Roadster hood toggle clamp adjustment

[Monkeyfinger]

I'm having some difficulty getting the toggle clamps to lock effectively (predominantly the centre one). The normal adjustment is to rotate the hook and lock in place with the locknut. This means a full turn either direction is all that's possible. My current situation is that the toggle effectively bottoms out before being able to go over centre and properly clamp. This means it just pops open. Is another means of adjustment possible? As I see it, the toggle can be moved a few mm either direction where it's screwed to the canopy front. Is it also possible to put spacers underneath it, allowing it to go over centre and not spring open?
Any insight much appreciated.

[lowact]

Is the front hood seal worn or missing? If so, a new one would tighten things up ...

[Monkeyfinger]

Thanks Colin - I probably have the opposite issue as the seal is new. I've been thinking about the inflatable seal option with a bike inner tube. That would probably help.

[Simonpfhc]

Hi Richard,

Just to clarify, if you adjust the hook one whole turn to tighten it, it then becomes too tight to fully lock down?

[Monkeyfinger]

Basically, yes. I can either get it too loose or so tight that a slight touch will ping it open. I've tried some thin spacers under the mounting plate, to try and allow the toggle to push down without hitting the hood front panel, but it doesn't help much. I actually feel that since my major restoration, and new hood, the angle of the toggle doesn't allow it to get low enough to lock down over centre. It's not a major issue, but I've not seen it mentioned anywhere before.

[Simonpfhc]

Has it been like this ever since the new hood has been fitted? Has it got worse with fitting a new seal?

All three clamps come into play when getting a good fit across the top of the screen. Have you tried without the sides being clamped or maybe tightening or loosening the side clamps?

When you fit a new hood, you ensure that the frame clamps down perfectly across the screen before you fit the actual mohair fabric. You then fit the fabric with the clamps loosely attached. If you can’t get a good fit, you may need to remove the front chrome strip and peel back the fabric away from the front panel and re-adjust.

[Monkeyfinger]

Thanks Simon - I had new hood and new seal at the same time.
Your comments make perfect sense - ill go and have a more detailed fiddle with all 3 clamps and report back.