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Re: Cleaning the Hood x-mac-creator="4D4F5353"

To: spitfires@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Cleaning the Hood x-mac-creator="4D4F5353"
From: Michael Hargreave Mawson <OC@46thFoot.com>
Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2002 19:28:26 +0000
In article <3C70FE6A.24FA0242@rave.ac.uk>, James Carruthers 
<j.carruthers@rave.ac.uk> writes
>What have listers found to be the best stuff to clean up a hood?

I bought myself a kit from Halfords last year - the "Soft Top 
Restoration Kit" which comes with everything you could possibly imagine 
needing, works very well, and is a fraction of the price of the Autoglym 
stuff.
>
>Its rather faded (ie not black - more mid-grey) - and I have no idea
>what it's made of.

Vinyl.   Betcha it's vinyl.

> Its at home (as opposed to my depressing student
>house) - Im going back on Friday for the weekend - as the weather has
>been fantastic here over the past couple of days, I'm going to put it on
>for the first time ever (I imagine there's a technique that takes a few
>goes to get right) - I've only ever driven it with the hard top on!

Actually, putting the soft top on is a hell of a lot easier than putting 
the hard-top on.   Undo a few bolts, do up a few bolts, snap the 
soft-top in place on the windscreen frame and away you go.   The 
soft-top *gives* when you push or pull it to get it in place.   The 
hard-top doesn't.

> So
>as you can imagine Im rather excited - having only been in any car with
>its top down once (that was the first Spit I looked at) It may well
>still snow (it's happened before) - but I don't care anymore - everyone
>is driving with the top down around here now and Im jealous.

I know what you mean, but having had my soft-top slashed one snowy March 
evening last year, I'm keeping the hard-top on until Spring is *really* 
here. <g>
>
>And just out of interest - how long does it take to put the thing
>down/up.

To do it properly (all the snaps, external and internal, neatly 
fastened), about 30-45 seconds (add 15-20 seconds if you are using a 
hood bag).   To get the thing up and protecting the interior from the 
unexpected rainstorm, about three seconds (if you are sufficiently 
motivated!).

> Im just working out the whole short distance drive to hood
>up/down ratio...  I doubt its worth it for the 5 minute drive to college
>:) Maybe at the start though...

Get a tonneau cover.  Fastened/unfastened in ten seconds flat...

ATB

-- 
Mike
Michael Hargreave Mawson, author of "Eyewitness in the Crimea"
http://www.greenhillbooks.com/booksheets/eyewitness_in_the_crimea.html

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