Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Technique for fitting the hood? (1980 4/4)

Well folks, I'm going to buck the trend regarding the method for fitting the hood (on a 2009 4/4 sport at least).

I don't have hood swivels and I was concerned about putting too much force on the windscreen when stretching the hood over the lift-the-dot pins, so I tried reversing the sequence of fit between the front and rear and I have found it a much easier process to fit and remove the hood.

So the sequence I use is as follows:

1/ Fix the hood to the top edge of the screen (making sure the seal strip is positioned behind the window frame).
2/ Lift the frame up into position and lay the hood over it.
3/ With the doors open, reach into the car and push the rear lift-the-dot fasteners on to the pins.
4/ Make sure the hood frame is as far up/forward as possible once more before stretching the side of the hood over the three turn buckle fasteners (just behind the side screens) making sure the seal strip is sitting on top of the top edge of the body.
5/ Snap on all the remaining press studs and close the doors.

Hood removal is done in reverse.

The logic behind the reversal is that the lift-the-dot fasteners fix and release in one particular direction and basically all I am doing by using this sequence is finding a sequence that works both with these fasteners and also stretching the hood material as little as possible forward to rear so as not to put undue forces on the windscreen.

Not sure if the hood fixings are the same on other/older models but it works very well on my 2009 4/4 Sport.

Nice car. I have a 67 four seater in 'Broken White'. Ian, yours looks more broken white than royal ivory, but that may just be the digital imaging. I think the four seater looks great with the hood up. A bit different and not as sporty as the two seater, but still impressive.
I read the manual on how to raise the hood and thought it was counter intuitive, but found that it worked fine, do the rear first then the windscreen, both working from the center. Then to remove it you start at the rear and not at the windscreen. Took me 20 minutes to put it up my first time.

The official colour according to the licencing authority is "cream". The picture does make it look more white than it really is (and also shows what appears to be an oil patch on my damp drive which wasn't visible to the eye.)

I'll agree the two seater looks fine with or without roof but my four-seater with hood up is growing on me.

~iw

My sequence is to fit qll rear fasteners first then pull the hoof over the frame which is held in place withy pivots set to lower it. Then fit yhte fron fastebers starting in the middle and working out to one side then the other, keeping the inner flap INSIDE the top of the screen.Last job is tension the hood by raising the pivot levers. I am starting to look for some form of starp system to hold the hood to the frame so that the hood can be raised and lowered easier if needed to . Not a permanent fixing - just temporary so the hood can be raised/owered to suit as a journey goes on. Velcro type loops seem a possible first attempt. These could be fastened once the hood has been fitted first rime as I don't want them ;weft too ;opng with a folded down hood in case of rear plastic window creasing etc.. I must remember to use beeswax on the hood seams too!

Errecting a cold hood adds to the frustration. The hood or tonneau seem much easier to fit if warmed up a bit first, as there seems to be more give in the material when warm...?