Hood Cover and Central Locking Queries

[danwarner]

I've recently bought a Griffith 4.3 (which I'm very happy with), but I have a couple of things I need to sort out. There is no cover for the hood panel when I put it in the boot. Does anyone know of a good place to get one?

The other issue is with the central locking on the drivers door. Sometimes it locks/unlocks, and sometimes it doesn't. It's not disasterous, as I can get in through the passanger's side to open the drivers door, if it decides to stay locked. I would like to get it sorted though, as I'd like to know that when I lock it, it actually does lock.... I've checked the courtesy light switch on the drivers door, and it seems to activate the relay, because I can hear it clicking. Could it just be that the locking mechanism needs lubricating?? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Dan.

[JonRB]

Try Leven Technology for a replacement hood bag. They're about £50 and are said to be better than the original.

URL is www.leventechnology.co.uk/tvr_misc.htm#panel_bag

[MikeyT]

Dan

Where did you get it? Private/dealer? Pray tell ...

TVR owner one day

Edited by MikeyT on Thursday 22 November 16:50

[dougal]

Assuming it opens and shuts smoothly and hasn't dropped at all I would say that some WD40 and a blob of greese would sort the problem, had something similar on mine, not the locking problem, when you shut the door sometimes it would bounce straight back open again without catching the latch.

[Mikej]

Dan,

Are you sure that the door switch (it's not just courtesy light it's alarm etc. as well) is making contact when you shut the door (as opposed to just pressing it). What can happen is that if you don't have the pad on the door that pushes on the switch then it might only work intermittently. If the pad has fallen off you can make a short term repair using insulating tape or gaffa tape, and taping that in place. My temporary repair lasted for about 3years on my old Griffith (then I part-exed it).

Good Luck.

Mike.

[anjago]

Where can you get new courtesy light switches? Or what car do they come from?

[danwarner]

Thanks for the hood panel cover info. Will have to invest in one of those.

As for the door switch problem, I've checked both doors, and neither of them have a contact pad. I'll try the gaffer tape repair and see if that helps. I think the WD40/grease option wouldn't go a miss either. Do you just oil the exposed lock mechanism that the door latches onto, or do you have to oil the central locking motor etc behind the carpet in the door pillar?

It was a private sale - advertised on this site.

Thanks for all the info,

Dan.

[MikeyT]

quote:
It was a private sale - advertised on this site.

Was it the blue Sawtry one? As I was thinking of seeing this one myself at one stage!

TVR owner one day

[danwarner]

No, I looked at that one. Nice paint job, but it had grey leather, and a TVR has to have Magnolia leather in my eyes, especially with dark paint.

Dan.

[Marshy]

My driver's door lock sometimes sticks slightly too. The solonoid operates, but isn't able to move the thingy that lets the door open.

I find thumping the bodywork over the lock normally fixes it

[danwarner]

Yeah, I think the solonoid is working on mine too, because you can hear it 'trying' to do something, but it just doesn't move the lock. Hopefully a liberal dose of WD40 will help, although 'thumping' could always be used in an emergency.

Dan.

[danwarner]

Central locking is sorted. Turns out that one of the bolts that holds the locking mechanism in place was too long, and was jamming it.

I have another 'Hood' question. Mine doesn't seem to be as tight is it should. The back window sags slightly, and the hood doesn't seem to sit flush to the bodywork. I think I've found the retaining screws/bolts, but I can't seem to get any tools in the tiny space to tighten them. Is there an easy way to access these, or am I just looking in the wrong place?

Thanks,

Dan.

[shpub]

If it doesn't leak, leave it alone! You could easily end up with a hood that looks pretty but leaks like a sieve.

Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk

[danwarner]

It does leak, but I think it's only where the material needs water-proofing (bought my Fabsil today). I'm just concerned that if the material is not secured properly, the rear part of the hood may decide to leave the car if I'm travelling at speed.... I'm also worried that the securing bolts/screws will damage the fabric, as it looks as though they are loose, and that's what's causing the saggy hood?

On the Fabsil note, is it best to apply it with a brush, or a spray bottle? I've used the Autoglym hood restorer before, and the spray seems to get everywhere.

hanks,

Dan.

[MikeyT]

quote:
the spray seems to get everywhere.

I think that's the general concensus. Use the brush. Undoubtably slower but probably better!

TVR owner one day soon

[shpub]

You may find the hood will tighten with waterproofing. The rear of the hood is bolted through the back of the body. Access to the nuts is from within the boot after you have removed the carpet. Tightening is normally done by adjusting the hoop. This will sometimes allow some movement. The struts canm also be repositioned as well but any excessive movement will put pressure on the front windscreen and cause it to crack or the pillars to crack. So don't go wild with this. I would waterproof the hood and then see what happens.

I also recommend Thompson's Waterseal - a lot cheaper than Fabsil at around £10-12 for 5 litres. Brushing is easier BTW. Home base were doing a BOGOF on this a couple of months ago as well.

Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk

[danwarner]

It looks like the weather is set fair for the weekend, so I'll have a go at waterproofing it and see how it goes.

Thanks for the advice,

Dan.