QuestionI purchased a 76 MG midget a couple of months ago. When I received it the top was down and has been left down while I installed new wiring. Now that I am trying tp put it up it is almost impossible to stretch it far enough to catch.
Is there something I can do relax the fabric to get it closed.
Again Thanks in advance.
Doug
AnswerHi Doug. If the hood was originally fitted on a warm summer's day and it has been left down until the winter, then this could be a real problem. I hope you have a garage where you can park the car, preferably somewhere warm and dry.
First, make sure that you have undone all 4 clips underneath each of the two small back windows. Next, open both doors. Raise the hood vertically and then rotate it forwards so that the hood material can slide on the frame without sticking. My guess is that the front edge of the hood will stop about six inches above the windscreen.
If it will not lock into place, leave it up, close the doors, and put an electric fan heater inside the car to gently warm the hood material. If you can put some weight on the front edge, that would help. It may take several hours, but eventually the hood material should soften and become stretchy, so that you can clip the hood in place. Once it is clipped, leave the heater on for a couple more hours and then switch the heater off. As the hood material cools it should stay stretched and the problem should go away. I would then leave the hood erected for the duration of the winter.
If this doesn't work, then the hood has been fitted incorrectly, and I am afraid that you will need to fit a new one.
