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MG MGB Technical - Folding the Top?

I know this is going to sound like a dumb question, but here goes anyway. What is the proper and/or best way to fold the top? I have a 1968 MGB with a 1971 and on folding frame. I can't get the top to fold well enough to stow behind the seats without protruding above the cockpit rail. When I put the top up, the windows have creases in them. Please help - pictures would be great if you have them as well. Thanks.
Jack Caulder

Jack,
About a year ago I posted this exact same question. I received a lot of great answers. I suggest you search the archives. Basically, I have found that there is no one set answer, just what works best for you. There are diagrams and instructions in the MG manuals and repair manuals. I was also concerned in that it seem to take me forever to fold and put my top down. This is also very subjective.
Good Luck and just practice and find whats works best for you.
Cheers
Robert Browning

Paul Hunt has a write up on his web page under Spanners - body - folding the hood. Lots of other excellent advice as well.
http://www.mgb-stuff.org.uk/
Good luck,
Dennis
D F Sexton

I believe that this is also covered in the Driver's Handbook...complete with drawings.

rick
rick ingram

If you follow the procedures in the handbook or in the link given above you should be able to get the folds in the vinyl (or whatever) between the windows. But getting it below the cockpit rail is a different issue. When I first had mine I could drop the hood back and leave the rear section attached all round the cockpit rail with no problems, but couldn't get the full length tonneau cover fastened down onto the heel board as the hood stuck up too much. When I restored the car I investigated this and found that by increasing the bend on a couple of the struts of the frame it dropped right down and I could fasten the tonneau cover just fine. However now I can't drop the hood back leaving it fastened as it is straining the material and windows, so I have to unfasten the rear, which is no big deal as it looks neater under the cover anyway.
Paul Hunt

Paul's directions are excellent. Very similar directions - with pictures - can be found at:

http://www.mgbexperience.com/howto/topdown.html

Matt Kulka

Matt,
Thanks for the link with the pictures - that was great - I'll be sure to give that a try.
Jack Caulder

I back-dated my'77. The frame comes off completely, and fold the top in the boot.
Why?
It's lighter for autox.
And I prefer the look.
But I find it hard to remember how to fold that one as well.
Safety Fast
Dwight
Dwight McCullough

There seems to be two main ways to do this and both are similar. The hood manufacturer recommends rolling the rear part of the hood and dropping this into the tonneau first. Paul Hunt recommends rolling the hood but dropping it into the tonneau after the main section has been lowered into it. It seems there are pros and cons. My car has the later inner wheel arches with the belt reels fitted to their inner faces so I have the additional complicatation of the space needed for them. Both methods result in a fold appearing in the windows. Pauls method results in the need to wrap the hood fixing clamps in cloths to prevent marking of the windows but does give more room for the belts whilst the hood manufacturers method results in very difficult belt access and poor belt retraction.
My tonneau cover fits OK either way and will tie to the heel board, unfortunately it's almost impossible to stretch it to the dash unless it's very warm.
Iain MacKintosh

With regards to having to wrap the hood fixing clamps in cloth:

When I installed my top I didn't glue the rearmost bow to its flaps. Thus, when folded down, that portion of the top can sink lower into the well. Perhaps this is why for me, Paul's method results in the fixing clamps hitting the top in the black vinyl section, not in a clear window.

Now if I could get my daughter's cat to stop climbing the back window to lounge on my roof, I wouldn't have so many scratches. That beast is going to make a fine wheel chock some day.

Matt Kulka

FWIW We were having this discussion at work when I asked a well endowed secretary , who owned an american made convertable, what it takes to get her top down. Without missing a beat she said "A couple of bucks"
Charles O'Brien

Nice one at least you never got a slap in the face !! Matt, yes I have glued the flaps correctly to the bow so that maybe answers the question but with it not glued the bow is difficult to keep in place and so can scratch the inside of the window so it seems you cant win.
Iain MacKintosh

Just got back after a few days away. I also have intertia reel belts installed on the inner arches *and* the flaps sewn around the rear bar, and as Matt says the clamps end up under the black vinyl and not the clear plastic. Even though I have sewn the flaps I still found the bar was behind the seam when erected, so I put a length of braided nylon curtain pull-cord between the rear and middle bars and this pulls the rear bar into exactly the right position. It was only later that I noticed that the early folding hood looks like it has two straps between the front and rear bows that would result in the same thing.
Paul Hunt

Paul,

So does my 1976 midget! (3 straps actually)
Chris at Octarine Services

Must have another look at this. I have a feeling that it may be my hood that is to blame. I haven't fitted the original vinyl hood but a super acrylic one which is of very similar material to some of the modern cars. It's not so easy to fold and rolling it becomes quite difficult as it tends not to fold exactly on the material between the windows. When rolled is it quite bulky and only just goes into the tonneau and that makes operation of the inertia belts quite awkward. I just have a feeling that all this makes for additional difficulty with the front screen clips. I'll have to check this further.
Iain MacKintosh

This thread was discussed between 10/12/2004 and 22/12/2004

MG MGB Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGB Technical BBS is active now.