Roof not lining up.

1988 golf GTi cabby, has progressively become harder to lock the hood in place. Today seems to have pushed it to the limit and I can't for the life of me get the driver's side (RHD) locking mechanism done up. It seems to be 5mm short of slotting into place.

The roofs pretty useless at keeping rain out anyway, so a new one is needed, but I'm not planning on this until the paint works been attended to. For now, I just need it secure. Anyone got any experience on this, or advice on how to solve it? Even if it's just a temporary fix.

Cheers.

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First thought,

Be sure that the rear windows are rolled down about and inch before you close the latches.

Try the Eccentrics next, as they can get out of position and cause the hood to get out of place.
They should be adjusted so that your frame barely sits on the "B" Pillar, Loosen them totally up, then rotate them so that they are clear.
If the top no can latch, then you move them so you can just see a raise in the "B" pillar.

Third is that the Struts are binding or bent and not fully extending.  Take the offending side loose at the bottom of the parcent shelf, that is remove the clip, and pry it off the pivot.

Oil all the pivot points.
 

You can adjust the J hook on the handle, be careful with the roof handles as they car break easy and are silly money to replace for new...