half hood

[Buzz Billsberry]

Soft bits for sevens do make half hoods but when I asked them they didn't have a pattern and wanted the car taking to them! Plus they didn't seem very interested and were expensive IMO.

The plastic channel Westfield sell is the same as the one on the full hood so problem sorted re fitting to the screen.

Interesting.  They made a half hood for my 2004 SEiW with the plastic channel sold to them direct from Westfield for the windscreen and with an RAC bar.  They were more than helpful as mine required a couple of mods to get the rear clips above the level of the boot box lid.

Darren I really don't want to start a debate on Soft bits for sevens and the only reason for this post is for the people who want an alternative source closer to the midlands.

I do not have the time to track my car to Sussex and back. Jill at SBfS is a friend of my brothers who lives in surrey an drives a Caterham, and I have no gripe with them.

But on two previous occassions they have told me they require the car to make the hood.

Ditto + they do have one for a westfield as Barry Ashcroft and few others had theirs done before we went on the U.S.A Tour + I'm hoping for a better delievery and price

Buzz

[Darren B]

Whole heartily agree on the offering of an alternative.  As there was no mention of the SBFS product in the start of the thread I thought I'd bring it up (as I had one) and the subsequent mention of 'not being particularly helpful' seemed contrary to my experience with them.

I have to admit though, that I wouldn't have one of theirs if I had to have taken the car there, but they already had a pattern and there wasn't really a choice at the time.  

[M11 BRD]

Hi

I thought I'd post a few pics of work in progress

Still a little work to do to finish off but has been speed tested. This one fits the standard roll bar.

Presently fitting RAC rollbar so will be making that one next, which I believe will fit very well due to the height difference and squarer rollbar profile.

The material used is light weight waterproof, but I want make them in a qualiy hood canvas, which will still make them roll up  

Carpet Stu, if you want to know more, let me know, if your at the Cross Gates ( Shropshire club night) tonight even easier  

Steve (M11 BRD)

[wipper]

Is that a huge westfield, or is your missus quite small??

   

[sowts]

now thinking of getting two made

i like the water proof one but i had in mind a sun screen type material to cast a shadow over you when driving

how does it fit to the roll bar?

[M11 BRD]

Is that a huge westfield, or is your missus quite small??

   

No she's not a small person (had to think about that one to be PC) but the WF has the lowered floor  

[M11 BRD]

now thinking of getting two made

i like the water proof one but i had in mind a sun screen type material to cast a shadow over you when driving

how does it fit to the roll bar?

I suspect when you say sun screen you mean, mesh or material with holes

The issue with such materials is they will stretch a lot, which will course it to flap, and probably alot as speed increases.  

Any material roof requires tension to elliminate the flapping, and without a frame it's even more difficult.

Although you can't see from these pics the hood loops over the rollbar and is tensioned with carefully located adjustable straps  

[Morbius]

SFBS told me that Westfield have stopped selling them the plastic moulding that goes around the top of the windscreen, which means they cannot develop a standard Westfield half hood and potentially sell loads without a bespoke fitting in the way they have done for Cateringvans.

I suspect that Westfield did that to keep their hood supplier sweet, but that does not explain why they told Caged to destroy the jigs for the roll cage that bolts on to the RAC Roll Bar. that really pi$$ed me off because I wanted to fit the RAC roll bar with removable backstays so that I could keep my bootbox lid, and then fit the half-cage later.

[sowts]

steve you have pm

[flat_four]

Any more news on the half-hood to fit an RAC bar?

Quite fancy one of these before Le Mans this year, or is that asking too much?

[Buzz Billsberry]

SFBS told me that Westfield have stopped selling them the plastic moulding that goes around the top of the windscreen,

Just buy one yourself (£8)and take it down. That’s what I did but getting local guy to do mine. Its not rocket science its pretty straight forward the hardest part is aesthetics

Buzz

[Pilot Pete]

Any more news on the half-hood to fit an RAC bar?

Quite fancy one of these before Le Mans this year, or is that asking too much?

Diggsy had one of these at Oulton, looked the biz.

[lespaul]

Any more news on the half-hood to fit an RAC bar?

Quite fancy one of these for when the RAC bar is fitted  

Darren

[Diggsy]

Had my half hood made up at local auto trimmers in Gtr Manchester 1 day £180, can fit in under 1 minute and folds flat, will fit behind seat out of sight.

sorry no pictures to post but excellent product and tested at speed    

[Morbius]

Any more news on the half-hood to fit an RAC bar?

Quite fancy one of these for when the RAC bar is fitted  

Darren

I already had a standard hood that fitted the factory roll bar and hood frame.  I cut the two back rails off the frame because I was led to believe that was all I needed to do to fit it on the RAC bar.  WRONG!!

However, due to lack of time, I bit the bullet and just cut the central rear window out of the hood, so that the high-level brake light was visible with the hood on.  The side bits still popper down to the body, and I put some strategic Velcro on the RAC bar and the padding.  Job done, and I can get a cheap holdall from Asda and a 10l jerrycan between the roll bar back stays.

Even in the pi$$ing rain very little water gets into the car whilst driving, and it does not steam up anywhere as near as badly as it used to.

I am thinking about getting some zips and a strip of hood material put in so that I can use the rear window piece when I am not carrying luggage.