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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Convert. top issue

Don't have a driver's manual, so:

I have a new convert. top on the car. The top came with 2 cloth "straps" sewn into the fabric which, presumably, were to be glued/attached to the appropriate frame bow. However, it seems to me that when lowering the top, that particular part of the top should pull away from the frame as it's being lowered, and then folded over the bow, toward the front. (It's a 74 midget).

Anybody have any advice?

Thanks!
JM Morris

the hood is more like a tent than modern cars - it has to be disassembled to come down :)

Fixings for a late hood (from you description it might be one of these)

On the inside:

At the very front corners, a popper in the wing to the studs at the top of the windscreen pillar

At the top/rear of the glass, a 4" bit of fabric, with popper on the end, attach to studs on the hood frame

At the bottom/rear of the glass, a loop of fabric with popper on one end and stud on other, this loops around the frame

The hood catches


on the outside:

three or four studs a side. In the case of three stud versions, also some ineffective velcro.


To remove the hood:

undo all fixings and pull the centre of the hood straight out rearwards, so the window is lying on the boot and the metal frame is folded with no trapped fabric.

flip the fabric over so the screen is upwards and the quarter lights stick out like wings

fold the quarter lights over the rear window (folding at the fabric which joins the two)

now tuck the folded hood behind the seats and fit the tonneux cover


1/2 tonneux: this is fitted to the three or four outside studs from before. 7 popers along the rear and inside with a stud to the top of the b-post and four "tails" to the studs on the top of the divider between the boot and the passenger compartment (look for these with the hood up - you wont find them if you got here with the roof down).

Full Tonneux: this is fitted in the same way on the outside, but inside the only fixings are two "lift the dot" posts on the bulkhead

Will Munns

Golden rule:
if the plastic gets folded then you've made a mistake
Will Munns


..."undo all fixings and pull the centre of the hood straight out rearwards....". Therein lies the problem. The centre of the hood (on the inside) has two cloth straps, (sewn to the hood fabric) that have been looped around the central bow and glued...so that the hood cannot be pulled away and rearwards. Since the hood came from the factory with those two cloth straps, the installer assumed they were to be glued to that part of the frame to which they fall naturally. Presumably, they were meant to hold the hood tightly to the frame to keep it from bowing up at speed. Perhaps snaps were meant to be attached to the ends of the straps, so that they could be unsnapped when the hood is lowered. Instead, they have been glued around the frame. So I assume I need to cut them loose--or try to pull them loose.

Does that sound right?

Thanks!
JM Morris

You need to remove them - there should be no "straps" on the hood itself, looped around the bow or otherwise. However, there would originally have been two rubberised fabric straps that were rivetted to the central two bows of the collapsible frame - quite what their function was I'm not sure - perhaps to tension the hood fabric across the top "roof" area, or to prevent the two frame elements from being forced too far apart.
The hood should pull clear of the frame exactly as Will describes.
HTH
Steve Clark

No. 5 shown here
http://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=29365#5
but not listed so presumably NLA.

Described in my Moss catalogue as "Webbing (centre strip)" and "Webbing (side strips)" - so there were 3
Steve Clark

Steve, somebody (Moss?) now sells the webbing by the roll, I have some that came with a miscellaneous pile of spares so I don't know the supplier..
David Smith



Thanks, fellas! Oh, the folly of allowing someone else to do your dirtywork! Now I'll have to peel that fabric away from the frame bow. Hope it's cheap glue!

Thanks again~!
JM Morris

Right, the vinyl/fabric straps should have snaps in their ends, as Will mentioned. Every time I lower my top, I have to unsnap the straps, one at the aft top corner of each window, and another one lower, just above the B-pillar, so I can pull the fabric free of the frame. Whoever glued your straps misunderstood their function. If there are no snaps in place, just get some 1/4" items from a fabric store, along with the installer tool. They're a no-brainer to install.

And for what it's worth, when I bought my car the top - apparently a replacement - didn't have the snap sockets corresponding to the studs at the upper insides of the windshield frames. So it looks like new tops don't always include all the snaps, and you sort of have to know where they go and what they do.

BTW, up at your windshield header rail, did the installer insert the rail ends into the fabric "pockets" at the front corners of the roof fabric? The rail ends shouldn't be exposed; also this prevents ripping of the fabric along the front edge of the rail. Just wanted to mention that, as my car's PO got that bit wrong and I ended up sewing up some ugly rips on both front corners.

Cheers,

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside


Gryf--rail ends were fitted into the fabric pockets--no problem there. I need to clarify about that piece of fabric--I was trying to operate from memory:

It's not the forward snaps that are a problem. Here's the accurate picture--at the most rearward frame bow (the one just above the rear window), the hood has a piece of fabric sewn in (the entire width of the hood) that apparently acts as a cushion or pad. That piece of fabric has been wrapped around that bow and glued. So you can't pull the hood away from the frame when lowering. I've already managed to pull most of the fabric loose (just by fingers) and will get the rest next weekend.

Thanks to all for your help!
JM Morris

This thread was discussed between 06/02/2009 and 10/02/2009

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.