MkII Cabriolet Hood front fitting

[Hugh Barnes]

I've posted a want ad for one of these but am not holding my breath. On my car, the arrangement at the front of the hood is incorrect and has a shaped wooden piece tacked to a flap on the front of the hood material. I am aware that this should be a shaped piece of metal that slips into a 'pocket' sewn into the hood. Can anyone put up a picture or 2 of what I need to replicate to do it properly. The arrangement on my car works tolerably well but the piece of wood has broken so now seems a sensible time to try and get it right...

thanks in advance for any help...

[Nigel Ricardo]

Are you saying this piece of metal goes from side to side at the front of the hood, I have the hood off mine at the moment so I will have a look (on Saturday as it's in the garage of our holiday let ), my hood metalwork looked all there when I bought the car.

[Hugh Barnes]

Yes, Nigel, that is correct. If I have imagined this correctly, there is a 'flap' that hangs down from the front of the hood itself, that runs across the front of the car. The flap is actually a 'pocket' into which slips a piece of shaped metal (spring steel perhaps, so it flattens out when the hood rolls up) I think there will be a little 'rivet' arrangement in the centre of it that engages with a little cut out on the 'tensioning' frame that it all sits in.

It would be very kind if you could check yours and report back...

[Peter Naulls]

My knowledge of Pearls is minimal but I researched the hood for a possible project some years ago. In the absence of other photos perhaps these will help - or at least illicit correction from someone who knows better!

The strip of metal is contained within the hood material and shaped to fit under the tensioning frame in the little gutter across the front:


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The frame is the black painted bit just to the right of centre in this photo. The metal strip hooks underneath it whilst the outer material runs over the top and bridges the gap to the panel above the screen:


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Here is frame and hood from underneath. This one seems to have more material projecting forwards:


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Ignore the hood material in this photo (it is wrong or has shrunk!) but you can just see the end of the strip poking out under the corner of the frame:

   


I hope that makes some sense.

Peter.

[Hugh Barnes]

Yes Peter, I think so. The one thing I'm still not certain about is the nature of the strip 'embedded' in the hood material. I *think* it should be spring steel which will adapt to the shape of the tensioning frame that will 'flatten out' when released aiding the rolling back of the hood neatly. I'm hoping Nigel will be able to verify that this weekend but if any other MkII Pearl owners are on the forum (and surely there are some?) I'd be very happy to hear their input...

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Hugh,

The strip is shaped, not flat - see here (scroll down for details of this exact part): https://www.pinterest.co.uk/albaaustins/...abriolets/

[Mark R]

The bottom photographs may actually be a photo of my old car EUO 522, from what I remember the strip didn't flatten out when you rolled the hood but kept its shape, it was probably around 2mm by 6mm from memory.

[Hugh Barnes]

Aargh, now I've had to sign up to Pinterest and am being flooded with pictures of nose art and custom motorcycles...

I digress..

Do you think the MkII hood is different from a Mk I in this detail. I have what I believe to be the remains of the similar piece from a Mk I and it is flat spring steel..

Hmmm.....

[Nigel Ricardo]

I looked at mine this morning and it doesn't have a piece of metal it has a hard rubber section.

[Hugh Barnes]

Hmm..

What do you think - later modification?