SEiW Hood problem

[Ken Latham]

This may sound like a stupid question but can a vinyl (standard Westfield) hood shrink, I've had my Westie about three months and although living in the wilds of Snowdonia haven't used the car with the hood up (or not!) till yesterday, the weather was awful and my daughter was running up Snowdon from Pen y Pass and back to Llanberis, we got to PyP with the hood fastened to the screen but the boot fasteners just wouldn't reach the poppers and was fairly open to the elements, I didn't get much time to try and fix it on when I arrived home as she was up and down the hill in under 2 hours!

Picking her up in Llanberis it was bucketing down and we tried to get the hood up to no avail, no matter how much heaving and pulling it just won't stretch to fit. The sun is out this morning and Ive had another go but still a mile off.

So had it shrank and is there a solution

Does the RAC roll bar lift it too high making it too tight, I did manage to get it on once when I first bought the car but it was a very hot day when i did fit it (more flexible in hot temps?)

Is there a solution

Many thanks guys

[Paul Hurdsfield - Joint Manchester AO]

Stick in the airing cupboard overnight then try it.

[pistonbroke]

Make sure you have the frame correctly orientated , the longest bar to the front .

In cool or cold weather ( normal in snowdonia :O) )  the material will be stiff , I use a hot air gun on mine to make it subtle and easier to stretch 

 

 

[pistonbroke]

Just noticed from your picky , Is that the standard Westfield roll bar ?

 

If its an RAC competition bar they are taller and its probably why the hood wont reach the poppers .

 

 

[Wobblyprop]

The clue seems to be that you mention an RAC roll bar.  This will likely make it too tight to fit.

[Ken Latham]

26 minutes ago, pistonbroke said:

Make sure you have the frame correctly orientated , the longest bar to the front .

In cool or cold weather ( normal in snowdonia :O) )  the material will be stiff , I use a hot air gun on mine to make it subtle and easier to stretch 

 

 

Thanks Matey,

 

I reckon you're spot on, plus as Wobbly said the RAC rollbar is higher than a standard one which doesn't help, i left it outside today and the sun (honestly!) came out for a few mins and lo and behold it just about fitted still couldn't do a couple of the poppers on the curve though, I'm going to devise a way of getting it on quickly if the weather changes by constructing short lengths of webbing with two poppers on, one to the hood and the other to the body so I can at least stay a little bit dryer, just been over to Llanberis in the deluge to pick my daughter up and there is a few pints of good old Welsh rain in the foot wells, definitely a car for fair weather then!

Give me a shout if your out and about in Snowdonia if you fancy a meet up.

 

Cheers

Ken.

[Julie Hall - WSCC AO Representative]

Hi Ken,

The vinyl becomes rigid, almost cardboard-like at about 15 degrees, it is really stretchy when it is much warmer. I found this out by wrestling with my hood when I first bought my car and eventually tore the vinyl at the front poppers. I took it to a trimmer and he repaired the tear and also added an inch of vinyl along the seam above the rear window. You cannot tell a piece has been added and it makes fitting the hood really easy. I still put it on the radiator for a while before fitting it when I can though.

You are very lucky to live in Snowdonia, it is my favourite place in Britain, your daughter must be fit to do that, it takes me 2 hours just to get up Snowdon.

Cheers, Julie

[Lyonspride]

You're doing it wrong, you've got the rear support up, now I can't remember exactly where it needs to be (I think vertical against the rollbar), but you pop the hood in place starting at the front and once all the poppers are in, the rear support is then the last thing you slide into place.

[Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup)]

1 hour ago, Lyonspride said:

You're doing it wrong, you've got the rear support up, now I can't remember exactly where it needs to be (I think vertical against the rollbar), but you pop the hood in place starting at the front and once all the poppers are in, the rear support is then the last thing you slide into place.

 

I used to do a similar  thing but used to move the centre bar to make it taught.

[BigSkyBrad]

When our car is sitting in the garage not being used, I always have the hood on so that it is kept stretched.

[Lyonspride]

11 hours ago, Geoffrey (Buttercup) - North Yorkshire AO said:

 

I used to do a similar  thing but used to move the centre bar to make it taught.

 

I think that's what I was getting at, I can't remember though as haven't used the hood for at least 5 years
I only know that trying to get it all in place with the bars in place, doesn't work at all.

[KenP]

If it's still realy tight due to the taller RAC roll bar could you have one or both the support frame bars shortened a little to compensate? 

[Onliest Smeg David]

My Westfield hood was a pretty good fit over my RAC rop but I didn't use the 'pram frame' hood contraption at all.

I just made up a removable single bar which supported hood between rop and windscreen to stop flapping.

[Davep1]

3 hours ago, Dave (OnliestSmeg) - Manchester AO said:

My Westfield hood was a pretty good fit over my RAC rop but I didn't use the 'pram frame' hood contraption at all.

I just made up a removable single bar which supported hood between rop and windscreen to stop flapping.

Exactly what I did as well with my RAC bar - still not easy when its cold, but the 

'pram' bars seemed useless with the RAC bar.

Not a very good pic - but its the white one in this pic from Applecross.

Dave.

[Onliest Smeg David]

1 hour ago, Davep1 said:

Exactly what I did as well with my RAC bar - still not easy when its cold, but the 

'pram' bars seemed useless with the RAC bar.

Not a very good pic - but its the white one in this pic from Applecross.

Dave.