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MG MGA - FITTING A NEW HOOD

Has anyone any experience of suitable local trimmers within 20 miles radius of Birmingham (UK)who will fit a hood at a reasonable price. The trimmer providing the hood?

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Sincerely

Jerry
J P BIRKBECK

Don Hoods(Usually advertise in classic car mags) nr Coventry are good as suppliers. Maybe they can recomend a fitter.
Nigel Munford

PJM Motors in Market Drayton manufacture and fit. A bit further than 20 miles away though. They specialize in MGs. Have a look at their website..........Mike
m.j. moore

check out Barneys site on fitting a hood as usual the BEST and do it your self ! a very rewarding experiance and you have some extra cash for the next goody

Cheers Colin p/s any mga,s going to Le Mans ?
c daly

Jerry,
I printed Barney's instructions on fitting a hood and used them to guide me as I fitted a new hood. I bought my hood from The Little British Car Co. here in the states, but the instructions should fit any new hood. I also replaced the wooden header as my old one was pretty far gone. The new header required some fitting to make it conform to the contour of the windshield but the final results were good. I'll try to post some photos.
I will say that the satisfaction of having done it yourself and ending up with a good job is great.






Ed Bell

The finished product.
Note, having someone to help hold thing for you is a good idea.


Ed Bell

Wow, Ed...tight as a drum!

Mine came out well, but not so pretty as yours.

JIM in NH
AJ Mail

Just wondered what others are like

I fitted my own hood and found the job very simple, the hardest part was making a new wooden header rail however I have found further problems

Mine too is as tight as a drum, being fitted in a very warm garage using a fan heater inside the car to warm things up. But now when the car travels above around 50 MPH the hood top flaps like mad and makes a terrible racket flapping against the frame cross bows.

My midget hood on the other hand tends to blow up and baloon well clear of the frame and make no noise at all as a result.

I tend to push wooley pullovers and stuff around the frame bows when touring on holidays and such so I can travel at a reasonable 80 MPH and get to where we want to be in a reasonable time and not deafened.

Do others have the same issue, I wonder if the hood was a slacker fit whther i would baloon clear of the frame?
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

Bob, like you, I fitted it myself; even used the fan heater trick! Mine is good and tight but makes a buzzing noise at about the same speed as yours. I had a MKII Midget a few years ago, and the hood on that 'ballooned' at speed despite being just as tight as the MGAs hood but it made no noise. There must be a difference in the aerodynamics of the MGA and the Midget.
Lindsay Sampford

Thanks Chaps

I recall fitting a hood to a Spitfire many, many years ago and experienced the kind of problems that have been identified. I also fitted a hood supplied as a kit to a TA about 12 years ago. That was always problematic and after some years a trimmer in Redditch ensured a far better fit.

I have decided to use Don Trimming in Birmingham (UK) and have booked it for mid April - their earliest available date. They have been about for many years and I have heard good things about them.

It is absolutely essential to get the fitting spot on as others have mentioned. Your experiences of flapping and buzzing at speed is something that I will mention to the fitters.

Jerry
J P BIRKBECK

The factory hoods had tightly-fitting fabric tubes or channels sewn into the seams, right above the metal bows. The early 1500s had three, one over each bow, while the 1600s had only one, in the seam above the forward (metal) bow. The bows were inserted into these tubes, and the result served as wind buffers for the hoods at speed. This is all illustrated in Clausager, on pp. 43-4.

The problem I had in removing my original 1600 hood for replacement was two-fold: (1) the bow ends were welded as well as screwed, a challenge met by careful cutting at one end; (2) the channel was so tight that I could not negotiate the bend at the end of the bow. Perhaps the fabric had more stretch 50 years ago, but even the technique of gathering the tube at the bend to provide a bit more slack was unsuccessful. Eventually I had to split it open to free it from the bow.

The replacement hood, yet to be installed, sports a new channel sewn onto the existing seam allowances. Following a design suggested by someone on the other forum, I made the channel open, with a Velcro closure running its entire length. The rear side of the channel is quite narrow and the front side is broader, so that the channel's opening is to the rear, hidden from view. Whether the design is effective as a wind buffer or not remains to be tested. Still, it looks good--if not as flashy as Bob's wooly pullover.

Cheers,
Ken
Ken Korey

I like the idea of velcro to tie the hood to the cross bows. May try that I think?
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

The velcro idea was mine. It works great and is invisible when fitted. No noise at all from the hood when cruising (much) faster than 80MPH
dominic clancy

This thread was discussed between 24/02/2012 and 20/03/2012

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This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGA BBS is active now.