The 'E' Type Forum

Hi,
Can someone help me with a question regarding the holes in the bodywork for the front bumper mounting.
I can’t remember when I took them off (2 years ago now) how the bumpers attached. From the kit supplied by sng, there are wedge and cone shaped spacers, which I am happy I know where they go. There are also bolts that I’m assuming bolt from the inside. However, the body holes are just that - holes. Should there be anything like a bracket with tapped or cage/welded nut to support the bolt? I don’t appear have anything?
Tia
Richard

Just use a big washer.

Richard, I recall that the SNG kit had lots of bits for which I couldn't find a use - e. g. captive nut cages. IIRC my bumpers all had the original nuts welded onto the brackets at the tail ends and the threads were good. Anyway, what you use will depend on the fit of your bumpers to the body. The wedge spacers go at the front, thick end downwards, to stop the bumpers drooping, and the conical spacers at the side. In my case I had to grind the spacers down to get the right fit. Then it was just a matter of using the right length bolts, and big washers behind the body. Lots of trial and error and patience needed! Those bumpers get really heavy after a while! There are various threads here detailing bumper fitting joys and woes...

Thanks Andrew & Jeremy,
Big washers it is then!
And lots of patience.
And masking tape.
Wish me luck

Jeremy wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 18, 2018 10:31 pm

Lots of trial and error and patience needed! Those bumpers get really heavy after a while

Yes this job is a pain in the arse.

Hi Richard,

My bonnet has captive-nut plates that are, themselves, held in place by the same 1/4 UNF bolts that assemble the upper and lower panels of the bonnet.

They are visible in some of the pictures on this thread.

http://forum.etypeuk.com/viewtopic.php? ... er#p100068

I think it would be a mistake to assume that you HAVE to use such-and-such a curved wedge in one place and such-and-such a conical spacer in another.

The vagaries of bonnet shape and bumper shape seem so wide that I found it better to concentrate on what the car looked like, overall, seen from all angles, and use/modify/manufacture whatever-shaped spacers were necessary to optimise these alignments. I did use the alloy wedges, but had to considerably modify them.

The difficulty obviously comes from the fact that their contact patch is very small, so minor changes to thickness make for big changes in alignment and appearance.

Lord help me from ever having a front-shunt, I don't think I can face ever having to do this job again.

rfs1957 wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 19, 2018 9:05 am

I think it would be a mistake to assume that you HAVE to use such-and-such a curved wedge in one place and such-and-such a conical spacer in another.

The vagaries of bonnet shape and bumper shape seem so wide that I found it better to concentrate on what the car looked like, overall, seen from all angles, and use/modify/manufacture whatever-shaped spacers were necessary to optimise these alignments. I did use the alloy wedges, but had to considerably modify them.

The difficulty obviously comes from the fact that their contact patch is very small, so minor changes to thickness make for big changes in alignment and appearance.

Rory is dead right. It's not about using the "correct bits", it's about picking and adapting those bits to give you the best possible positioning. I took a long time grinding the wedges to exactly the correct (slightly curved) profile as I found the slightest error was hugely magnified when I offered up the bumper. One of them ended up like a knife edge at the thin end. In any event they were both too thick.
Then getting the little extension pieces to fit into the sides of the mouth, and align the overriders - that was a whole new story...

Thanks chaps
I seen to remember that when I did the rear bumpers, one side used the spacers, but the other side didn’t and the gaps were the same each side when done!
At least I’ve got an assortment for the front, whether I end up using them or not.