I DONT BELIEVE IT !!!!! .....the final chapter

[cath's mg]

Well today was the day Cath & I went over to see Steve Hetherington to get the cover Cath got from B & G fitted.
Well i knew it was going to be a good day when the first thing Steve said was "fancy a cuppa" those who know me know I didn’t need asking twice.
Eventually Steve & I made a start on the roof while Cath got a guided tour from Steve's Mrs of the house & Garden. John Ponting you are spot on "Class 1 wife".
The old BAS cover was removed with no real problems.

Steve noticed fairly quickly that when the old BAS hood was fitted some odds & sod's had been left off, but he kept calm saying he would be able to find any bits we needed from his very impressive stock pile of spares
Well after a bit of fettling and a few curses the new cover was fitted, after a few more curses and a lot of pushing and pulling we managed to get the front clips done up (Phil Colings could play a drum solo in it, it's that bloody tight). This should give a little when it’s been put up and down a few times and exposed to the great British weather.
I must say that Cath and I could not be happier with Steve work, the new cover looks great.
Guys for those of you who have spent untold amounts of beer tokens getting your pride and joy to a standard you are happy with, I my humble opinion getting a new cover for the soft top really is the icing on the cake, and you couldn’t find a better fitter that Steve.

Thanks so much for all your hard work Steve, and a bigger thanks for all the Tea

[cath's mg]

[cath's mg]

Well I thought after yesterday (taking Cath’s F to Steve and helping to fit the new cover), today being the middle of a Bank Holiday weekend I would wake up to a nice cuppa, lay about on the sofa for a few hours, drinking more tea and eating untold amounts of Bacon butties made by Cath’s as a sign of appreciation for yesterday

No bloody chance…………………. Woke up, made me own brew and one for Cath

Then she hit me with it ………………………………………….

She wants the Seats out, the Soft Top taken down and released from the back so she can give it a good clean and get all the bits of glass that keep appearing
As stated earlier in post, the new cover is very tight (it took 3 of us to close yesterday), so I wasn’t looking forward to wrestling with it again. Undone the front catches no problem, released the middle clip that hold the back down and it was like a catapult being released, it took a great big chunk out of my thumb nail ……………………………………………Ohhhh Cath said I’ll get you a plaster, I don’t want blood over my new roof………………………………………Yes dear I said fighting back the tears (I have pictures of my life threatening injury but they really are to gory for a family website) .
Well I managed to get the seats out with my throbbing extremely painful thumb (if anyone wants to say how heroic I was please do).

Cath scrubbed and hovered away (at least she didn’t make me do that).
Anyway, Cath finally got all the bits of glass out and polished till she was happy with her efforts. I put the seats back in (after applying more plasters to my leaking thumb, must have lost at least a pint).
Now for the dreaded soft top, the rear clips were done up with out to much trouble, but they really are spiteful little buggers now. Then I phoned my local Gym, Running club and Cycle club (all of which I use at least 3 times a week ), to get some extra help in closing the hood. With my fellow fitness fanatics standing by Cath and I tried to close the front clips. They are still a little tight but we managed without too much trouble ………………………………………………………………….. You were right Steve it has given a little already.

Can I have my Bacon Sarnies now Sweetheart ????????

[Mykel]

Now that's what I call dedication Gary, both to the MG and your marriage!

Well done and my sincerest praises for your heroic endeavour. As to the pint of valuable liquid lost, I hope you've found a tasty way to refill that properly.

[MGFMania]

Might be worth speaking to MGFmania to see if the one panel can be replaced.

Its a BAS Sportster hood, last time I posted a warning about BAS Sportster Hoods glass smashing BAS sent me a Solicitors Letter!

Let me stress MGFMania Glass HRW Panels and Hoods have never suffered from this problem

[cath's mg]

Might be worth speaking to MGFmania to see if the one panel can be replaced.

Its a BAS Sportster hood, last time I posted a warning about BAS Sportster Hoods glass smashing BAS sent me a Solicitors Letter!

Let me stress MGFMania Glass HRW Panels and Hoods have never suffered from this problem

In all honesty we can not say why the rear screen broke. It was second hand when we fitted it and had been on Cath's F for about 18 months.
Cath did say she thinks she heard something hit the rear screen a split second before it smashed. She was driving on the inside lane of a duel carriageway and had just been overtaken by a artic with another in the process of overtaking (the cab had just passed the front of Cath's F). With the position of the artic I now think the suggestion in an earlier post and acceptance that a stone had been thrown up from a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction unlikely but not impossible. Could it have been something thrown up by an overtaking artic? I really can not understand how this could happen but who knows, stranger things have happened.

[Plezier]

Might be worth speaking to MGFmania to see if the one panel can be replaced.

Its a BAS Sportster hood, last time I posted a warning about BAS Sportster Hoods glass smashing BAS sent me a Solicitors Letter!

Let me stress MGFMania Glass HRW Panels and Hoods have never suffered from this problem

That would tend to make me feel that BAS KNOW there is a problem and are into "Damage Limitation" to protect their profits.

[talkingcars]

Pleased the hood I sorted.

When I replaced mine (with a dead cheap new/old BAS hood - no problems 2 years later) I got around the stiff hood problem by attaching the rear clips but not closing them, then the front clips but not closing them, then closing the rear and finally the front.
For opening the first few times I undid and released the fronts, partially opened the hood and then undid the rears.

[purplebargeken]

Nice work folks.