building my own hood and sidescreens

[anonymous-user]

I was wondering if anyone can post (or link to) some good images showing the general construction , shape etc.. and also the mounting methods used on the typical Seven-a-like sidescreens and hood?

I'm trying to make my own for my Tiger and would like some reference that shows the possible options before I ruin a large piece of vinyl hooding.

Thanks
James

[Vindi_andy]

lolocost i think do a preshaped screen surround

[anonymous-user]

Thanks Andrew

[Chris71]

Will be wtaching this thread with interest, I have to build one for my Leader at some point. Begining to realise it may be optimistic to get it done from scracth before the Exeter kit car show, so it might be a very windy drive down from Essex!

[anonymous-user]

Well I currently have the car with a full roof mocked-up from bits of plastic tube, metal tube, wood and an old curtain cut to fit where the vinyl hooding would be, and it looks very odd indeed - a seven-a-like with a bright yellow flowery hood!

Anyway, it appears that my design works, so today I'm going to buy the metal tube and construct the frame, and if that goes OK then it's on to the vinyl hooding, which is the part I'm dreading - have to learn how a sewing machine works

[stig mills]

We normally hire an industial sewing machine for hood jobs. You will need a walking foot machine or a needle feed. This means the fabric is fed forward with the needle down to stop creep. You can buy leather point needles (size 14 or 16) for a domestic machine but its hard work trying to feed the weight of fabric in smoothly. If you have a go try some silicone spray on the machine bed to assist. Two sets of hands can be good, or bad ofcourse! Regards Stuart

[anonymous-user]

Well my sidescreens and hood are almost completed, so here are a few pictures.

A few small jobs left to do - poppers are needed on the windscreen supports and scuttle sides to hold the front edges of the sidescreens in place, I'm waiting for new wing mirrors to be delivered also. The sidescreens also need 2 webbing straps each inside so their bottom edges can be secured once inside the car.

http://www.jameskett.dsl.pipex.com/IMG_7530.jpg
http://www.jameskett.dsl.pipex.com/IMG_7531.jpg
http://www.jameskett.dsl.pipex.com/IMG_7532.jpg
http://www.jameskett.dsl.pipex.com/IMG_7533.jpg

[studog]

Looking good.
It is interresting to see that you hood frame appears
to be very similar to my own home brew. It makes far more sense
to me to bridge the gap from the screen to the roll bar and cover that.
FYI I used fiber glass tent poles for mine.

Top effort well done.

[anonymous-user]

Thanks. I used thin metal tubing for my frame - there is a double U shape at the rear to hold the hood out and up at the same time, with a pair of linked bars going forwards to the screen frame to hold the main part of the hood up. I curved these bars upwards slightly to give slightly more space.

The only part of it I don't like is that the hood droops by the tops of the sidescreens - in hindsight I made the centre bars too close together. I might reposition these further apart to support the hood edges better, and maybe add a third bar in the centre.