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MG MGB Technical - Fitting later fold up hood to early car

Is it possible to fit the later B roadster fold up hood and frame to a early 65 roadster instead of the self assembly style . If so what's involved ?

Thanks Roy
R Mcknight

Don't know, but contact the trimming companies.
Prestige, Coventry Hood etc.. They will, no doubt , know what is involved.
Allan Reeling

The whole frame screws to the body where the pack-away frame sockets are. The sockets are used for the tonneau/hood cover bars as well, and fit between the fold-away frame and the body, or not, as is your preference. See attached.

I would have thought you would need longer screws, but there is only one screw type shown in the Parts Catalogue for both the pack-away sockets and the fold-away frame.


Paul Hunt

Yes you can. I have actually reversed this modification on one car from a scissor type frame that took up the whole of the area behind the front seats, and mounted GT seats in the rear. The car in question is registered as a four seater mgb roadster, so it means that whoever can sit in the back size-wize can do so legally!

I just removed the frame from the car and mounted the brackets for the pack away hood instead. They fit perfectly. I then unscrewed the header rail from the folding frame, and it works very nicely with the pack away frame too.

I am pretty sure the modification would work in the opposite direction, your only extra hurdle being that you have to drill and tap the header rail for attaching to the hood frame.
dominic clancy

As Dominic has described I switched from the folding frame to the earlier arrangement on my '72. I had the opportunity of brand new old stock BMC pack away hood. In the spring/summer months the hood hangs up in the back of my motor house. Thus, better power to weight, if not aerodynamics! Doing it the other way, I'd try and pick up a s/h later header rail.
P A Allen

My '67 has a packaway hood and I prefer it to the later, folding one that I had on my 1980 roadster, which was a right PITA to fold and secure.
Dave O'Neill 2

My 64 Mk I has a later black folding frame mounted without mods to the bodywork it seems. A soft top without the rear quarterlights had been so much better, and the top on my old 54 TF was so much easier to get up and down. It just collapsed into the luggage area, and could be raised while sitting in the front seat. OK, so the Perspex side Windows were a PiA to mount, but they were really only needed in very cold weather to retain the heat from the Mojave heater I had installed.

Why did Abingdon invent the B rear quarterlights windows? Only hassle as far as I am considered.

Regards

Jan
Jan Emil Kristoffersen

If you simply roll up the soft top, like a cigar, instead of folding it like in the owner's manual, the perspex windows don't suffer from bending and can last several decades. I've been doing this with my '67 B's top, for over twenty five years, and it still looks like new. And you can still manipulate it into the boot. RAY
rjm RAY

I've never had a problem folding the later hood. Unclip the front, unhook the rear, fold the rear part forwards laying over the main part. Tuck the quarterlights in so the fold is in the 'pillar' between the rear and side plastic. Lift up the rear edge while folding the header rail and frame into the space behind the seats. Lay the rear part over the folded part, and the 'pillars' rest on the header rail catches, all the plastic pieces lying unfolded and uncreased

http://www.mgb-stuff.org.uk/hood.htm#1
Paul Hunt

Ditto on folding the later hood.
But I still prefer the packaway that my 63 originally came with, it can go behind the seats if feeling rushed or lazy, in the boot to make more room behind the seats, or be left behind in a fit of optimism. We'd have never been able to cart 4 kids around in it with a folding frame job! And if in the boot, it folds up just as Paul H described, fitting neatly over all the boot luggage with the header board matching the curve of the boot lid.
Paul Walbran

This thread was discussed between 25/04/2016 and 06/05/2016

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