Hood Change

Because of my carelessness on the drive home from collecting the car and getting fed up with people asking why I had gaffa tape on the back window, I decided the time had come to replace the hood.... This also coincided with preparing the car for the Round Britain Run 2002.

I didn't actually take that many pictures but all I will say is that it takes a long time, but given patience and the right tools, it is reasonably straight forward. A few things to remember...

1. Adjust the hood frame to a low setting once the old hood is off (this is one of the rear bars - it will allow you to put more tension in the hood if required later).

2. Gently heat the new hood for about an hour before you fit it. This will allow more flex in the hood and allow it to stretch over the frame better giving a tighter fit.

3. Remember when attaching the front of the hood to the header bar that a rubber seal has to go on - allow an extra 10mm approx for this. Failure to do so will result in a slack hood and lots of swearing... Thankfully I didn't fall into this trap as someone warned me about it before !!

4. When it's all on lovely and tight, pour yourself a beer, stand back and admire your handy work and think about the £200 fitting fee you've just saved yourself !!!