Hood header rail gasket

Well, I finally got around to it and replaced the hood on Nigel! Once the seams started dry-rotting, no amount of patching and re-sewing would save it. (Sorry, no pics yet; my niece has my camera this week) The new one went on like a dream, looks fabulous, this one will <span style="font-style: italic">actually </span>seal around the windows, and (drum roll) it has a zip out rear window! I'm happy as a clam. :banana:

One problem I always had with the old top was getting the header rail to latch. The driver's side would lock, but there was no WAY the passenger side would draw down. It was interfering somewhere at the right front edge; but it sealed all the way across, so I lived with it.

When I got the new top on, I found it would lock easily -- <span style="font-style: italic">without </span>the weatherstrip in place. It looks like there's only an eighth of an inch of clearance between the windshield and the rivet strip on the header rail. <span style="font-style: italic">Far </span>too little space for the big ol' mushroom gasket that was on there before, it seems. No wonder it wouldn't latch!

Anyway, can someone shoot me a quick pic or description of what the <span style="font-style: italic">proper </span>gasket looks like? If I have a wonky gasket it would explain a lot. When I get my camera back I'll post some pics of what's happening.

I am going to guess that your clamps are not adjusted correctly-
If you look at the screws behind the clamps you will see two 5/16 head screws that are in slots.
If you loosen the screws some you will see that both clamps will work- then you can adjust them to clamp properly.
BillM

Good guess, Bill...but the clamps are adjusted all the way down already. With the weatherstrip out, there's a little slack to pull the adjustment up, but not much at all. The clamps, even down as far as they can go, still latch fairly firmly.

do you have item "16" in the attached link ?

https://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=29366

maybe this part has been modified & makes the rail sit to high off the windshield... aside from that does the frame fold correctly, is the top to tight ?

Nope, the #16 header pads are original. The bows are in good shape. When the hood was off I took a good look at the mating surfaces. Even with the pads and weatherstrip off, and clamps adjusted all the way down, the front of the rail touches the windscreen. With pads or without doesn't affect my clearance.



More tellingly, it doesn't look like Moss #12 matches my weatherstrip profile. If it was a low rectangle in profile like that, it might work with my top. Mine is a hollow mushroom in profile; just looks like too much stuff to squeeze down to me. Does yours look like that?

Oh, hooray! We've had torrential thunderstorms all night down here: Nigel's waterproof trial-by-fire. Even with no front weatherstrip installed on the header, this morning there was no water inside, no water in the trunk. None at all! Nothing getting by the windows or in the front corners. I may just use a cheapo adhesive foam strip now to cover the rivet strip.

The zipdown rear window is a great invention: I'm going to love driving this summer. The bulk of the zipper makes folding the top in the traditional manner a little tricky: I'm using a different method to fold it that I've found works well, but is a little fussier. (Pics will follow, in another thread.)

I have the zip down rear window and I fold my top like this:

Detach of course first from the front and sides
Pull frame back about 3/4 way down
Pull top back and lay on trunk folded in half, there seems to be a natural halfway point there
Fold corner window triangles under, this protects the windows
Pull frame rest of way down
Make sure front catches are in safe position, not sticking up
Wrap top over frame and down into parcel area
Install top boot

Putting it up is the reverse.

That's how I used to do it. It seems with my new ziptop, the reinforcement and bulk around the zip makes it difficult to fold the corners in, without the fold being uncomfortably close to the corner window weld seams. Could just be that the top is still new, maybe I'm just a little bit of a nervous nellie with a brand new top with crystal clear windows!

The method I'm trying is to unzip the back window and let it down first, so the bows fold down in front of it. Instead of laying the top across the trunk, lay it forward over the seats, with the side windows folded in along the zip, then fold the top back in thirds so it sits on top of the bows, instead of wrapping around them. (Basically, this mimicks the way it was folded in the box for shipping: there are natural fold points) Roll the rear window up and tuck it up inside the bottom of the top boot. It seems to keep all the plastic safe, doesn't put any folding stress on the windows or zippers, doesn't put any twisting stress on the front window surrounds, and looks kinda cool when it's folded up too. :thumbsup:

Pics needed having trouble understanding how this is different than the way I fold it.

Pics aplenty will be forthcoming. Just gotta wait for my niece to mail my camera back to me first.