Early on in the build I had identified that I didn't want a full hood. I had seen reference to the "half hood" from SoftBitsForSevens (http://www.softbitsforsevens.co.uk/) on the WSCC Forum which seemed just what I wanted.
A telephone call to the company revealed that I needed to order a plastic channel from WF that fits across the top of the windscreen and send this onto them. They estimated delivery would take about 3 weeks. In the end it took a lot longer and I had to chase the them a couple of times so I was very relieved when the hood arrived yesterday. It all came with a cylinder shaped bag that attaches to the roll bar and sits behind the rear seats ... all very neat.
Nick from softbits had previously talked me through the fitting instructions (the hood didn't come with any!).
First job to fit poppers to the front to clip on the poppers on the windscreen. All the appropriate tools were supplied to fit these so this was fairly straightforward.
The tie down straps at the back were not so straightforward. They mount on the lower bolt on the roll bar stays. The instructions given were to enlarge the holes where stays go through he bodywork and feed the straps through there adjacent to the rear stay bar. I looked at this but it meant removing the rear stays and to do that I would have to undo the whole roll bar.
After the customary head scratching moment I opted to route the straps between the boot liner and the bodywork. I cut out a little of the fibre glass to allow some space for the strap. The really difficult bit was putting the strap through bolts on the stay mounts. Easy to get the bolts out ... not so easy to get them back in. I ended up having to loosen the main roll bar bolts to allow some movement the get the stay bolts back in.
The struggle was worth it though. I'm pleased with the results as when the hood is not on the straps can be left tucked away in the boot rather than sitting on the top of the bodywork.
The weather today wasn't too good with some light rain. So it was a good opportunity to test the car with the hood on. First problem was getting in the car. It's bad enough without the restriction imposed by a roof. After a bit of limbering up and five minutes of yoga I managed to fold myself enough to squeeze in. Getting out was just as difficult ... certainly not a getaway car!
Driving with the hood on was very good though. Visibility is not restricted at all and even without a heater it was nice and cosy. Very pleased with the results and quality of the hood ... well recommended!
Sandra has been calling the car Tigger for the past few months. She bought me a Tigger decal to put on the car. Here it is in all it's glory!
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