Surprise under bonnet: rubber air duct

[paydase]

Hi everybody,
I have been looking unsuccessfully for a new rubber air duct that is screwed below my bonnet and feeds air into the heater box.
I consider replacing it as it is torn.
It seems not to be referenced in the spare parts catalogue of the E-Type.
Could you please tell me what is the reference and where to source it?

[cactusman]

Hi Serve.

Others may know more but I have not seen something like this before. My series 1 does not have the feature you illustrate. I wonder if at some point in the past the bonnet was modified for some reason and the rubber duct added. My car is all steel where your duct is. The fact that it does not appear in the parts catalogue also suggests a non standard part fitted as a result of a modification. The plastic horn that directs the air into the box is readily available I believe.

[ralphr1780]

Serge, I am afraid you have some home-brewed duct here, never seen this before.
Could be a light-weight feature ?

[Heuer]

Not Factory - refer to SPC for details

[John_Mann]

looks like a bit of back yard butchering by a PO to me. 99.99% that is not standard or desirable.

[paydase]

Thank you for the feedback.
After having looked around for pictures of what should be correct, I'm afraid it has indeed been butchered.
Here is pic from the other side:
I will have to examine closer how these panels have been cut and if they can be repaired.
Really weird, difficult to understand why this was done...

[chrisfell]

One of the problems we inherit when we take on a car that is up to 56 years old is the number of POs and their mechanics. My car is only 50 years old but suffered all kinds of cock ups from restos that involved filler rather than metal to undersized and underspecified components instead of correct items. Eventually I managed to reverse all of the fuck ups I've found and added a few improvements on the way. The result is over 50,000 miles of E-Type motoring and a car that besides a few dings in the bodywork is as good looking as when it was last 'restored' some 14 years ago.

If I were you I'd live with the rubber ducting until the bonnet has to be restored. I'd drive the car, get some miles under its wheels. Wear some tyres out, change the oil at 3,000 miles per the maintenance schedule, but not because I'd come to the end of the year, but because I'd done 3,000 miles in less than a year. I'd drive the car to the shops, to the garden centre, to the recycling centre. I'd drive it on weekends away, on weeks away, on long trips away. I'd use the car as a mode of transport before its value becomes so prohibitive to insure that I couldn't drive it on the road and it has to remain in a private museum or collection, the engine never turning the exhaust never getting hot, the tyres never stressing in a corner.

The value of our cars is rising daily to the point where some of the better examples cannot see the bright light of the sun, the dirt of the road, the heat of the engine running. These are the concours trailer queens. The 100 point cars, wrapped in cotton blankets until they are shown. The £100,000 barn find plus £250,000 restoration cost cars bought on credit by investors not classic car enthusiasts.

[cactusman]

Very true Chris. Mine goes to the shop's and I went to the local tip a couple of weeks back.....eminently practical boot in a FHC. Caused quite a stir though
Current off the road for a few days as a repro brake fluid reservoir split....they are two half shell mouldings badly welded together....bet the oe ones were a single blow moulded piece of plastic with no join

[Heuer]

Actually the original Sovy bottles were made in two halves. SNGB now own Sovy and have the original moulds so they should be of very good quality.

[mark10337]

If I were you I'd live with the rubber ducting until the bonnet has to be restored. I'd drive the car, get some miles under its wheels. Wear some tyres out, change the oil at 3,000 miles per the maintenance schedule, but not because I'd come to the end of the year, but because I'd done 3,000 miles in less than a year. I'd drive the car to the shops, to the garden centre, to the recycling centre. I'd drive it on weekends away, on weeks away, on long trips away. I'd use the car as a mode of transport before its value becomes so prohibitive to insure that I couldn't drive it on the road and it has to remain in a private museum or collection, the engine never turning the exhaust never getting hot, the tyres never stressing in a corner.

Well said Chris Even the owner of the '61 Geneva show car is out and about in his.

[paydase]

Very well said, Chris.
And thx everybody for the support.
My car will indeed need a new paint in the future (btw the last paint was also "butchered"), it will then be the time for making the required bodywork. The bonnet in particular has a few minor dents including one above the radiator top screws because the car was improperly jacked below the radiator supporting bar (a classic mistake...).
It seems to me that the bodywork to form and weld metal sheets in the butchered inner valance area will not be simple and require good skills (that I do not have). I hope finding a suitable shop in the fure to do so.
As an alternative, I guess that finding/replacing the whole LH bonnet inner valance by a used one is probably a bad idea because that would certainly require substantial tweakings to adjust the component to my bonnet so as to preserve the overall shape and body gaps. Same for a new part from e.g. Martin Robey which in addition is quite expensive. Any advice for the best approach?
I will look at what is hidden behind my "rubber air duct" and make measurements of what is missing.
Btw, I have edited the title of the thread as it seems now more appropriate;)

[paulsco]

Hi Serge,

This would not be that difficult to make up repair panels for, but to do properly it would require the removal of the inner valance, which may affect the shape of the bonnet and require adjustment.

Monocoque Metalworks make custom panels for E-Types and may be able to make you up the repair panels required.

http://www.monocoque-metalworks.com/mai ... brication/

Paul

[paydase]

Hi Paul,

Thank you for the advice.
I have seen that Monocoque Metalworks does very good work.
Here is e.g. an impressive repair of the LH bonnet inner valance of an early S1 (this also helped me understanding the complexity of my missing metal sheet):
http://www.monocoque-metalworks.com/mai ... ce-repair/
Unfortunately however they are based in Michigan, not that close to Brussels...

[paydase]

Just checked how it stands behind the rubber.
Not too bad, fortunately:
It should be repairable by welding two metal sheets, a flat vertical one and another on the bottom closing the tunnel: there are still metal edges that should allow overlapping and welding of the new sheets.
The shape may not be perfect but I hope good enough.
Wait and see when the time of the new paint comes...

[mgcjag]

Hi Serg......quite interesting why it was cut out......what could have been fitted it there, or in the engine bay that needed the cutout.......in the meantime it would be quite easy to bond new pieces in place useing panel adhesive... Steve

[paulsco]

Hi Serge,

This is what the valance should look like from the underside.

Picture 5369 by paul scott, on Flickr

Picture 5368 by paul scott, on Flickr

If you unbolted the mudguard and the air intake it might be easier to see what needs to be constructed.

Paul

[ralphr1780]

May have been cut to bring fresh air to the exhaust manifold.
Till you decide to go for a paint job, you could renew the rubber membrane or trim some aluminium panels and fix these with adhesive sealant and few rivets.

[paydase]

Ralph and Steve, you are probably right, I don't see why it would have been cut otherwise.

Paul, thank you for the photos, the valance was unfortunately cut on an area where the lower metal sheet has a number of folds, not easy to form from a new flat sheet...

Here are detail photos showing how the metal was carelessly cut and bent.
It will have to be straightened (plyers, hammer?) to prepare for a correct welding.
I don't know if that work better requires putting off the whole inner valance from the bonnet or if it could be done in situ...