Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Old style hood

Hi everyone,
I'm in the process of buying a 4/4 or +4 and I'm trying to figure out the old style hood.
The reason I liked the idea to have it as an option was that it appeared to me that it was easy to remove the old style hood completely and store it behind the seats? Leaving the car with no apparent hood when down.
Is this the case... if not what is the old style hood about?
thanks,
G

The older pre easy up hoods can be completely removed from the frame and stored. I never used to take the hood with me as it was such a pain trying to put it up, you would be soaked before you got it up. Carrying some waterproofs is a good idea in the UK.

Personal opinion only, so others will inevitably disagree, but I agree the car looks more traditional with the old style hood and the tonneau fits more neatly as well. However the hood needs to be stored in the car if you intend to use it and the hood frame is still attached, although much easier to remove than the current easy fit version. Main attraction is that you can fit a traditional style roll bar which is more difficult with the later hood. It is though in my experience a pain to put up so unless you intend to compete I wouldn't spend extra to get an inferior hood.
The easy fit hood is as its name implies easy to put up, almost watertight, and is always there in case you get caught in a sudden downpour so much more practical if you intend to use your car regularly.

My opinion the old style hood is far better than the easy up type, which looks untidy when lowered. It also takes away a lot of valuable storage space, We take our dog of medium size with us, so need the space. With practice it s not a lot longer to put up, and folds very small.

I agree with Andrew, the 'easy-up' hood is much more practical and can be errected quite quickly without us getting too wet!
We like to keep the hood down as much as possible however if the weather turns wet we inevitably reach the point when the hood has to go up and then we don't want to take too long about it.

It's all opinions about the two styles, having had cars with both I prefer the easy up for the simple reason I have more hood down days with it. To explain, if there is a risk of rain I set off with the hood up when I had the old style hood, the car was a 4 seater and took a while to get the hood up and by then the car and I were normally soaked. Since I have had cars with the easy up and or Simmonds hood on wet forecast days I set off hood down it it's not raining and only pop the hood up if it actually starts raining heavy. I have even got this down to doing it whilst sat I the car, getting in and out is very difficult even after a knee replacement so I can do it by leaving the rear fastened down and carefully fitting the header rail doors open a little, the Tennax remain unfastened and I came all the way back from Scotland like that at motorway speeds with no issues so it can be done. It's all a personal choice and I bet you get as many supporters for each type, then of course there are the Rufty-Tufty brigade like Graham who has never been known to put the hod up and last week set off from Wales in quite heavy rain commenting he still had the chalk marks on his hood from MMC and intended to keep them dry......great spirit that chap ;-).

I too have had both. Our first Morgan had the original hood. Following a near soaking in Cornwall, we had it converted to an Allon White easy fit hood which transformed our use of the car - exactly as Colin has written. As a spectacle wearer, I cannot drive hood down in rain that is too heavy. The idea of specifying the old style hood was not discussed when we ordered our current car - I suspect that Jan's blood pressure would have gone off the scale had I raised the topic.

Whilst we want to use the car as much as possible with the hood down, I do not want Jan to be miserable when out in the Morgan - it has to be enjoyable for both of us and my ears cannot take the battering I get when she is unhappy!!

We also have a traditional hood and have only used it once as it was tipping it down before we left home. Personally, it's no different than going for a walk in the rain but if I was goin to be doing more touring and leaving the car in places parked up would probably appreciate an easy up hood more. Now that it costs more to have a traditional hood I'd have to think long and hard if I was buying a new one to spec with a traditional for more money! So in the meantime - if we get wet - we get wet!

Ok great...

So to clarify as I have never seen the old style hood, it comes off completely and can be stored in the car taking up little room?
What is the hood frame you mentioned Andrew255?

It would interest me if it could be completely removed relatively easily and stored in the car without taking up too much room and, with practise, put up reasonably quickly...

Thanks
G

I do like my Old Style for the looks studs on the windscreen simplicity etc. Add some Swivel pivots from this chap http://www.morganhoods.com/id70.html. and its a breeze to fit.

If it's a it could rain day you can roll the hood up leaving it hooked up at the back, use webbing and plastic clips around the rolled hood to secure.


Some Duck tape for the really heavy rain along the top of the Screen folded in a V under the flap and jobs a good one.

It's a simple roof and light weight.
Same ethos as a Motor Bike in the Rain, You stop struggle to put on the Water proofs and enjoy the rest of the ride!

Cain