I finished installing the new Amco hood on my '77 Midget yesterday. This is
the one with 6 Tenax snaps and Velcro at the corners. I did the installation
by myself, since all my kids are at the shore for the weekend. I would
recommend at least one extra person for this installation, but it looks good.
I am pleased with the quality of the Amco. Heavy material, nicely bonded
windows, all the snaps are in the correct locations. You have to install two
snaps at the front of it where the rain guard snaps to the inside top of the
windscreen post. (A pillar)
Two other nice things. The front of the fabric has a white line that
indicates where it should be on the front of the header bar. I found it to
be spot on, and the hood is nice and tight when snapped completely into
place. Also, the kit includes sheet metal screws for attaching the metal
strip to the header bar, instead of relying on pop rivets.
Instructions were a single sheet of paper that were practically worthless. I
also referred to my Bentley manual, and that was not much better. Use of
copious amounts of common sense got me thru the job. The most difficult part
is centering the front fabric on the header bar. I only had to re-glue it
once! Better measuring and marking, and a helper, would have made it easier.
The reason I chose the Amco hood was because it came with the car when I
bought it. It was in a very old box in the boot. But I would recommend it
to anyone. The only part I bought new was a rubber seal for the header bar
and the snaps and Tenax studs for the rear mounting.
I also bought a hood cover (boot) from a fellow lister for $8.00! It took
some cleaning, new snaps, and replacement of the fabric that covers the
window, but a convertible top shop did the sewing for a few bucks. I figure
I saved about $100 on it, and it looks almost new.
A satisfying day in the garage! (Ha, Larry! I will stay dry in the rain!
When you get the body work finished on your car, buy a hood and I'll help you
install it.)
Allen Hefner
'77 Midget
'92 Mitsubishi Expo LRV Sport
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