• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

66 Sprite Hood

Share this page

M

MCS

Jedi Warrior
Offline
Just tried to fit my hood, the back is at least a ¼ inch lower then body. I tried some washers, as spacers under the hinges does not make much difference. The hood also rubs on the wiper blades when you open it. It looks like I need to make ¼ spacers for the hinges, is this normal or have I screwed something up. After 5 hours of fitting I have had enough.
FYI the hood is off of a 1971 midget, I had it rebuilt. The hinges are brand new. The sad part is the midget hood only has nuts welded into two of the four holes for each hinge. Now I wish I had just paid the 1000.00 and purchased a brand new one.
Anybody have some guidance for me
Thanks Phil
 
Somebody out there must have some answers
Phil
 
On my '78 Midget the hinges can be adjusted for hight where they attach to the fire wall.
Not sure if your hinges are the same...
 
If not, then elongate the holes.
 
The 66 sprite hinges have a single bolt to hold them onto the body. No adjustment up or down is possible. I need someone with an early midget/sprite to help me solve my hood problem.
Thanks Phil
 
As Trevor said take a die grinder to it or a big file. Elongate the holes that attach it to the firewall so you can move the hood up. A nice Star Washer under there will hold it in place.
 
Jim, there is no vertical adjustment on the early style hinges. There is a horizontal pivot that fits into a pocket in the firewall, under the dash. I've seen many of the hinges that get bent down over the years, so replacement may be in order in this case, if straightening isn't possible. I don't know how accurate the new hinges are.
One thing I would do is measure the distance between the cowl and the top surface of the hinge, with the hinge in its normally closed position. Then measure the thickness from the top of the bonnet to the rear support at the hinge mount. They should be the same. It's possible that the bonnet is the problem, rather than the hinges.
If all else fails, shimming the joint between the bonnet and the flat portion of the hinge is the only solution.
Jeff
 
Back
Top