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MG MGB Technical - Hood adjustment

Bought a new acrylic hood about 6 years ago it’s always been very tight and difficult to put up. Got caught in the rain today and got soaked struggling to erect it. Is it possible to undo the front and lengthen it at the header rail about a half an inch to ease the situation a little. Thanks
Trevor Harvey

It would almost certainly leave a series of holes across the front where the rubber seal and channel are pop-riveted to the hearer rail.

Mine was a bit like Nora Batty's stocking when I got it, but tightening it up doesn't have that problem.

Not a lot you can do, I would think, whilst heat will allow it to stretch more easily it will almost certainly go back, and from what hot-state Americans say repeated heat makes it shrink.
paulh4

Same problem here..... haven’t found a solution yet, in the 23 years I own my B.
Each autumn it is a struggle when preparing the car for winter.
Just to confirm: if it is the latest type of hood (the “Michelotti” version, introduced in 1971), the first crossbar (the one above your head when sitting in the car) can pivot, up and down towards the rear. The hood should be erected with the bar down, when all is in place and fixed the bar can be tilted up (forward) thus tightening the hood up. Not a big difference but could just be enough.....
C.Boerop Kees

The rear bar is supposed to be glued or stitched into two flaps so it is pulled up automatically. That didn't sit neatly under the seam on mine, so I have a cord each side that pulls it into the position I want, also automatically.

Under the seam it does tighten the hood, so yes, if you leave it unattached, then pushing it into position after the header rail clips are fastened could make the difference.

The clips are also adjustable on the header rail, I presume they are in the lowest position?
paulh4

The rear bar is stitched in so cannot gain any slack from that however I found unzipping the rear window has made it a little easier, haven’t attempted to zipp it up again with the hood up I’ll let it stretch for a while. Thanks for you advice.
Trevor Harvey

If it's that tight I can imagine trying to zip it back up already fastened is likely to damage the zip.
paulh4

The tiltable crossbar I meant above is the first bar behind the header rail....not the one stitched in further to the rear.
You wouldn’t know it is tiltable if it is stuck in the upright position for instance.
Paul, thanks for your tip re the adjustable clips, I never thought about that and indeed, I have now a few mm’s less gap to close.
C.Boerop Kees

Whilst the front bow is on pivots, it shouldn't move much at all if the stop-blocks are in place. When things wore on mine such that the front bow could move past the blocks the ends of the bow started hitting the body just outside the cockpit. If that bow tilted the other way then the ends stuck up underneath the tonneau cover. I welded on a bigger block to stop both those problems, and now it barely moves. In fact I don't know why it isn't welded as it doesn't need to pivot at all, from paint marks I put on that bow and the main frame and comparing erected with folded.

Not that that helps Trevor get his hood fastened, of course, if his front bow doesn't pivot as much as yours.
paulh4

This thread was discussed between 10/07/2020 and 13/07/2020

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