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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - soft top shop

My Frogeye soft top was blown to pieces because it came out of the rail, with a huge thump, in strong winds at 95 miles. I was not satisfied with the quality and the fit. I don't know where I bought it. Do you know an address for a high-quality vinyl soft top?

Flip
Flip Brühl

http://www.donhoods.com/
Daniel

Have you considered having a bespoke hood made and fitted by a car upholsterer. Mine is certainly over thirty years old and fits so well. Of course it will be a bit more expensive. This is the same hood but with early and later side-screens.





Alan Anstead

Recently ordered and fitted mine to my MK2
Got it from Don Trimming. Fits very well and so happy to recommend it.


James Paul

That looks nice James, did you fit it yourself or take it somewhere?
Philip Sellen

Thanks Philip!

Did it myself, first time as well so was very nervous about it, but I am pleased how it turned out.

The only issue I had was the mk2 frame just sits in slots on the inside of the b-posts and it was sitting way too low. So I forced a locking nut into the end of the frame so that I could then adjust the height of the frame to pick up the slack in the vinyl hood.

It is such a different driving experience with the hood up as I’ve only driven it in perfect weather until now.


James Paul

Ah, that’s a good idea. I’ll try to remember that for the future.
Philip Sellen

Oddly, my hood / hood frame for my Frogeye had the exact opposite problem. The only solution was to cut about 1/2" of the bottom of each frame leg. Even so, the hood is very taught.
GuyW

Guy,

Did you have to cut that material off even with the spring loaded tensioning arrangement fully compressed and locked by the bayonet arrangement?
David Billington

Yes, David, I was aware of the principle of compressing the telescopic section of the 'legs' Even with them locked down they were still too tall for my hood. Probably something to do with using a Mk2 frame with the frog, though I had thought they were the same other than being split in the centre.
GuyW

Cabrio partner offers me a custom soft top in everflex for €2100.....
Flip Brühl

Guy and James: when you fitted your hoods, did you fit the rear first, including fittings round to the B post, then create mild tension at the front on the header bar with the frame tensioning bar closed, before committing to fix on the header.

Then having fitted to the header bar and located on the screen, you opened up the frame tensioning bar to provide a taught fit all over?

I’m not looking to fit a new hood but I’m curious to know how you fitted to the car.
Philip Sellen

Phillip, mine is on a Mk1 Sprite so the hood itself is of a fixed length already. Closed hem at the front to take the screen header bar and pockets at the rear to clip into the 'tear drops'. At the initial fitting stage the only issue might be where the turn buckle and tennax fastenings go behind the B post. That's assuming you still have the holes in the rear deck for the tear drops and havent welded them up!

With the hood fastened to those fixed points it is just a matter of making use of the frame adjustment to get a good looking fit, but you do that every time you put the hood up.

The later, pram hood cars, are a very different matter for the initial fit of a new hood. There is the matter of tensioning the hood before attaching and glueing to the header rail. Both times I have done that job I have been too enthusiastic in trying to get a non-flapping hood and ended up with an over tight hood!
GuyW

Ah yes of course Guy, I was forgetting your hood design is different to the Sprite MKII / midget MKII.

Interesting to hear that your efforts to obtain suitable tension resulted in over enthusiasm. That’s kind of why I wondered if you’d just lightly/moderately tension the hood to the header and allow the frame tensioning bow to achieve a satisfactory amount of taughtness.

Difficult one to get just right I imagine.
Philip Sellen

Hi Philip,

To answer your question on fitting the hood.

First up you have to fit the fabric to the header rail which is the most nervy part. Don's hood comes with lines to mark where the header should go, but I found it was very approximate.

So I used screws first before rivets in case I needed to adjust it.

I lay the hood on top of the frame. The frame was initially in the fully extended position.

I hooked the rear bar in the chrome slots first and then with the header rail locked in position as best I could, marked out where I thought the header rail should sit by pulling down the vinyl as tight as I could.

Then attached the header rail with the screws and test fitted it.

I adjusted it only once and then riveted the header rail in place to what I thought was correct position.

It seemed ok but a little loose. So with the rear bar in place, header rail clamped down and frame fully open I started on fitting the popper fittings around the b post and rear, pulling fairly tight.

Once it was all on the top was still a flappy. It was then I realised the frame was sitting low, which lead to me making the adjuster on the end.

I was really worried I'd made a mistake and the whole thing wouldn't fit at all when I increased the height of the frame, but thankfully everything stretched just enough with hot air from a hair dryer that it came out ok.

Now when I put the hood up, extending the frame is the last thing I do to make it all fit into place.
James Paul

Flip, €2100 is a serious price...
I spend less then that at PJM for my mohair top incl fitting.
But that was 10 to 12 years ago and also pre-brexit.
A de Best

This thread was discussed between 03/11/2024 and 07/11/2024

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.