Convertible hood problems

[wurlitzer]

Can anyone email me a picture of where the screws and washers fit on the last hood hoop above the rear windscreen,I ve just bought a convertible with a new hood and they hadn't fitted the last hoop onto the hood so when you raised the hood this hoop stayed collapsed with the result the hood got stretched and caught and a small tear happened,Charles Ware are kindly sending me replacement screws and washers but I'm not sure exactly where the rail should go before I attach it to the hood so any pictures of the outside would be appreciated,I should add that Charles Ware didn't fit the hood they are helping me to rectify someone else's mistakes
Thanks Brian

[Budgie]

The last "hoop" is meant to be collapsible if what I think your query is , when I fold mine down I release all the poppers and unscrew the front butterfly bolts, fold the last section / "hoop" down towards the back to rest on the rear parcel shelf and then fold the rest of the hood down on top of it. Hope this helps.

[wurlitzer]

The last hoop should be actually attached to the hood mine isn't so you have to pull it up separately,it isn't fixed to anything so when you pull the hood up it stays collapsed

[Budgie]

Yep that's the same as mine I'm not sure if other tourer owners have a view on this but it's my opinion that that's how it's supposed to be .If the last hoop was attached to the others then when you collapse or raise the hood then it could snag on the rear plastic window and tear it whereas as stated with mine you have to gently raise it on it's own after raising the rest of the hood you can then ease the final hoop up without fear of ripping the rear window while getting it taught after locating the front of the frame to the locating pins and locking it in place.

[DAVIDMCCULLOUGH]

Yes it should have screws to hold the frame up above the window, Ive fitted a couple of new hoods so I would try and re use the original hole in the frame rather than drilling a new one. If its a new frame and never had one drilled, heres a pic taken from Charles Wares own site of a car for sale.[frame][/frame]

[tysonn]

Yes the hood is screwed to the rear hoop.

[Trickydicky]

Here is a picture of the screw, hope it helps.[frame][/frame]

[Budgie]

Well I'm blowed I never would have thought that they would have put screws there seeing as it's a potential spot for water ingress , guess I'll stick with the way mine is as it seems ok to collapse and close I honestly thought that that's the way it should have been [as per my previous post] sorry if I fed you the wrong information.

[tysonn]

I would expect there to be more chance of scratching the window if the rear hoop is not attached!There is a danger of it falling backwards when the tension is released and rubbing against it.Attached to the hoop you just fold the window inwards as you bring the header rail towards the back of the car.Impossible for it to touch the window.

[brucek]

It also helps to ensure that the window is folded away evenly too. It may seem a bit odd to drill a hole there but I have to be honest and say, in all the 30+ years I have been minoring, I have never seen that hood stick ever be rotten so I guess it must work. I put a small amount of clear mastic under the cup washer when I fitted my hood just as a precaution and as far as I can see, there is no water leakage there. Good luck with your hood

[wurlitzer]

Thanks for all your help,I need a bit of further advice ,when you shut the hood you can get a finger in the gap between the screen and the wooden bottom of the hood where the screws go in,surely there shouldn't be much gap otherwise water would pour in in the rain,how do you ever drive these convertibles out in the rain as there are so many gaps

[Budgie]

No it should sit tight onto the top header rail ,is the sponge layer fitted between the wood rail and the tucked under vinyl?

[brucek]

Thanks for all your help,I need a bit of further advice ,when you shut the hood you can get a finger in the gap between the screen and the wooden bottom of the hood where the screws go in,surely there shouldn't be much gap otherwise water would pour in in the rain,how do you ever drive these convertibles out in the rain as there are so many gaps

Sounds a bit like the hood frame and wooden parts were not pre-fitted before the material was fitted. When I did my hood, I fixed the frame into position and locked off the two butterfly nuts to clamp the rail to the screen top. I then added the wooden header rail and marked where it needed to sit. I played about with it a bit to ensure that there was as little gap as possible. Once I was happy, I covered the header rail with vinyl and made sure I put a thin layer of foam on the underside of the rail before I covered it so that it would form a weather seal when clamped down. After fitting the rail back to the frame, I then fitted the hood.

Post a photo if you can of your hood as it is so we can see the gap. You may have to dis-assemble the front and reset it so there is no gap.

[wurlitzer]

I've tried to take a picture but it's not very clear,you can definitely get a finger in the gap above the interior mirror,there is no foam at all under the vinyl.I think it's a trip to Charles Wares to get a new hood put on properly sending the bill to the garage I bought the convertible from who made a poor job of fitting it,I'm afraid the picture is upside down[frame][/frame]

[brucek]

Have turned the image round cos I got a headache standing on my head . Can't say for certain but it does look as if they have simply pulled the hood material over the front header rail and fixed it back over the frame and header rail. As mentioned earlier, I covered my header rail first before I fitted it to the frame and included some foam to make a seal. I then fixed it to the front rail of the frame. Have attached a photo so you can see what I mean
[frame][/frame]
OK you can see the hood frame and screws but to be honest, I don't think it looks bad and I'm not sure it matters as much as getting a nice tight seal and there is no draught whatsoever on mine.[frame][/frame]

Hope this helps

[wurlitzer]

Thanks for all your help it's enabled me to get the company I bought the car off to pay for another new hood so,it's off to Charles Ware to be done properly next week