I saw a hood on a frame on Ebay being sold by a car breaker. The description said it was in good condition.
What it didn't say was that it was a mohair hood although the pictures clearly showed it being a mohair.
I bought it for £200 and had it delivered to my work place.
Upon arrival I unpacked it and opened it up.
It stayed in work until the weather improved to allow me to fit it.
Fitting it was actually quite easy and I followed a guide that I found here
http://www.cienega32.com/miata/nb2na/nb_2_na_top_xplant.htm
After fitting it I checked it all over and the hood was as good as new and is completely water tight unlike my old vinyl hood.
I clean it with Johnsons Baby Bath as it's pH neutral. I just squirt some in water, apply it to the wet hood with a sponge and then I scrub it with a stiff brush (something like a nail brush but a big bigger). I use a tooth brush for the tricky parts where the hood attaches to the car. Then just hose it off and the hood comes out lovely and clean.
This what it looked like after I just fitted it
Now if you look at the above picture you will see a small square lump in the edge of the hood just above the window.
That was the next job to be done.
The rivet in the hood tensioner end attachment had failed. Luckily the wire hadn't snapped and all I had to do was to rivet it back to the frame.
It was a fiddly job as the hood needs to be at a particular angle to access the rivet hole.
I used the following guide to help me out.
http://www.miata.net/garage/NB_Tension_Cable_Replacement.pdf
The only problem I have with the mohair hood is that the stray cats, that I look after, love sleeping on it. So it gets covered in cat hair. I find the best way to remove cat hair from my hood is to use a lint roller. It cost me £1 at Wilko. Just roll it on the hood and the hairs stick to it. Then just peel the top layer off and you're ready to use it again.
I also have a rubber brush which is good at sweeping the hair into one pile which then can be picked off the hood.
