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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Hood frame fixings

Hi can anyone tell me if the frame for a folding hood bolts through the interior panel, ie sandwiches the trim panel between hood frame and bodyshell, I am doing reshell on fixed frame model and don't have any old panels for reference. Thanks.
A Potter

my folding hood does and parts catalogues show a packing piece but I don't know if mine has one fitted or where it goes

plus you could have the bracket for tonneau sticks and hard top
Nigel Atkins

Hi Nigel, I did buy a couple of the packing pieces as they were cheap anyway and they are like thick gasket material.
A Potter

thought they might be or possibly thin metal

as per usual I'm a bit confused, have you got two cars or fitting a folding hood on a pack away hood car
Nigel Atkins

Yes it does get confusing. I have reshelled a mk3 1966 Sprite . As I'm sure you know the fixed hood shells are not available, so I guess I will have mk3 1/2. Not one for the purest but the original shell was way beyond my welding skills and I managed to pick the shell up for a good price from an unfinished project. :)
A Potter

if there were only original cars left now they'd be very few of them at shows let alone on the road

I find the fold away hood a lot of hassle after having a Mk2 MX-5 so a pack away hood would annoy me more especially having to stow it
Nigel Atkins

Yes the 3 hoodframe bolts go through the trim panel; see pics in Horler pp 92 & 93.
David Smith

<<< if there were only original cars left now they'd be very few of them at shows let alone on the road >>

I have been complimented on my '66. Bought it in 1975 [when we used to have summers] and took it off the road in 1979 and put it in boxes. Took it out again and put it back together in 2009. Not much on it is "new" and I have reconditioned all major components. Nicely patinated is the description I think!

David Cox

Looks good David. I too have tried to renovate as much as possible, but it's shame the shell was so far gone. I have added a few upgrades though as I intend to use it as my daily commute.
A Potter

Thnaks A; the shell is that built back in '66 save for some cills and rear wings only. All matching numbers
David Cox

very nice David look very smart to me and not 'patinated' to me, except the more real world front bumper

I think the fact it's been off the road almost twice as long as on might have helped it

do you have it on the road much
Nigel Atkins

your right Nigel . Keeping it all in boxes has helped preserve it. Seat and door cards; full and half-tonneau , dash and so on all as was.
And yes; drive it quite often but not when there is salt down and the roads are wet. No point putting it in harm's way.
hate driving it with the roof up; my long-suffering wife and I are long standing members of the Ruffty-Tuffty Club...
David Cox

David Cox

well you've proved the exception to the rule and roof down too - well done :thumbup:
Nigel Atkins

David. Your car looks great, but it looks like a mk3 judging by the rear of the cockpit. If so, built in 66, it must be one of the very early 1275 cars as the mk2s ran from 64 to66 with 1098 engines and pack away hoods. Yours looks as if it has a folding hood. Got any more pics, particularly of the interior?

Bernie.
b higginson

Horler states 409 1275s built in '66 and 209 Sprites so there won't be more than a handful left I guess.
David Smith

Wow. If that's true, then I have one of 209 cars. Mine is a '66 MKIV Sprite on a D plate.
Lawrence Slater

David: according to the heritage certificate the car was built between november and december 1966. It is a MkIII GAN4 positive earth and all that so must be one of the 409.
Bernie: any shots you want in particular?
Dave
David Cox

This thread was discussed between 08/06/2012 and 09/06/2012

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