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 TD TF 1500 - TD4834 2 bow hood install /Robbins

After a very long wait I finally got the TD back from the upholstery shop. The Moss interior looks great except for the wrong size Hidem used.

The shop also installed a new Robbins Stayfast tan hood. I was disappointed with the huge back window robbins put in it rather than what was appropriate. I had instructed the shop to use all the original mounting points for every bracket, screw and snap which they did. Figuring that this would put all in fine order. Well it didn't. The top fits great on the frame and was stretched as necessary to produce a fine fit without sags or wrinkles. The problem is the side screens don't mate with the hood canvas except for the rear corner o the back curtains from that point forward it is a mess at the intersection of the hood, front and rear curtains there is nearly an inch gap between the bottom of the hoods outer flap and the top of the curtains. The frame is mounted in its original postion. It gets worse as there is a gap at the front intersection of the windshield It looks great with the curtains off but very unseemly with them in place and in no way will keep weather out should I drive it in those conditions. What could have possibly happened? Everything related to mounting points are in their original locations. The frame is the original and the new side curtain profiles match my originals.

Bill Chasser jr
TD4834


W. A. Chasser Jr

Is your car driveable? If so why don't you bring it up and we can erect my hood and sidecurtains and take comparative measurements.

Mine is all custom but done to original specifications.
Christopher Couper

Right side view. When this pic was taken I don't think the front bar was down
Properly

W. A. Chasser Jr

Chris the car isn't finished yet. I have a full page of to
Dos left on it and now the 2nd hi torque starter seized up. Car got caught in the rain last Friday Thankfully the new tonneau kept the interior dry. I don't have a garage and couldn't push the car up into the trailer by myself.

Bill Chasser jr
TD4834
W. A. Chasser Jr

Sure looks like the front of the side curtain is way too low. Did the shop also install the side curtain coverings? Using the original mounting points for non-original coverings could have been a major mistake, as the new coverings are certainly different dimensions. George
George Butz

Bill, my curtains looked exactly like yours for years! One day I took a close look and discovered the chrome knob and plate that holds the curtain to the door (don't know it's name) on the bad side was mounted way too low! I simply reinstalled it properly, lifted the curtain up, and the big gap is gone. Yes, I had to drill a 2nd hole in the door but the old hole is barely visible.
Ed
efh Haskell

What is the measurement from the low point of the door to the bottom of the hood frame. The hood installation instructions gave a measurement of 20 or 20 1/2 inches. I set the frame at 19 1/2 inches, works fine. Also see Dave Braun's web pages for this issue.
R W Hinton

My frame was put back in its original location. The parallel bar to the top of the rear of door was / is 20". The side curtains are in used Moss units that I had bought off Ebay last year. They are identical in appearance to my originals but I have not fitted them to see if there is a difference
W. A. Chasser Jr

Bill perhaps locating the original mounting points was not all that easy. Where I still have original timber on the door top rail & body on the driver's side there are many sets of holes indicating that the mounting points had been changed either at original installation or more likely over the 19 years the car was on the road. When looking at this hood & screen junction, most of the restored cars I've seen here elicit responses that vary between "surely that can't be right" & " mate, it's bloody awful". I know the following is of no help to you but it may assist somebody else. To ensure I get this right the first time I plan to test fit the untrimmed side curtain frames & the untrimmed hood frame BEFORE I upholster the interior. I'll use ply packing under the mounting points (to simulate the trim panels) & then keep adjusting & fine tuning the fixing locations until I'm totally happy with all the measurements between the hood & side curtain frames. In your case raising the front mounting point may well reveal holes in your new upholstery as I'm sure you know. Sorry I can't offer a simple solution. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

From your second image may I suggest that the frame hinge point is set too high. The hood appears to have too high a peak at the second bow which is throwing out the hood profile. Photographs however dont always depict the true picture.
G Evans

Well side curtains go where side curtains go. If they fit in the opening and are flush with the top of the body and doors, there is not much wiggle room.

Bill: Compare your hood measurements with mine in the picture attached and note where your side curtain top meets the windshield.

Christopher Couper

I think the answer is in the above 4 posts. I think 20" is too high and as Peter mentions, who knows what holes were original? My original wood had about 20 mounting holes in each side, etc. "The side curtains are in used Moss units that I had bought off Ebay last year." I'm pretty sure that you have to do correctly, you have to install the hood, fit the frames to the car, then trial fit with clamps and/or helper the SC covers to the hood and frames, mark the fit, and then attach the coverings to the SC frames very last for ideal fit. The front top of your one curtain is still way too low even if you lower the top bow, Ed's suggestion about raising the mounting plate may be the only fix. Or cut and weld and extend the frame leg. Hate to say it, but I think insisting on using the original holes sunk the project. JC Whitney has a vinyl repair kit-trust me that it works very well to fill extra holes in new upholstery. George
George Butz

Here also is the factory photo.

Christopher Couper

A closeup view.

Looks like your hood does not extend down as far is it should.

Christopher Couper

Hello Bill

I think you have a mismatch in that you have a two-bow top frame and three-bow front side curtains.

Your front side curtains are definitely the three-bow type curtain (the top and bottom chrome strips are parallel on the three-bow type front side-curtains/ the two-bow type side curtain features a top strip that angles upward as it moves from the rear of the front side curtain to the windshield). In other words, the two chrome strips are not parallel on the two-bow type early side curtains.

As mentioned above, your top frame is also mounted too high. If you look at the factory photo that Chris posted - the close up shot - notice that the bottom edge of the top is virtually a straight line from the rear top bow to the front of the windshield. Your top has the pronounced angle that is found on the later three bow top frames. This change gave more headroom, and as a result changed the line of the bottom edge of the top (and the top edges of the two side curtains).

It seems to me that you have:

A two-bow top frame
A three-bow top
2 three bow front side curtains

The rear side curtains may be correct - I cant tell from your photo.

One the top install at the windshield, it seems that they made some errors in the placement of the flap that wraps around the end of the wooden header rail. The side curtain cutout line should fall within the chrome strip - and not be within the area enclosed by the chrome strips.

Again see the factory photos in the books and in the posts by Chris.

Best of luck to you.

Sorry to hear also that Robins now uses an incorrect rear window - are you certain the top is a Robbins top?
DLD

The change from two-bow to three-bow was made at:

TD/20374 (LHD) Sept 52
TD/20696 (RHD) Oct 52
DLD

Bill the illustrated dimensions of both the 2 & 3 bow side curtains are shown in the Moss Side Curtain & Hood installation instructions dated 2006. The instructions are in need of an update but the dimensions appear to be correct. I have a copy on file that I can email to you if that would help.

Chris your install is even better than the factory! You just might be right when you state that your guy is the best upholsterer in the world. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

DLD I'm making 3 pairs of TD 2 bow front side curtain frames at the moment using a badly rusted original frame as a template. As you say the top & bottom frame rails aren't parallel, (9 1/2" apart at the rear & 9 7/8" at the front. This seems to be born out when looking at the original factory pic. The Moss document suggests that the 3 bow TD frame measures 10 3/4" between the top & bottom frame rail & also cautions they are easily confused with the TF frame. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Bill, see http://www.ttalk.info/Curtains/index.html for the Moss side curtain data. Bud
Bud Krueger

Bill, did you check your front side curtains to see which type you have? If you lower your top frame and obtain the early type curtains, I think you should be ok.

Did you confirm your top type. Also, could you post a photo of the rear window? You mentioned Robbins used an incorrect type.
DLD

Bill - any feedback on your top/side curtains????

What all have you found out about your components and the placement of the top frame pivots?
DLD

Sorry guys. I've been laid up in bed the last few weeks and haven't had the energy to respond to you all or get in contact with Robbins. I hope to get on it next week.

Bill Chasser
TD4834
W. A. Chasser Jr

This thread was discussed between 22/10/2015 and 29/10/2015

MG TD TF 1500 index

This thread is from the archives. Join the live MG TD TF 1500 BBS now