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MGB MGB convertible top

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MGinNY

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Just bought a 72 MGB about a month ago, my first british car. So far its a blast! Im familiarizing myself in a hurry as I go along. One stumper is the top. It was on the car when I got it but it is very new. The front bow seems too high and is causing a "kink" in the fabric right over the windows. Not a very airtight seal. I could probably stick my hand through it! Is there ay adjustment to these? I dont see any. Thanks for the help!
Eric
 
Hmmmmmm, sounds as if the material is too tight. You might try the application of a little heat (hairdryer, not a heat gun!
grin.gif
) and see if that helps, also check the roof carefully from the inside. Maybe one of the other bows is out of alignment, causing the distortion over the windows. It could be that it was badly installed of course, in which case you could be up the creek without a paddle.

Welcome to the British Car Forum, and the MG section in particular.
 
This is a common problem. My top has the such a gap over the driver's side window.

It should stretch itself out a bit once the weather gets warmer (mine did), but there's not much you can do about it once the top is installed.

Good luck!
 
If you're real good with fabric, you might loosen the top at the header & see if it lays down any...other than that, as Kim said: common
 
Eric,
You may have the same problem as I do. I would describe my symptoms identically and have done numerous posts at two periods over the last couple of years to diagnose it.

Do you have packaway top (removeable frame) or permanently mounted top (scissors or Michelotti depending on year) that folds into the boot? I happen to have the packaway top frame and from what I can tell have a soft top that was not the right one for the car. I bought it through a repair shop and Moss Distributor that is now out of business and they ordered and installed it for me 4 years ago. Told me that it would stretch out. It doesn't so they were b.s.ing me to keep from having to buy new top or do work over. Over time, tops get tighter not looser, though as Kim says, some good hot sunshine will loosen them a little.

Whichever top you have, it is likely the wrong top for the particular frame and car year you have. People change the top frame set-ups a lot and my guess is the wrong frame can get on different cars if you aren't careful. There are the pack-away frames, like mine, the early scissors type permanent frame and the later Michelotti permanent frame. The pack-away frame is slightly taller than the others and I think they got the wrong top for me. If you have a pack-away you may have the same problem. If not, it still sounds like either the wrong top for your car or one that does not fit due to poor manufacturing. The top should come down and fit closely to the top of the windows in that rececssed area so the top flap covers the top edge of the window. With pack-away frame you may be able to grind down the ends of the frame to lower the frame but since you can't adjust the header fit at the same time since it is glued on I am leery of doing that as it may end up fitting too loose. At least now, it is tight enough and doesn't flap in the wind.

I bought a new one through Chris Roop who gives 20% discount. There may also be a top sale still on at Moss which may save you a couple more percent on top of that if you get it through Chris who is really good guy and very knowledgeable. When it comes I am fitting it myself very carefully and checking fit before installing.

If you do end up getting new one, consider the one with the zip down rear window as it's very nice on direct sun, too hot days to have top up but rear window down and lots of air moving.

I have lived with mine as is for 4 years as I try to put the top up only when I have to anyway and it doesn't rain much in the arid mountain west...as I am in Denver. When I have been in a gully washer I just stuff golf towels in the cracks. So...depending on how frequently it rains and your intended use pattern you may be able to do without changing it if you need to.
 
I have installed a few tops over time and have installed a couple of them quite poorly until I mastered the technique. It could be the wrong model top or it could be installed poorly. Bottom line is; If it will stretch closed and still has big gaps then it is wrong and needs replacing. I agree with a couple of the other comments that it isn't going to "improve with use" but will get worse. Buy a new one and very carefully install it reading the instructions many times before the attempt...or pay a good shop to do it for you. If installed when the weather is hot and the top is warm; it seems to fit better and install easier (for me it does)... Cold fitting just doesn't work.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I guess I'll live with it for the time being. This guy I bought it from seemed to be a bit of a cheapscate so he probably bought the cheapest top on earth and installed it himself. However, it is a summer toy and I hope to not use the top too much unless I am caught in a rainstorm. It's still much better than my last convertible though. That was a 29 Mercedes replica that had nothing but a tonneau and I cant tell you how many nights I drove home in a blinding rainstorm and got wet. What good do windshield wipers do when the rain is hitting both sides of the windshield? Oh, and John, the top is the folding style. I'm not sure of the difference between the scissor and micholotti type but because the car is a 72 I'd assume it is the later of the two. Thanks all!
Eric
 
I have a '72 and the same top frame came with the 71 through 80. Page 63 #18 in the Moss catalog.
My car came with a non zip out rear window but I prefer the zip out so, when I order, I get the '77 top which came with the zip out window but the top is the same otherwise.

I have owned mine for 23 years so have had several tops on it (maybe 3 or 4). They all fit different and several didn't have the front side snaps in the right place so I couldn't fasten the sides properly. All but one have had a little gap there and I just tolerated it. They say you have to be a sport to drive a sports car anyway. I have a hard top for winter and that seals much better.

All of mine eventually fail at the zipper. So you might consider that before you by one. The threads rot and eventually come out thus the zipper comes loose. I have never had one fail anywhere else except the windows getting discolored where you can't see through.
Bob
 
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