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MG MG Y Type - REPLACEMENT HOOD AND RECOVERED SIDESCREENS

Dear All

One of the outcomes of our trip to the Loire was just how poor the hood and sidescreens were on the YT. Mike Silk, Anrew Morland and Peter Veilvoye all had well fitting hoods in moahir and vinyl.

I have decided to bite the bullet and get some quotes within the Midlands. I have had a response from Tappers in Birmingham, whom I have not used before but are a long established company. To supply and fit a new mohair hood and recoover the sidescreens they are quoting £1100 + VAT.

I have also requested a quote from Don Trimming also in Birmingham whom I used to have a new hood fitted to the MGA three years ago. They charged £650 (inc VAT) to supply and fit a mohair hood. The quality is very good and they did a good job. I will await their quote with interest.

Am I correct in thinking that the paint finish of the hood frame and side screen frame should be tan, rather than body colour?

Any thoughts and views especially about Tappers would be very welcome.

All the best

Jerry
Jerry Birkbeck

Jerry,

My side frames are brown (beige) colour.

Richard
R E Knight

Cannot recall the details Jerry but LTBYs covers this in some detail.

Paul Barrow

Hi Jerry

The canvas hood on my YT is is excellent condition, but quite stiff. I have a real problem when trying to unfold it, especially when it comes to anchoring it to the front windscreen as it normally requires a 2nd person to help, unless of course the hood is wet. I will be intersted in knowing how you progress with your replacement. I suppose a vinyl or mohair hood would be easier to unfold and fold. Would this be the same with mohair?? Would vinyl stretch quite a bit in hot whether?

The clear part of the side screens on my car are also very 'wavy', and hence visibility not very good. I am also considering getting these renewed. What is the best material?

Many thanks

Anil
Anil Koshti

Hi Anil

I believe that vinyl hoods stretch well, don't fade and are pretty robust. I also own an MGA and have a vinyl tonneau cover fitted which is fine The hood. which is in mohair, is excellent and relatively easy to put up, though I use the word 'relatively' with a degree of caution as generally they are awkward to erect. Nonetheless, I am please with it.

On my YT the hood and side screens are in canvas and may well have been fitted when the car was partially restored by the owner in the 1980's. It certainly isn't origianal or even in the original design (examples of which you can find in Dave Lawrence's book - Let there be Y's). The sidecreens have lost their rigidty (by that I mean that the canvas is no longer firm and upstanding) and do not fit well with the line of the hood.

Looking at the hoods on the four YT's on the Loire trip last week, which were in use rather more often than most of us would have wished, three had canvas or mohair hoods and one vinyl. The vinyl version seemed to have been very effective, whilst the other three all had a few issues with heavy rain. Our experience was that the hood on our YT was a tight fit over the windscreen and no rain came in through that source but the sidecreens were not very effective at preventing any incursion of heavy wind.

The choice of material for your sidescreens is up to you, though if you already have a canvas roof then I would suggest that the most appropriate way is to have them covered in canvas or mohair.

I am aiming to visit the suppliers over the next week and confirm what they can do for me. Whoever, undertakes the work I will post some photos on the Bulletin when any work is finished.

All the best
Jerry
Jerry Birkbeck

end of forth paragraph should be thus: ".. were not very effective at preventing any incursion of heavy wind'

This should read 'heavy rain''! Apologies for that.

All the best
Jerry
Jerry Birkbeck

Hi Jerry

Many thanks for your response. Yes, my hood is canvas and in very good condition and must have been professionally re-conditioned before the car was re-imported to the UK from Ausralia. Unfortunately, the preson who restored the car and hood passed away 2 years ago. I was lucky to get some pictures from him a few years ago, but as he was not involved with computers and emails, everything had to be emailed via a 3rd party.

My hood seals very well in the front over the windscreen. As I said my main problem is when it is dry and you wish to unfold the hood, which requires 2 persons as it is very stiff - especially if it needs to done in a hurry due to possible rain approaching. The sidescreens are also canvas, but the clear material of the sidescreens is very 'wavy' and distorts the view when looking through it, which is very annoying. I look forward to seeing your pictures. I also have a vinyl cream coloured tonneau cover.

Best wishes

Anil
Anil Koshti

This thread was discussed between 23/09/2015 and 29/09/2015

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