Fitting new hood, but is it too small?

Hi All

So having read and read and read and read the threads on replacing hoods, we bit the bullet and a few weeks ago 'Ruby' my 1987 Clipper had her hood removed.  Dad and I sorted the bits of rust and mended the pad and so were ready for the mohair roof when it arrived on Thursday.  Wooohooo!

Three days of sore fingers later we are now at the stage of having the back cable in and tidy, but have some issues that make us wonder if the hood is just too small…

 1.  Starting from the front… the hood will go over the front of the frame but it is a VERY tight fit and the corners are just 'not' in the corners of the trim, more wearing the trim like a mono- eyebrow?

2. The frame closes fine with the hood attached front and back, which is good, HOWEVER…. the rear side panels are about 3/4" shy of the back pillars (pillar C) on both sides.  Even if we really pull at then they are not coming close to where they need to be.  Do we have to try and force the material to where it needs to be?

The hood is super tight and we haven't made any cut for the window, should we??

Anyone able to give some advice?

Cheers

SuzyQ
 

Hi,   chortle is the club's hood guru,  hopefully he'll be able to assist.

Hi Suzy. Where did you get the hood from?


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Hiya

The hood came from www.car-hood.com  / BAS International.

I've used a few of there's with no issue. As well as looking at old topics have you found the hood replacement guide on here?


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Yes, but no-one mentions having to pull hard on the side panels or indicates what the line up should be?  Did you have to put them under a lot of pressure to get them where they needed to be?



 

Hi Suzy,
I suspect you've not fitted the hood in the correct procedure.
The hood is fitted at the rear lower frame arms first. with the top halfway open and the front pocket loosely draped over the header section. You have to get the rear side flaps at the correct height from the body otherwise you will either get a wrinkle or a gap when the hood is closed. Allow the glue to dry before you carry on.
If you haven't already remove the excess material from the lower beaded section of the hood.
Align the centre and side seams with the body lines and drift the cable and material into the rear section, keeping an eye on the seams. Make sure the hood is straight and not twisted.
Once you're happy with the fit then deal with the front pocket over the header and finally the front two side flaps…
Ideally you need a proper sleeved cable like in my thread. Others can pop out of the channel when the hood is closed.

take a look at my thread here

http://vwgolfmk1.org.uk/forum/index.php?page=topicview&type=misc&id=projects%2Fyour-mk1-golfs_2%2Fchortles-project-green&start=100