Cutting down the hood clamp adjuster nut?

[Topdownman]

Has anyone cut down the adjuster nut so that you can clamp the roof tighter to stop really bad wind noise?

If so, how did you do it please?

I am talking about the nut at the end of the screwdriver.



I started off undoing the bracket this clamps to on the windscreen hoping I could move it away slightly to increase the tension. Sadly that didnt work as while one slot is, er, slotted, the other is just a hole so it always ends up in the position it started.

I then tried to undo the clamp itself from the hood but started to strip the first screw I tried as you may be able to spot in the photo! Without being to get the clamp off, the only option seems to be to cut down the top of the adjuster in situ but that looks very hard to do.

I suppose I could slot the other hole on the windscreen bracket but not sure if that would give enough movement as there are plastics there?

Hopefully though someone has done this?

[Call the midlife!]

I do remember a certain Dick suggesting adding something to the hook part on the windscreen to get it to pull tighter but can't remember what? So almost helpful...


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[wotugonado]

It might be on spyder chat, but there was a how too on doing this. It was one of the first things I remember looking at when I first got my hardtop.

Edit
I'm trawling the depths of my memory here, but I think you have to release the spring and remove the washer on the right hand side (below the Phillips screw in your picture) and punch the pin through to disassemble the lower section to get the nut off the thread.

[Joesson]

@Topdownman don't feel to bad about the screw head being damaged. I've read on here that they are very difficult to move as they have Loctite or similar to prevent movement.
I have also read about adjusting the hood tension clamp but can't rember where. Most likely it was on here, so at least your looking for something that is somewhere to be found.
I guess you need the hood tight when it's up in case it rains while your parked, don't want to come back to a wet interior to put the " topdown". 

[Topdownman]

I do remember a certain Dick suggesting adding something to the hook part on the windscreen to get it to pull tighter but can't remember what? So almost helpful...


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Could you narrow it down a bit?

(60% of the time you are helpful).

Off to search spyderchat now I guess!

[ManInDandism]

Have not done it but did find this How To on Spyderchat a little while back.  Would be low on the list of jobs I'm wanting to do anyway.

Rather than wind noise, mine is a bit of a rattle when road surface is uneven. Easily masked when stereo is on but sometimes I just like listening to TTE exhaust!   

[Topdownman]

Thanks all, that is what I was looking for.

Dont think I am brave enough to do it before the highland drive, just in case I disable the car but will start looking for some of the right size star washers!

[Call the midlife!]

I do remember a certain Dick suggesting adding something to the hook part on the windscreen to get it to pull tighter but can't remember what? So almost helpful...


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Could you narrow it down a bit?

(60% of the time you are helpful).

Off to search spyderchat now I guess!

I'm afraid not, just remember it involved fitting some tubing or similar into the hook so the roof clamp engaged further forward.


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[Topdownman]

I suppose just cutting open some tubing and popping it on would be simple enough.

Just need to find some tubing that will not deform too much?

[Call the midlife!]

Be an easy(ish) workaround at least for the Highlands, just take some spare [emoji23]


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[Topdownman]

Just a quick update. I cut up an old broken soldering iron to get 2 lengths about the width of the latch pins which I then cut along their length so I could open them up to slip over the latch pins.

It seemed very thin though so I took some of the old pipe I took off my oil catch can recently and put some of that over the top of the new shims. Unfortunately this was too thick and the latches wouldnt close or stay on every time so I took them off and just tried the thin shims on their own.

Took it out for a drive and it seems much quieter at speed (although I had also fitted my Devs door bushes as well) so doing two mods together was probably not the most scientific way of doing things in hindsight!

If you are having problems though its definitely worth trying making some shims.

I could post a link to my soldering iron if you want to try it or you could just use some thin alloy.....

[JoeCool]

Have not done it but did find this How To on Spyderchat a little while back.

Thanks for this, it's on my to-do list but unscrewing the actual latches from the roof as I'd seen in another guide seemed like a really bad idea ^TM. So I'll give this method a go.

[Topdownman]

Yes, one of the things I read was that you should not undo the latches on hardtops as you will ruin the fibreglass they fit into.

[ManInDandism]

Just a quick update. I cut up an old broken soldering iron to get 2 lengths about the width of the latch pins which I then cut along their length so I could open them up to slip over the latch pins.

It seemed very thin though so I took some of the old pipe I took off my oil catch can recently and put some of that over the top of the new shims. Unfortunately this was too thick and the latches wouldnt close or stay on every time so I took them off and just tried the thin shims on their own.

Took it out for a drive and it seems much quieter at speed (although I had also fitted my Devs door bushes as well) so doing two mods together was probably not the most scientific way of doing things in hindsight!

If you are having problems though its definitely worth trying making some shims.

I could post a link to my soldering iron if you want to try it or you could just use some thin alloy.....

From your photo, you are missing the bit of plastic that covers the nut (to stop it moving) - this looks like it's broken away.   So anyone else making a similar shim might have to factor that in.

[Topdownman]

Just a quick update. I cut up an old broken soldering iron to get 2 lengths about the width of the latch pins which I then cut along their length so I could open them up to slip over the latch pins.

It seemed very thin though so I took some of the old pipe I took off my oil catch can recently and put some of that over the top of the new shims. Unfortunately this was too thick and the latches wouldnt close or stay on every time so I took them off and just tried the thin shims on their own.

Took it out for a drive and it seems much quieter at speed (although I had also fitted my Devs door bushes as well) so doing two mods together was probably not the most scientific way of doing things in hindsight!

If you are having problems though its definitely worth trying making some shims.

I could post a link to my soldering iron if you want to try it or you could just use some thin alloy.....

From your photo, you are missing the bit of plastic that covers the nut (to stop it moving) - this looks like it's broken away.   So anyone else making a similar shim might have to factor that in.

The shim was open for that picture so it is hidden. It is in place and working ok.

[wotugonado]

Yeah I wouldn't bother
Waste of an afternoon, the strip out and cut down was easy enough, but what extra compression you gained was pointless as the clasp just keeps opening on its own under the tension.
So have had to make a wedge to hold it shut, I'll probably just slacken it back off, so nothing gained.