30 replies to this topic

[antcole]

Dont know about anyone else on here but ive noticed the bonnet is slowly deforming at the area just in front of the gas strut bracket...... nice.
I know these bonnets are wafer thin baco-foil thickness steel, but im rather pissed off with wasting money on the strut kit now......

[Carlos W]

Is that the Minivation one?

[antcole]

Yeah.... lovely little innovation but that tiny bit of over-centre pressure when its up has caused a slight bend in the bonnet, from opening and closing activity.... i think ill go back to the old bonnet prop and take all the strain off the hinges

[Carlos W]

I was talking to someone at Brands, and his had actually split on the edge which had caught the paint on the wing.

 

The struts seem too strong.

 

Apparently they are offering some plastic strips to offer support, not sure what they're going to do?

[Jordie]

If your bonnet is good/solid, then id be seeking a claim from them, obviously the design isnt fit for purpose.

[Carlos W]

If your bonnet is good/solid, then id be seeking a claim from them, obviously the design isnt fit for purpose.

 

From what I can gather the OP isn't alone in this problem

[Jordie]

Even more so id be looking to speak to them with a claim for reimbursement for whatever the repairs needed (2nd bonnet + paint) at minimum, plus maybe return the kit and reimbursement on that.

[antcole]

If the bonnet was reinforced and generally a lot stiffer, im sure there would be no bother. As Carlos has said, the gas struts are perhaps a little too strong.
They probably do need to be that strong to keep it lifted but its certainly disappointed me with the kink developing in the line of the bonnet.

[Broomer]

But the bonnets are flimsy and sometimes kink / crack anyway, might have difficulty claiming on that one..

[Carlos W]

But the bonnets are flimsy and sometimes kink / crack anyway, might have difficulty claiming on that one..

Surely the product should take this into account?

[sonikk4]

The problem is and i'm sure they will have looked into this is the strength needed in the gas strut to support the bonnet, too weak, does nothing and bonnet will just sink back, too strong and then you will get deformation.

 

So if the bonnet is not in the best of condition this this will not help matters, as we all know with roundnose bonnets you try and press too hard or force them and the all too familiar kink appears. 

 

Maybe better to take this up direct with Ben to see if there is any other workaround rather than a piece of plastic. Maybe something like the trim strips on the wing to A panel / rear panel to quarter panel.

 

And yes the clubby bonnets do suffer as well but my old bonnet is not in the best of order so i will see what occurs when i use the replacement.

[alex-95]

As said the bonnets are prone to slitting just after the hinge mount and in the middle of the front curve. I've cut the edges off my old bonnet and welded and glued them to the inside of my new bonnet so hopefully it won't bend with the minivation hinges.

[tiger99]

Please, how about some pictures? They may help others in deciding whether to use the gas struts or where to put reinforcement.

 

Maybe a glassfibre bonnet would be better, as you could bond some steel stiffeners in fairly easily, or even double skin it with foam in between, possibly good for noise reduction and definitely good for stiffness. Personally, I hate working with sticky resins, but they have their uses.

[Richie83]

Mine split using the standard hinges. When I had this repaired I had them weld in some extra steel along the edge and then switched to MiniVation hinges.

[Minivation]

Hi all, we came across the thread and thought it'd be helpful to answer some of the concerns. The strengthening kit we offer is a powder-coated, mild steel brace with a lipped edge for stiffness. We started making these when we realised (like a few of you here have mentioned) that some bonnets fail in that same spot with even the standard hinges fitted. On further investigation it turned out that original bonnets pre '87(ish) and genuine replacement ones are tough enough to take anything whereas the later original versions and any non-genuine panels were of a lower gauge steel with a slightly poor fold on the edge. These are the ones which tend to fail. We try to encourage anyone with the lower quality bonnet to upgrade to a genuine version but appreciate time and money can be a barrier. Hence the introduction of the stiffener kit as a budget alternative.