678 replies to this topic

[Ben_O]

Happy new year everyone.

 

Back on the GT now and time to finish this front end off.

 

Continuing on from lat time, I finished fitting the lower dash rail

 

 

 

 

 

And the trim retainer was cleaned and put back

 

 

Time to mick up the front end

The usual process begins with bolting the front panel to the subframe

 

 

And then offering up the wings, headlamp panels and slam panel

 

 

 

I'm not looking to align everything nicely at the moment, I just want to get a feel for the fitment and see if there are any obvious issues

 

I popped the doors on and tacked on an A panel

 

 

And then popped the bonnet on

 

 

That side is a good start but the other side is not

 

 

The back edge of the wing is hard over so the bonnet needs to go that way which of course will widen the already slightly too wide gap on the o/s.

Not much I can do with clamps and screws holding it as its so hard to keep everything where you want it and be able to make adjustments.

 

Bonnet pushed over to centralise it helped the n/s but not the o/s so I started welding the o/s on confident that I could get the gap back within spec. This would then allow me to use the slam panel to keep the front edge of the n/s where it needs to be if that makes sense.

 

A panel welded to wing

 

 

And then wing to inner wing

 

 

And then wing to front panel

 

 

And then a bit of playing and shoving and we have a nice gap

 

 

Bonnet needs to come forward in that shot..

 

n/s looks better after being able to use the slam panel to align to

 

 

I still need to play with it some more but its a good start.

 

A few overall shots with the grille in to show where we are

 

 

 

 

 

I should have it all on by the end of tomorrow.

 

Cheers

Ben

[JXC Mini GT]

Happy New Year Ben

 

Great work, the bonnet alignment is looking good, previously it had massive gaps down both sides.

[Jase]

That looks better than factory.

[Ben_O]

Today, I started by welding on the n/s wing and A panel

 

 

Then I mocked up the grille again so that I can finalise the position of the slam panel

 

 

 

 

 

Then I welded that in place before repairing and refitting the brace

 

 

 

Next, I installed the bonnet lock and rubber buffers and finalised the position of the bonnet.

With the bonnet locked, the pin sits exactly in the middle of the lock which is great

 

 

And here are the gaps as they stand

 

 

 

I'm not happy with the gap on the n/s. It's still too wide at the back and there is nothing else I can do except slice and dice the bonnet.

 

A simple process that starts with cleaning back the paint

 

 

A splash of zinc to really show up the bad bit and a pencil cut line

 

 

And then after cutting it, I moved the edge to where I want it. The spanner is there because it happens to be the exact thickness of the gap at the front that I am aiming for

 

 

Then tack it to check the gap again

 

 

And then fully weld....slowly!

 

 

Ill finish it fully during prep.

 

And thats done

 

 

Just the headlamp panels to fit now and a few little bits and then I can prep it for paint

 

Cheers

Ben

Edited by Ben_O, 08 January 2020 - 05:00 PM.

[KTS]

nice work with the welder Ben !!

[JXC Mini GT]

Wow Ben, I thought yesterdays bonnet gaps were much better than before, but as always your attention to detail and aim for perfection means that the gaps now are absolutely spot on.

[Baldspeed Racing]

as always fair play for the amount of work you put in the shell preps, the bonnet looks spot on and respect for taking the decision to cut and weld it

[Ben_O]

Last little bits done today completing the fitting of the panels.Ill soon be on prep!

 

Headlamp panels...

 

They need clamping into place then screwed in so that the headlamps and grille can be fitted to check the headlamps are central to the frames.

 

 

 

About there I think. It's not really possible to get the headlamps fitting perfectly even to the frames as the headlamp adjustment  to set the beam will move it and screw everything right up so i'm only looking to get them central to the frame

 

Once happy, I welded them in

 

 

So that's the last of the panels to be fitted! horrah!

 

 

 

 

I still need to finish off the welding of the A panels and fold them round the A post return but Ill do that once I have striped the doors etc off. I also need to weld the front panel 'ears' to the inner wings but need the subframe to be out for that.

 

There is so much paint on the bonnet now that it looks really ripply. There is also some rust and holes in the frame work.

A new bonnet would be the best option but as they are just absol.... Ill stop there...

 

Best way to begin is to get rid of the layers and layers of paint

 

 

 

 

And a second go

 

 

 

Ill start the repairs tomorrow.

 

Cheers

 

Ben

[JXC Mini GT]

There are quite a few layers of paint on there including the original black when I first got it

 

Ben

 

I think after your previous efforts to purchase a new bonnet without any damage, repairing the existing bonnet was the only option.

 

John

 

[Jase]

Did you strip the inside of the bonnet as well?

[Ben_O]

Did you strip the inside of the bonnet as well?

No. It really wasn't worth it. It has been painted black once by the looks of it so will only require basic prep and then painting.
Cheers
Ben

[Homersimpson]

Looking stunning as ever, once again my hat is off to you

[Ben_O]

I have done some of the finishing off today

 

A panels

 

 

 

Not forgetting the stiffener

 

 

And the other side

 

 

Then I dropped the subframe out

 

 

So that I could spot weld the front panel 'ears' to the inner wings

 

Then I made a repair to the bonnet. The stiffening brace in one corner was rotted away causing the hinge mounting point to have lots of movement in it. 

I got carried away and didnt get a before shot so I placed the old bits in shot when I realised

 

 

And with new metal in, its solid

 

 

I shall do the other repairs with the bonnet back on the car so that I can keep an eye on alignment particularly across the front

 

Cheers

Ben

Edited by Ben_O, 10 January 2020 - 04:47 PM.

[Jase]

Superb, that's the bit I was thinking of inside the bonnet Ben. Outstanding work.

[jamesquintin]

Nice work on the bonnet! I need to do the same with mine, What does the weld look like under the bonnet? Will it be noticable when the bonnet is opened?

 

Q