Please Note: In order to remove the hood, you first need to remove the T bar.

Step 1: Wind the seats forward a little and position the T bar behind them to give you access to the parcel shelf (Picture 1). Raise the hood and begin un-clipping the 5 over centre catches that secure the rear of the hood to the back of the parcel shelf (picture 2).

Step 2: Once the rear of the hood is free, fold the hood back and position the T bar on the head rests of the seats to give you access to the hood retaining bolts.

Step 3: Using the ratchet and 15mm socket, remove the two pairs of bolts that secure the hood frame to the car (picture 3). Note: The top bolt also secures the hard top bracket and this will come loose when these bolts are removed.

Step 4: Caution! The hood is now free from the vehicle; however, it is surprisingly heavy and will move in your hands when you pick it up. There is the risk of trapping fingers in the frame and of it moving when it is lifted, causing it to be dropped onto the bodywork of the car. I recommend securing in the folded position using a length of bungee rope and getting a friend to help lift it out of position.

Notes:

Removing the hood is usually done to replace it. Given its weight, if the hard top is to be on for a length of time, there is also something to be said for removing it during the winter months. Another plus for this idea is that is gives you access the parcel shelf with the hard top fitted. To do this, contrary to popular belief, you will only need to buy two 10mm nuts. The hood frame is threaded and the original bolts secure into it. Therefore, the nuts are needed to replace the frame in order to fix the hard top brackets back in their original position sans hood. No spacers are required.

Refitting is the reverse of the above. Things to note when refitting are as follows:

• Firstly, re-positioning the hood frame is best done with the aid of a friend.

• There is no adjustment in the hood frame at the mounting points, as far as I am aware, adjustment to make the car weather tight is accomplished with the windows.

• The trim clips for the T bar comprise two parts. A male and a female. Occasionally they stay together in either the T bar or the mounting and need to be separated prior to re-fitting. The female part is a push fit component & the male part needs to slide onto its "button" mounting.

• The T bar mounts onto an aluminium angle, which can have a sharp edge. Although the above instructions do not bring you into direct contact with this angle, it is worth being aware of it to prevent accidents.

19th April 2001, Andy Phillips (AKA: Scarlet Fever)