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MG MGA - Hood Up - Mortified

I took my Merc into Basingstoke today to have the alloys powder coated at the specialist. Couple of days job. Trouble with Covid is that I needed to use the MGA as a taxi with the wife driving there in the Merc. For the return trip she informed me a few days ago: "I'm not going to sit in that car with its sports screen in this weather"!

So I spent half the weekend finding all the bits, stored for 12 years in the attic, then refitting the hood and standard screen.

Well today I was horrified how awful it is driving with that monstrosity up and the slab faced almost vertical screen (comparatively). The wind noise alone was horrendous. It also felt like driving a fighter plane with the airbrakes permanently deployed. I had forgotten how claustrophobic it was under that hood. Most galling was that the weather forecast got it wrong; not the expected heavy rain but sun there and back. Come Wednesday when I get the Merc back the sports screen is going straight back on. Fresh air, smooth air flow and no noise. Bliss.

Steve
Steve Gyles

So funny!
Gary Lock

Wow, that's a whole lot of work Steve, just for one journey, I would have forked out for a taxi :^)

I must admit that I envy you being able to drive the car with the sports windscreen, because the buffeting with my standard screen, especially at high speed, is horrendous.

I don't drive my car with the soft top up very often but I was in it the other day to dry it out after it had been out in heavy rain.

Even though I don't like the limited vision from the car with the top up, I have to admit that it does greatly improve the way the air flows over the car.

The car was noticeably quicker at high speed, probably in the region of 10 to 15 mph.

But until we stop using the car for holidays, we will have to put up with the full screen and soft top for now.

Cheers
Colyn
Colyn Firth

Colyn

Next door offered to 'taxi' me but I have been minimalizing risk as much as is in my power. My wife has a shot immune system.

Having got the hood up I left it in place. I thought a good stretch would do it good after lying flaccid for 12 years!

I did have problems though and I forgot one of the screen upright set screw holes was stripped and also out of alignment. So the job for later this week is to remove the screen left upright and make a new brass strip with tapped holes correctly aligned. Can someone remind me of the thread size for tapping? It's for the screws that go through the support post and into the screen upright.

Steve

Steve Gyles

It's funny how used to things we get. One person would say how horrible it is with a small windscreen and no hood available, while another complains of the opposite! The average person would likely complain about other things, like a lack of AC, roll-up windows and bluetooth. Thank goodness we aren't average people.
Steve Simmons

And don't forget - no cup holders!!
J K Chapin

This thread was discussed between 02/11/2020 and 03/11/2020

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