with that.

Thanks for the link Mark I had seen it before but had forgotten what a good helper it is. Gryf has done a good job with it.

My header rail still has rivets. Sounds like the screws make it easier. Have others changed to screws?

Greg H

Just remember to unbutton the Tenex everytime before you take the hood down or you'll rip your nice new shiny hood - hence the reason for the rubbishy velcro
Nigel Axtell

"The back half of the hood will be quite easy"

Hmmmmmmmmmmm
have alook at

http://www2.mgcars.org.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?runprog=mgbbs&access=&mode=archiveth&subject=97&subjectar=97&thread=2012071321264323441

I found the Moss solution of Spire clip ARH596 and Self tapper ZCT605A to be ok.
M J Chapman

"Have others changed to screws? " - In the header rail.

Nope, I've left rivets in mine, with a special "drain hole" to let the old drilled rivets escape when I drill them to replace the hood.
Lawrence Slater

Those bloody rivers... I had the header rail off to paint it. I drilled the rivets out then spent some time shaking the riverts out of the 1/4" holes where frame mounts. This was a slow process so I also tried to suck them out, and since they were steel also a screwdriver with magnet on the shaft. It took a little while but I got them all out.

Then I paint the rail and in my eagerness to assemble it with brain not in gear I rivet the channel back on. I then say to self "How will the hood get secured under it now that I've riveted it on?" some cursing followed that thought.

So I drill the rail back of again and with a sense of déjà vu I spent an even longer time getting the new rivets out because they were aluminium and so the magnet trick didn’t work.

A special drain hole would have been easier.
Greg H

Even with the drain hole I drilled, I had some hassle getting the rivets out.

So I put a plug of grease in the drain hole, and up ended the header rail. The rivets stick to the grease, and I plucked them out with the gf's eye brow tweezers, and put them back before she noticed. OK, they were mine really, LOL.
Lawrence Slater

Greg -

I replaced my own hood a couple of years ago, and here are some pictures and text I posted afterward:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/safety_fast/sets/72157623606866759/

(Note: I just noticed that Mark in Preston has posted the same link above.)

As for that strap, mine appeared to be a little long as well. But I don't think they're supposed to stretch tight.

And as for the Velcro, I replaced the loop tape on the cockpit rim with new material, and it's worked surprisingly well.

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

Gryf thanks for putting those photos together to help the rest of us out. I now know how to go about it but I've been procrastonating a bit and finding other little jobs to do instead.

The tenax was original on mine so ok with doing it that way but it sounds like velcro is a safer way to go to prevent tearing the hood.
Greg H

Ok so I'm finishing off fitting my hood. I've been procrastinating for a while because I wasn't sure how to get the length right. I ended up putting tape along the top front edge which worked ok, put screws through the hood into the header rail to check the tension was correct. All looks good so about to rivet it on.

I was wondering if I need to put glue between the aluminium channel and the hood to waterprrof it? I think not but thought I'd check. Thoughts?
Greg H

This thread was discussed between 10/11/2012 and 01/01/2013

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archives. Join the live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS now