Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) roadster hood rear latch Simmonds

Trevmar, that sounds like the factory hood, not Simmonds. The part should be available from the factory.

Sorry, you are quite correct, mine is not Simmonds, so apologies for being in the wrong thread. If anyone can point me to the correct thread that would be a great help. I seem to recall DaveW posted something a while back about the delicate nature of these 'cones' and he alluded to them being sourced from another manufacturer, basically they are simply bonnet releases and not overly strong.

Since I do a lot of hood down (self) and then hood up (no sidescreen) driving (+SWMBO) I have learnt to release the rear hood catch while engaging the front "claws" on the windscreen header to get the tension set in the hood. Lastly I shut the rear back down and have maybe been too zealous of late, but it seems to be the only way, correct? My arthritic digits are incapable of setting the claws with the rear engaged, and if I slacken the claws too much they disengage.

Hi Trevmar, they way you describe setting the roof up, is exactly as I was taught to do my my dealer when I took delivery. I find I have to shove the rear section down one side at a time to get it to engage.

They are standard bonnet catches and look like MGB catches but may be from something else. If you lift the spare wheel you can inspect the workings of the latch mechanism. The pins, the male part get bent in use, so when you adjust them, unless you do a 360, you may have difficulty. It's easy enough to take them out if you slacken the locknut. Treat the rear hood bar with respect though because some have broken and it's an expensive fix. When my hood is lowered I don't lock the hood down, and find it sits there quite happily.

Many thanks Dave - unfortunately in my case it looks to be the female part (that fits into the body) that has split - the pins themselves on the hood and springs look to be fine. The split has made the metal part of the 'cone' compress down onto the latch such that on the one side the latch cannot slide side to side, so I'm guessing I need a new 'cone'. I'll upload some photos later if possible. If it's a MGB part I can ask Moss Motors over here in USA.

They are bonnet (hood in US) catches, but I don't know the source vehicle. I would expect you can order one via a dealer with an online parts service such as Melvyn Rutter. The factory won't supply parts direct to individuals.

Having read this thread I went out and checked & greased mine today! The "cups" do look pretty thin and fragile.

Thanks - any tips on removing the damaged 'cup' will be much appreciated. It's a little awkward accessing this part even with the spare wheel out!

Photos as promised.

1627 is the RHS which seems OK and you can see the latch which moves when you pull the cable

1628 is the LHS. It seems to have split and squashed down onto the latch which doesn't move now when you pull the cable. It really only seems to be the cup that is damaged. I have access to a machine shop if one could be turned from a metal rod using the good one as a pattern?

The plunger pins and springs on the top itself both

Sorry to revisit this again, but now I have the latch off the challenge is to remove the broken 'collar' without damaging the bodywork - are they bonded in? Sticking a screwdriver under the lip and heaving isn't really an option......

At least now I can see just how distorted the latch mechanism got - scary - and in the shot of the 'collar' the torn metal at the bottom

I would talk to the factory about this.