Hood frame above door not "flat" - aluminium channels dip in the middle

[NorthernLad59]

I apologise if this is already answered in another post, I couldn't find an answer after a lot of looking.

The door seals don't fit very well when the hood is in place. I read several posts that recommended fitting foam or softer seals. I decided to investigate and removed the 4 sections of slide in rubber seal that fit between the hood and the top of the doors. With the seals removed I can see the gaps between the top of the door and the aluminium channels. On the passenger side the gap is even all along the top of the door and when I put a straight edge against the two sections of aluminium channel it fits. However on the drivers side, the two sections don't go flat, they dip down in the middle leaving virtually no gap for the rubber seal. I'm 99% sure the hood and frame are original but in good condition. There is some surface corrosion on the frame but it goes up and down easily and the hood is waterproof so I'd rather not replace the whole thing yet. Has anyone experienced this and did you manage to fix it? I guess it's either the frame is bent or not correctly assembled or fitted, or the fabric is too tight at that side. The car has been extensively restored by the previous owner during which the hood would have been removed and refitted after a respray, so maybe that's the cause of the problem.

[Wheelz]

The angle between the two side rails depends on several factors. When everything is right, the control arm (arrowed) should be straight, not bent as shown in the picture. Also it has a spigot/pin fitted (arrowed) which limits the travel and sets the angle to the correct 180 degrees ie the arms lie flat above the doors. Does that make sense?

So many other things affect the angle including bent frame members, loose or incorrect bolts/spacers.

Control arm.png

[NorthernLad59]

Thanks, I've check the control arms against a straight edge. The one on the drivers side (the problem side) is absolutely straight, the other side has a bend in it. Against a straight edge its 7mm off straight at the central nut. If the control arm is bent, so effectively shortened, I'd expect the two side rails not to go flat. On the drivers side the curved bar that supports the hoop isn't tight against the peg on the control arm and I can move it up and down a few mm. On the passenger side it's solid. Have I got this all the wrong way round in my head !?!

[Wheelz]

OK so on the problem (drivers) side, if the arms are not straight/flat and the spigot/peg is not stopping it from going flat then it must be that the cover is too tight?

[NorthernLad59]

Further investigations: If I leave the back part of the hood on the clips and tilt the roof forward so that the front locks are hovering above the fittings above the windscreen then both sets of channels are flat. It's only when I lock the front catches that the problem occurs.

[Wheelz]

The hood might be binding on top of the B-post.

Try loosening the 3 bolts fixing the hood to the car on the driver's side, then lift the hood a few mm.

[NorthernLad59]

Following Chris's excellent advice I did raise the hood on the drivers side and it's a bit better. In fact with all the top seals back in the door shuts and it looks like it forms a decent seal including on the A pillar. The near side A pillar seal still had a gap. I had already fitted new seals all round the door frames and had two lengths of the seal left over, each about 250mm long. I cut the round rubber section off the furry bit and glued it to the top section of the seal on the near side A pillar with contact adhesive. Fills the gap with the door shut and looks acceptable.

Thanks for the help