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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Hood fitting...

My car, quite impressively, still has it's original hood from birth. Now, these are such lovely bits of kit, but unfortunately it really is showing it's age, and it's beginning to tear in areas which would be simply uneconomical to repair nicely. And yes! I fold it correctly!

Luckily, the P.O. gave me a spare brand new hood when I bought the car, but for prosperity I have kept the original hood. However, the amount of drag/noise/drips the tears are creating is making it less than desirable to drive with.

Just how difficult is it to remove/fit a new hood? How long realistically do I need to reserve to do this job? Any tools I need? Glue?

Thanks,
Rich
Rich Amos (1330cc Blaze Red '72)

I've done the new hood thing a couple of times...1st for a double duck which unfortunately simply didn't last - but looked superb when new and then latterly for a new vinyl hood.

Its a good half a days work and patience is the key. If you're reusing the header rail then yes you need glue and either pop rivets or screws to hold the channel that holds the front seal. A hole punch to add the fastners is much more preferable than trying to cur a smallhole with a knife or scissors. Some hoods may need extra poppers adding so you need the necessary tool for that aswell.

I always add an extra tenax fastner to the corner by the door in addition to the velcro which makes for a much better fit I find.

The hardest thing to judge is how much tension to put into the hood. Too little and it may sag or flap too much at speed. Too much and it can get difficult to close it.

My current vinyl hood is probbaly a little too much of the latter. Its fine when hot or in full sun but can be very hard in the winter to close fully with a lot of weight needed to get the clips on the header rail shut. The double duck was probably a little easier in this respect as there is much less stretch so its a more definitive position.
Dean Smith ('73 RWA)

agree with Dean, here. If too tight then the stitching tends to gape and the rain gets in...so measure three times and cut once!
dave c

I was dreading this job when I restored my midget but it actually went surprisingly well. I suspect the quality of the hood you buy is a factor (I bought the Moss vinyl one recommended by Beech Hill).

In terms of getting the tension right, mine came with little "tabs" which line up with the header rail. The principle is actually shown on Mark Evan's an MG is Born (but obviously he's doing it on a Roadster).

I think I spent about a morning doing mine and that included drilling the body for the fasteners (it was a new Heritage shell).

Jezzer

Have you thought about taking the original hood to a sailmakers?
I got mine repaired by one who was only to happy to have something different to work on. The vinyl was a perfect match & it only cost me a packet of chocolate digestives.

Brad
B Richards

Brad,
I think I figured that by the time I'd removed the thing I'd be itching to get the new one on so I could drive the car again (I rely on the car at weekends), and would be pained to wait for someone to repair it. My biggest issue is just that it is significantly torn along the top of the side windows (how do you even repair this?!), and very damaged on the corners where it meets the front rail. It just looks messy...

I can't in my head imagine how this can get repaired (and look NICE) for any reasonable amount of money?
Rich Amos (1330cc Blaze Red '72)

Best to replace it then. But your probably find your front header rail will be in a bit of a state, mine was like lace work!
Just take your time & make sure its all square before you make any holes.

cheers Brad
B Richards

This thread was discussed between 04/05/2008 and 06/05/2008

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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