Difficult bonnet (hood) alignment.

[phoenix]

We have just got round to adjusting the bonnet alignment.S1 4.2 RHD

This is a new bonnet and all new frames.
To get a good gap to the back we have removed all the shims ( 1x 1mm 3 thinner) on the offside
but even when we have removed all spacers on the nearside the bonnet is still not coming back far enough.
The bracket is now up to the body and I don't know if the bodywork has a type of recess where it attaches.
This may allow the bonnet to come back further if we relieve around the bracket to let it sit further in.
Its not something I want to do but I don't know another way.
Anybody come across this before .

[Allrand]

Hello Bryan, yes that can be a problem. I had to modify my lhs hinge bracket to allow the bonnet to move further back. Se the one in the picture below is narrower than the other.

[mgcjag]

Have a look here viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14006&p=113899&hili ... ge#p113899

[phoenix]

Thanks I'm glad I'm not the only one.

[DWW]

During the restoration on mine I had purchased new hinge brackets since one of the originals was damaged. The new ones were not quite right and we just couldn't get the bonnet to sit right no matter what combination of shims we applied. I ended up taking the damaged original to a specialist to get it welded which improved things a great deal. As mine was a brand new bonnet from Jaguar Classic (waited 6 month for it) the fit is still not perfect but was better before the car went in for its 5 speed conversion.....

[Geoff Allam]

Classic Jaguar in Texas makes a bonnet hinge for this problem. Before making any changes however it is important to get the bonnet fitting as closely as possible with original pieces and check all of the fitting points. Wheel arch to sill. Lower rear bonnet bead to sill. Horizontal alignment of rear of bonnet with scuttle panel. Vertical alignment of rear edge of the bonnet with the side panels. Adding or removing sheet metal is often necessary.

[politeperson]

You need to line up the end of the outer sill with the rear of the wheel arches first before thinking about the rear bonnet gap. How is that alignment looking? You can see that it is not great on the car below.

If your sill/wheel arch alignment is OK and you have a large gap at the back edge of an uncut new bonnet on one side, it means some one has welded the outer sill on too far forward.

The easiest way to check that dimension is to check that the battery tray fits on the nearside or the lower air cannister support slots in nicely on the off side of the car.

[Paul bow]

I had this exact problem., albeit foolishly I had perfect gaps up until I dropped the engine and box in the car this altered quite a bit once that load was in place..
anyhow I made up some hinge brackets out of angle iron, and offset the hinge pin like the CJ ones, they were easy to make and tbh once painted looked like originals.
The only thing to look out for is if the bonnet comes back to far it will start to impede/touch the front frame, just watch out for that..
Most e types that I’ve worked on at the sill to the wheel arch area as mentioned above are made up of lead to get perfect alignment in this area, so relatively easy to get right obviously will require painting though.

[Apprentice1975]

Hi Paul
I note that you made up your own bonnet hinge brackets
to give some more adjustment.
I am slowly repairing my Series 3 bonnet and anticipate there may not be enough adjustment back to the bulkhead.
Not sure at the moment however would like some info on the angle iron brackets you made. Maybe a photo, sketch etc or method of manufacture would be great.
I do have new aluminium hinges , bushes and bolts and a new front frame too.
thanks
Colin