Bonnet: dished lip around front lights ?

[paulsco]

Hi Carsten,

I don’t think that bumper bracket has been cut and welded by the PO I think the bracket is just bent.

Looking at your picture, the bracket on the left has a 80 degree bend at the top and about 140 degrees at the bottom.

The two on the good one are both about 105 degrees.

It would appear to me that if you widen the top one by squeezing the angle with vice grips or hitting it over an anvil of some sort to widen it and also close down the angle on the bottom, the bracket would be somewhere near correct.
The bolt hole appears to be in the same position on both bumper brackets, it is just that the bends are incorrect.

I can see the bracket has a slight twist in it, but this may come out too, during the reworking.

Paul

[Durango2k]

Hi Paul,

there is no evidence of an old bent, and I think - hard to see- that the points where the bracket is welded in the bumper - are not in the same place.

Furthermore, I think that it would be quiet hard to bend the bracket in place, so maybe it is the best way to cut it out, bend it, and re - weld it ?

Carsten

[paulsco]

Hi Carsten,

I don't think there is an old bend, just that the existing bends are at the wrong angle.


I have been thinking about how to do this.

Two possible suggestions:

1 (mole) vice grips placed at right angles to the bend by the corner (on short length into to bumper) then lock the grips in a vice, so that the bumper is horizontal. You can then turn the bumper itself to bend the bracket to the desired shape.

2 In the vertical position as in your picture, tuck in a long bar/spike into the corner where the bracket is fixed to the bumper; put the other end of the bar/stake on the floor and hit the top corner of the bracket to reshape it.

Obviously there is a risk of destorting the front chrome of the bumper, so this needs to be watched closely.

It is a while ago now for me, but I am fairly sure I had to straighten one or two of my bumper brackets.

Paul

[Robsan]

Carsten, did you say you had to make a retainer cage ?.........
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CNB10-E-TYPE ... SwKFRZchIc

perhaps the postage may also be too expensive ?

Keep up the good work ;-)

[Durango2k]

Hi Robsan,

Seen it, bought it. Total in Euros incl. freight was 16.80 E.

Given I would need to invest in a hole cutter for the two 19 mm holes, it‘s cheaper.

Thanks !


Paul,

I‘ll give it a try, but the steel looks thick - and if rips out a weld spot it‘s over.

So, I‘ll give my mini-cutter a go first, and report back.


Schöne Grüße,

Carsten

[Durango2k]

Here it comes:

I found by comparing that only the front half of the bracket was bent and had been welded in diagonally.

So, I decided to cut the front part of the bracket, and bent it using a mole grip.

Then, a „missing triangle“ resulted, which I will fill using some metal. Searching for some metal, I found a large washer of roughly the same thickness, so in it went.

Pics:

Left side: see the cut, right side: the „good one“ from the other side.







Carsten

[Durango2k]

And this is the main status quo:











Main problem is the RH side (bonnet is turned over so LH on the pics). I have no idea how to get to the correct shape back into the metal. How to hammer and dolly this ?

I have drawn a line with a black felt tip, to indicate where the „edge“ runs along normally - and where the accident did damage it badly.

Hopefully, the bumpers will hide most of the carnage (they do, I tried !), but of course, if I could get the sheet metal shaped a bit better....

Carsten

[Robsan]

.......if I could get the sheet metal shaped a bit better....?......

it is the hammer and dollies, little by little. differant dollies and hammers that suit the curve.............. you will surprise yourself ;-). you are engineer with technical mind so slowly slowly, each dent at a time, right hammer, right place ;-)
I tell you Carsten I dollied up the underpan, with big creases and PO bad repairs, you will be surprised :-)

look at MM for inspiration http://www.monocoque-metalworks.com/mai ... e-repairs/

BTW phaps top and bottom of your bonnet are both out of align, so its not all one way. check out image half way down page http://www.monocoque-metalworks.com/mai ... r-replace/


Forget that for now and just start gentle dollying from..... the centre out,
best of luck, and enjoy

[chrisfell]

A quick inspection of any unrestored bonnet, or even a recently installed ‘factory’ bonnet will reveal that Carsten’s misaligned panels are not that misaligned. Once the badge bar and bumper blades are in place these little wrinkles will not be visible.

[Durango2k]

Now thats a relief !

I feared that I might over-germanize my car....

I think that I‘d be fine if I get it just a tiny bit better, and then leave it well alone.

Carsten

[Durango2k]

I have now cut a part of the underpan´s flange of, and rolled the mouth of the underpan a bit towards the inside using a hammer and a round dolly:



After the crash it had been poorly hammered and a lot of bondo was used, but thats all history now.

I think that I may leave it as it is for now, the bumpers would hide the imperfections. Then some more un-denting, some welding, some progress.... still a lot of work. But it´s getting back in shape !

Maybe I‘ll test- fit it after I re-welded the main underpan vertical panel back into its place. It still fits nicely:









I drilled every thenth or so spotweld through both parts, so I can now use the bonnet bolts plus the oval washers to put it exactly into the underpan as it came from the car, then weld it, remove the screws, and finish it off.

This way I hope the original position of the underpan which in effect locates the whole bonnet will be kept.

Carsten

[Durango2k]

Put it vertical so I could get a better way to close some holes. Cut out some ultra-thin areas on the tips of the wheel arches (wings). Small holes visible, spot welding them causes larger holes, so cut out and butt-weld in a new patch, about 5 x 5 cm, on the edge of whereabout it starts to be solid metal again, not iron tinfoil.





In fact I can almost stand inside it.

It‘s my cathedral. Bury me in it.

Carsten

[Durango2k]

Forward: sadly no better picture, but I have the vertical part of the front lower valance welded back into its place. Have made 4 brackets (88 x 25 x 6 mm, cut 5/16 UNF and using stainless bolts), and bought one cage from ebay.





Next: set the chrome bezel retainer cages (front lamp surrounds). Am sure it‘ll be great fun.

Hope to get it right, it’s certainly not that easy.

Current weather in the shed: dry, 3 degs Celsius. No heating.

Carsten

[Robsan]

3 degs Celsius. No heating.......

I remember reading your posts from last winter.. also no heating, too cold for and
Even so you are making progress so well done ....
keep up good work

[Durango2k]

Hi,

That „Dunkirk spirit“ sentence earlier in this thread really motivated me. Plus the one short blast out on the yard- in first gear, 3:54 rear end, anything on this car being new or re-done- give it just a small amount, and the tail flings around on the gravel.

Tomorrow I‘ll hopefully find some more hours for the big cat. Today I had to repair a lousy wall / I feared for water damage behind the bathtub in the appartment were rent to tennants. Had the same damage in ours a year ago, it was ugly and did cost 24 grand to repair and re-model this part. Ouch. So I had to prevent this, rip out the tiles, repair and check, the tile guy will be here next week, so I had to built him a base to put his stuff on.

And if ever come to see some light (not three!) on the end of the tunnel, after about TEN long years, it starts to suck you in. Really, it does. The car now owns me...

Carsten

[Durango2k]

The weather gods were kind today : +13 degs !

So, here we go: put the bonnet on the car looseley (just laid it down). And methinks it fits !

I crawled under it, and checked the hinges. No problem in using a few shims, but to me it looks like I won‘t be needing to many.

How would you arrange fitting the shims - buy a quantity from SNG and return the remains ? I don‘t know of any „loan service“ to fill up after the loan ?

















Next, maybe tomorrow: drill the 7 mm holes for the lamp surrounds, and get some gas, to weld the cages inside the wings. I have put the glasses loosely on the bonnet: fine !

Carsten

[Durango2k]

..this is how it currently looks from different viewing angles:





Carsten

[Durango2k]

Because I could nit find it anywhere, I asked Robey‘s which thread size the series 1 bonnet headlight chrome trim bolts are: it is N8-32 UNC.

Carsten

[Charles V. Winters]

Now,

I bought myself a welding helmet:

http://www.esab.de/de/de/products/index ... ode=451029

and got some CO2 in a fire extinguisher (as I have no own bottle ), and welded the flanges:






Hopefully I‘ll have some time tomorrow, then I‘ll turn the beast over , and weld the underside. Then planish all the spots, then start un-denting the worst edges, maybe using the fenders as masters.

Carsten

Is Esab welding helmet is good enough for this purpose? I am also planning to buy it.

[Durango2k]

For me, it‘s ok. I think it is a bit dark, so I often tend to not use it- but for longer seams it is certainly useful. Just when you do spots - too dark, then you weld, and then if its a spot only, it gets black, but until you have adapted to that, the spot is finished.

The 2+2: just going to the painters very soon. I‘m excited !