Anybody fitted a Hutson bonnet?

[PaulColeman]

Has anybody bought a bonnet from Hutsons in bits and fitted it to their car? I'd like to know what I'm letting myself in for before I take the plunge. I know the back edge must be cut, the wired edges of the wings will probably need to be moved and the indicator holes have to be cut out. What I'd like to know is how good they are generally...

Thanks, Paul.

[christopher storey]

The Hutson's stuff is generally of very good quality indeed, and it has the advantage that most of their body parts are made in zintek . Much of what you might buy from Robey's is in fact made by Hutson. However, do not underestimate the work required to fettle a bonnet to fit your car. When I bought a new heritage bonnet , it took Hutsons nearly 40 hours of fitting to achieve the required result . Not only does the rear edge have to be cut, but the wired edges were, in my case, cut off and rewelded on . Also, to get the correct profile , it will probably be necessary to lead the front and top edges of the sills if a perfect result is to be achieved

[Dave K]

I thought it was the opposite way round, much of what all the E-Type suppliers sell when it comes to panels comes from Robey's.

I have been to Robey's many times and been in their press shops, they have the tooling and presses to fabricate the panels, I have also been to Hutson and never saw a press shop unless it was hidden away somewhere that I didn't go.

Dave

[christopher storey]

Yes, it is hidden away in Poland !Mark Hutson set up a subsidiary there about 8-10 years ago . Hutson's for example are the only people who now produce bonnet centre sections

[Gfhug]

Chris, are they producing them for Jaguar who are now selling E Type bonnets?
Geoff

[1954Etype]

Phone Andy and he will give you an honest view. I would personally keep an eye out for a good s/h bonnet or go for an aluminium one.

[PaulColeman]

I had thought about an aluminium one... http://www.mphmotorpanels.com/e-type.htm but I wondered how it affects the handling and what a future owner may think about it (not that I plan on selling it but you never know!).

I haven't been able to find a s/h one anywhere so far and I've been looking for a while.

[mgcjag]

Hi Paul....in the restoration section one of the guys put up some photos and write up on fitting recently ..with details of trimming off the closeing edge..... viewtopic.php?f=8&t=6087&hilit=Fitting+bonnet&start=240

[christopher storey]

Paul : I wouldn't worry about handling with an Al2 bonnet : I had a fibreglass one for some years as a temporary substitute on my S1 and apart from being just a bit lighter than a steel one ( by about 150 lbs ) it made no difference at all . However, Al2 bonnets have some considerable disadvantages : they are very easily dentable even with hand pressure, and they tend to flex more than steel ones over bumpy surfaces, and although not subject to rust they are still subject to corrosion if the paint is damaged in any way

[Dave K]

There is a company near Nuneaton and its not RS panels but I can't remember the name of them now, they make aluminium bonnets, hard tops and no end of other E-Type stuff.
A very good mate of mine works for them and is probably one of the best sheet metal workers around, nothing he can't make.
When we worked at a car factory in Coventry I repaired his air tools and he made parts for my E-Type.

Dave

[drichards]

The short answer is no, but I have always found Chris an honest person to deal with. My car is being restored in Christchurch NZ, and the guys are amazing. From the outset I was asked the question "do you want a car that is nice to drive or something approaching concourse" The devil and subsequent value is in the attention to detail. My guys took about a month to rebuild the bonnet,taking measurements from a near perfect E, to ensure the louvres were the correct distance from the panel immediately in front of the windscreen, the headlamp apertures all lined up, and the air intake opening had the correct dimensions. And overall the outline of the car flows properly from back to front. It is a mammoth job and the end result is great. Not a job for the the gifted amateur like me, and well worth the money to have it expertly done.