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MG MGB Technical - Reproduction Hoods

Has anyone fitted a reproduction hood from Moss. The Heritage Hoods are over $800.00.


Wondering if the gaps are correct and the shape is correct.
When I say hood I mean bonnet of course.

Thanks, Jeff
Jeff

I believe I've got one Jeff, it wasn't my choice.
Made in China.
It is a little too narrow, maybe 5mm. About 2mm a side, enough to make the gap between the hood and guard just a little too wide. Not much, but noticable. The curve at the back (windscreen end) is just a little deeper than it should be so the gap there is about three mm more in the middle than at the ends. The front edge is not flat, with nice sharpe corners/edges as it should be. I'm told that the front had to have a little more curve bent into it to match the top of the grill (which itself may be off). The metal is very thin, which is good from a weight point of view, but bad from a "leaving a bolt on top of the engine" point of view.
All this is minor and not particularly noticable, unless you take a close look. Certainly not noticable for the uninitiated even if they did look close. However it is anoying me a little so I'm keeping a look out for a good secondhand (preferably Aluminium) bonnet.
Measure and check all of the above mentioned, before handing over the money.
Peter
P.N. Sherman

In the 60s and 70s when MGBs were new and with original bonnet and doors etc, panel fit was not like we are used to today on modern cars.
My aluminum bonnets fit isnt too good was annoying me so I bought another excellent aluminium bonnet........... and it isnt any better!
Robert
R J Collier

Peter, being in OZ, do you order from Moss US or Moss UK? I'm still not clear if they both would supply a bonnet from the same source.
Derek Nicholson

Now ive seen a trick body guys do (on some tv show) which is to filler the gap between say the door jams, hood etc, and then sand/cut through with an exacting line. Im not talking about an easy fix to cure sagging doors etc, but finishing work to get lines like RJ is talking about on modern cars.
James


Hi Jeff,

My '72 B is getting a repro hood and the guy who is doing the bodywork assured me that it would fit well. I trust his opinion since he's an expert with MG/Triumph/Jag. More than likely it would take a bit more work to make it fit correctly than the Heritage part.

Good luck with it.
Dave
David Plantz

Don't know Derek, The guy that fitted it just said it was from China. It's not terrible or anything, does the job quite well. Looks nice. But if you are after perfection it isn't what you want. When I repaint I'll adjust the gap between the guards and can metalwork the front sharper.
P.N. Sherman

Hi: I bought a hood from the "far east" and found I had to cut the right hinge bracket off and re-mount it on the opposite side of the flange to get the hood to sit in the middle. Well worth the agrivation for the price $$
jim

I have a 72B with someone's replacement hood. All I can tell so far is that it fits fairly well but could use a slight alignment correction to even out the gaps. I did add those rubber bumper spaces to keep hood a bit more in line.

What is obviously a compromise in whatever it is I have - is the thinness of the metal. Within weeks of buying car last summer I made the mistake of not simply letting the hood drop from 1-2 feet to shut. Instead I pressed down on the little center square area on front of hood while it was already attached to safety catch.

I'm still trying to figure out how to remove my palm dent in the hood, because it is behind metal bracing on the underside of the hood.

So I've figured whatever the hood is it really is fragile.
R.W Anderson

All bonnets (hoods) will suffer from closing with the palm of your hand - always use all ten fingers and thumbs spread wide to shut it.
Chris at Octarine Services

It makes me think more about repairing the hood I have. It has alot of rust around the front edge and little holes bubbling thru from under. Oh well, another reason to put off the work.
kids1

If you've got lots of rust at the front edge and especially as there are hole appearing in it then the best route is to dump that hood and getb a replacement. At the end of the day they don't fit so badly bearing in mind that you can move the wings in if necessary. The only problem that I found was that the curvature of the sides did not match the wings and had to be bent into shape, a fairly straightforward job.

The other solution is to do what I did on my roadster and source a good used original hood which is a much better fit than a reproduction.
Iain MacKintosh

A much belated thanks to all of the responses. I have been away on business and am just now getting back in gear. I think I am going to fit a aftermarket hood and keep my eyes peeled for a decent original for future use.

I could kick myself for banging in the one on the car!

Jeff
J Delk

This thread was discussed between 13/03/2007 and 22/03/2007

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