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MG MGA - Hood seal.
| I'm thinking of sticking a strip of rubber to the hood rail, to make a waterproof seal against the top of the windscreen frame. Has anyone done this, and if so, what did you use, and how succesful was it? ( I know the hood shouldn't really be up!!) |
| Nigel Munford |
| Hi I had a problem with water comming in over the top of the screen I stuck a piece of faom about 1 " ssuare to the under side of the hood rail and it has cured the problem did a 100 mile tour in torential rain and only had a couple of dips Regards David |
| David Spaek |
| Hi Nigel I dod the same worked a treat, you can't make it too thick though otherwise the hood wont catch on the pegs, the stuff I used wasa waterproof foam with tape on one side gordon |
| g c pugh |
| When I installed my new hood I put a strip of foam weatherstrip material on the bottom of the wooden header before wraping the hood material around it. I also paid a lot of attention to how the flap that fits over the front of the windshield fits as I attached it. We have been in very heavy rain without a single leak! I also have the latch in the center of the top windshield frame. It is important if you want a good seal all the way across your windshield. |
| Ed Bell |
| I did what Ed did with a foam seal that Todd Clarke sells. The front flap should be tight and the center clamp added to my 1500 really helps. No leaks so far. Jim |
| Jim Ferguson |
| I glued on a strip of wetsuit rubber, but what-da-I-know, I live in So. Cal. |
| Steve Meline |
| Gordon - Where did you get the foam/tape. ? David |
| D C GRAHAME |
| Hi David the latest i've used is supplied as some sort of seal on the MGB bonnet but I don't have the part no I'm afraid I got it from my local mg specialist gordon |
| g c pugh |
| Don't know about the UK, but here many auto parts stores sell a foam tape for mounting camper tops onto pickup trucks. It is a closed cell foam about the right thickness. |
| Jeff Schultz |
| David, I have just ordered some from Phoenix Supplies 01884 849298. They do all sorts, but I have ordered 1in X 1/4 in. It has a self adhesive back which apparantly sticks like ****. The tape cost £3, and the postage £4 !! |
| Nigel Munford |
| I bought my closed cell foam weatherstripping with adheasive back at the local Ace hardware store. It is 3/16 X 1-1/4 inches, and came in a roll 30 feet long. I don't remember the cost, but it wasn't very much. |
| Ed Bell |
| Thank you guys. David |
| D C GRAHAME |
| David I just put a towel across my lap if the rain is too heavy and put an umbrella up if I stop at traffic lights. A bit of dampness here and there is all part of the fun. Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| Steve - you have voiced what I too was thinking - I've used the hood twice in 4 years - both times when I was out and a torrential downpour happened - 2 weeks ago I drove 50 miles from a show in Cheshire in the rain with the top down and very little rain got in the cockpit - only when stopped at lights did I get any rain on my lap -"bet you're getting wet in there mate" was the comment while waiting for the lights to change - "not when I'm going over 35mph I don't" - forget the hood seal and enjoy the rain - or are we just eccentric Steve? cheers Cam |
| Cam Cunningham |
| Hi Steve and Cam, you are just mad must be something to do with living north of Bristol lol gordon |
| g c pugh |
| Steve, Cam, I too enjoy the open air experience, but quite a bit of rain seems to get in the cockpit! Mainly, it seems that more rain hits the back of the windscreen than the front. But, there is a constant stream from the bottom corners of the windscreen, even running under the tonneaux cover (when I can't find a daft enough passenger). Is there a fix for that? I use Steve's towel technique (stops my chamois from drying out). Tried using the hood and sidescreens, but it's too noisy for long trips. Neil |
| Neil McGurk |
| I'm pretty sure that 1600 hoods at least had a strip of foam attached to the wooden header rail and the hood material covers it. There is also a flap that extends downwards on the outside which almost covers the top chrome rail of the windscreen frame. On 1600's there is also the additional "over-the-centre" catch on the top rail of the frame and my car is absolutely leakproof. |
| Barry Bahnisch |
| Yesterday I used my hardtop for the first time (nasty drizzling day...). It's quite a different experience when compared to the hood 1) There's a lot more room to get in and out 2) It's a lot lighter inside because of the cream headlining 3) It's a lot better at damping the engine and exhaust noise 4) It's almost dry (just needs the last seal to be fitted) 5) Lot's of people have said it looks really good I have to fit the last piece of my modifications, which is a tubular rubber seal to go along the top of the windscreen between the frame and the top. This will squash to seal the gap properly where needed. Although I have already fitted a seal (similar to the boot seal - a rectangular rubber profile) this doesn't work very well. The rear seal I changed for one from an MGB hardtop as it does seem to seal better. |
| dominic clancy |
| For misting on the inside of the glass with top down, I carry a third wiper blade in the door pocket. When it starts to mist up I may relocate the third wiper to a handier place on the frame sill just inside the door near the seat. An occasional wipe with the extra blade easily takes care of that issue. For the problem of water running in under the windscreen frame at the ends, there is supposed to be a pair of five-inch long thick foam rubber strips stuffed under the windscreen frame at the ends, tight up against the side posts. See item 2 here: http://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=29244 This is original factory issue. |
| Barney Gaylord |
| Hi Neil -I have a pair of "wind wings" fitted to the sides of the windscreen - these seem to deflect most of the rain and reduce buffeting as well - cheers Cam |
| Cam Cunningham |
| Barney Never noticed those before, thanks. I measure the intensity of the rain by how much water is 'bubbling' down in the corners. I have never had misting problems on the back of the MGA screen, unlike on my old MGTC that had no heater. On that car I carried a sliced potatato during winter. On cold days I wiped it over the screen. Apparently it is also good for keeping elephants away as I never saw one during those winter months! Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| Steve, in this case "misting on" is a euphemism for "water pi**ing down". I was caught in a big downpoor last Thursday and no amount of sliced potatoes would have helped. Could have fried them up for dinner though while I was drying off. I seem to remember that spuds were included in a Practical Classics magazine test of mist pevention products some years ago? Neil |
| Neil Mcgurk |
| Just tried to fit my 1/4 inch deep tape, and it is too thick. The centre catch won't close, and there is too much frame showing under the flap. So beware. Back to the drawing board! |
| Nigel Munford |
| 1/4" would be too thick. I used 3/16" and it was just right. The density of the foam is another factor that must be taken in to account. If it is too hard, it will not let the top rail pull down into the proper place. |
| Ed Bell |
| Nigel, how much does the tape compress then ? David |
| D C GRAHAME |
| David, First of all, I have got my dimensions wrong. The tape is metric, and I miscalculated the imperial. The tape is actually almost 1/2 in. thick, and as others have suggested, it probably needs to be 3/16 or less. To answer your question, if you sqeeze it between finger and thumber, it compresses to less than 1/16", but between the frame and the hood, it hardly compresses at all, as you can't get as much pressure on it. |
| Nigel Munford |
| Nigel, I've remembered Woolies. Do you know them ? www.woolies-trim.co.uk They have a whole range of self adhesive strip. Look under Sponge and go from there. Maybe of use to you/us. David |
| D C GRAHAME |
| Hi Neil try this site item no 1439 is what I used http://catalogues.kellysearch.com/catalogue_page.asp?ck=83024491&pg=40&language=&pn=&type=2&q=40&cn=1 gordon |
| g c pugh |
| sorry nigel not neil gordon |
| g c pugh |
| Thanks Godfrey, er, sorry Gordon, I will try them. |
| Nigel Munford |
| Years ago I solved the problem of the leak in the middle of the windscreen of the MGA rdstr in a different manner. First mine only leaked at speeds above 65 mph caused by a slight lifting of the center of the top front bow. I simply installed a small suitcase type latch in the center, (a bit like the mgb top fasteners but smaller)and pulled it tight when the top was up. No more leaks ever, even at speeds above 75, (too fast for wet weather anyway) from the MGA. |
| Wayne Hardy |
| Hi I also had installed the centre catch from moss which made a big difference gordon |
| g c pugh |
This thread was discussed between 27/05/2007 and 14/06/2007
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