Mk1 hood modification with glass rear screen

[ywouldi]

Dear all,

My new Mk1 has a glass rear screen which has to be unzipped to lower it. The weight of the screen means that this is a real pain and for me destroys the best part of the roof; the speed of use. I know the mk1 frame can be modified to sort this but I don't know how, nor can I find out how. Any better people out there know what I need to do?

Cheers all,

Ben

[ali_kat]

I always unzipped my plastic r/s in my MK1...

It takes 15 seconds to zip/upzip - are you really in that much of a hurry?


I'm having major problems getting my MK2.5 hood down, it 'clumps' the material together when going down and won't 'stretch' far enough when going back up - so much so that I have to kneel on the bonnet and pull!!

Give me a zipper any day

[FELIX_5]

I may be wrong, but I thought it was only the plastic screen you had to unzip to prevent cracking it. I thought if you had a glass screen you could just put the roof straight down?? If I'm wrong please be gentle....

[maz8062]

FELIX_5 said:

I may be wrong, but I thought it was only the plastic screen you had to unzip to prevent cracking it. I thought if you had a glass screen you could just put the roof straight down?? If I'm wrong please be gentle....

Right you are. It's not as if glass can bend or distort like the plastic screen.

[MX-5 Lazza]

I think in this case it's a Mk1 hood with a replacement glass rear section.
I've heard a few people complain that these are too heavy which makes the zipping/unzipping quite tricky. With plastic you can do it from the driving seat if you have long enough arms/are flexible enough but with the glass you have to turn around so you can support the weight of the glass with one hand while unzipping with the other - a pita.
I don't think there is a way around this - the Mk2 glass rear screen is smaller than the Mk1 replacement glass screen (from what I've seen so far anyway).

[skinny]

it's a different design to the mk2 hood which means that if you put the top down without unzipping the window it gets stuck half way. you can only put the top down with a plastic window because it bends in teh middle.

(i have the same hood, annoying isn't it especially when you have fixed back bucket seats and a roll cage!!)

[ali_kat]

Isn't there a bracket that you get to solve this problem?

Not sure, but this is ringing bells from when I was investigating getting a new hood with HRS for mine...

[FELIX_5]

skinny said:

it's a different design to the mk2 hood which means that if you put the top down without unzipping the window it gets stuck half way. you can only put the top down with a plastic window because it bends in teh middle.

(i have the same hood, annoying isn't it especially when you have fixed back bucket seats and a roll cage!!)

I have a plastic rear window and was told to unzip it first, otherwise the screen may crack or crease. Do I not need to unzip my plastic window when putting the roof down then?? Sorry to detract from the original post!

[ywouldi]

ali_kat said:

I always unzipped my plastic r/s in my MK1...

It takes 15 seconds to zip/upzip - are you really in that much of a hurry?


I'm having major problems getting my MK2.5 hood down, it 'clumps' the material together when going down and won't 'stretch' far enough when going back up - so much so that I have to kneel on the bonnet and pull!!

Give me a zipper any day

As mentioned it's the fact that it is glass which makes it difficult. The glass section weighs a few kilos (or at least it feels like it) so you cannot just pull the zip. It's a real shame as it puts an end to the traffic light hood-drop!

I asked on Nutz and someone very helpfully took photos of their hood which had the modifications. Unfortunately it's not the sort of thing that can be retro-fitted so I think I'll have to live with the glass until I buy a new hood.

[ali_kat]

Blast

[ywouldi]

FELIX_5 said:

skinny said:

it's a different design to the mk2 hood which means that if you put the top down without unzipping the window it gets stuck half way. you can only put the top down with a plastic window because it bends in teh middle.

(i have the same hood, annoying isn't it especially when you have fixed back bucket seats and a roll cage!!)

I have a plastic rear window and was told to unzip it first, otherwise the screen may crack or crease. Do I not need to unzip my plastic window when putting the roof down then?? Sorry to detract from the original post!

You don't neeeeed too but you should. If its a really hot day and you're careful then mine used to be fine, just be careful folding the plastic. In the cold then it's def best practice to unzip.

[smiller]

We had a new hood fitted two weeks ago on our Mk1 with a heated glass rear screen, and the modifications included being able to drop the hood without unzipping the screen section.

Do an internet search on maz-mania (based in Knutsford).

[MX-5 Lazza]

ywouldi said:

FELIX_5 said:

skinny said:

it's a different design to the mk2 hood which means that if you put the top down without unzipping the window it gets stuck half way. you can only put the top down with a plastic window because it bends in teh middle.

(i have the same hood, annoying isn't it especially when you have fixed back bucket seats and a roll cage!!)

I have a plastic rear window and was told to unzip it first, otherwise the screen may crack or crease. Do I not need to unzip my plastic window when putting the roof down then?? Sorry to detract from the original post!

You don't neeeeed too but you should. If its a really hot day and you're careful then mine used to be fine, just be careful folding the plastic. In the cold then it's def best practice to unzip.

Some older screens will have gone a bit brittle so even when warm can crack or even shatter

[skinny]

i think if it's going to be down for a short period of time andn it's not freezing cold then you're ok just to drop. but if it's going to be down for teh whole day or longer then unzip. i've seen some that have split where it folds

[Pitchshifter]

Having fitted many myself, if the approprite webbing kit is fitted to the hood frame the glass screen should fold down without the need to unzip it. Although for the few times you need to ease the glass down as you fold the hood down...

Hope this helps..

[firsttimer]

Hi ive just brought a 1.8.uk. model with glass rear screen but no zips it justs unclips and folds back ! ive got no zips!

[ali_kat]

The glass screen doesn't unzip, if that helps

[MX-5 Lazza]

firsttimer said:

Hi ive just brought a 1.8.uk. model with glass rear screen but no zips it justs unclips and folds back ! ive got no zips!

Then you are probably lucky enough to have a Mk2 hood fitted to your car.
The replacement Mk1 glass rear screen does need to be unzipped.