Best way to lift and store a Gt6 bonnet

[AidanT]

Hi all

Some advice please from all.

I need to lift off and store my gt6 bonnet in a restricted space. It will have to sit above the car tied to the roof struts. Or placed on the car roof somehow.

Any advice on

Lifting it up and strapping above the car??

 

TIA

 

 

 

Edited November 17, 2023 by AidanT

[PeteH]

Never had reason to do it. But for many years we wintered a sailing dinghy in similar fashion. I used ratchet straps to hold that. But it took 3 of us to get it hoisted while one worked the strapping.

Pete

[dougbgt6]

Aidan,

Have you considered storing it vertically? It stands quite stably on end, mine stood like that while I rebuilt the engine, long ago. 

Doug

[Colin Lindsay]

8 minutes ago, dougbgt6 said:

Aidan,

Have you considered storing it vertically? It stands quite stably on end, mine stood like that while I rebuilt the engine, long ago. 

Doug

Be careful of the rear corner 'points' if standing it on end, they bend and crease very easily. 

[JohnD]

 Nor me, neither!   But in restoring my first Vitesse, I had to lift the body off the chassis.    The WSM shows how to do this, and I rigged pulleys in my garage roof beams and two halliards to the front and back of the body. 

Then, hauling on each halliard alternately, securing each to a becket while I hauled the other, I was able to lift the body enough to take the chassis out.   I have a pic if you need, but I'm on my phone just now!

The bonnet is made to to.be supported ON the frame, so leave it on that, a rope on each frame pivot.  Then, I suggest a length of timber under the rear edge, to lift that and store the bonnet horizontally.

Good luck!

JOhn

Edited November 19, 2023 by JohnD

[AidanT]

38 minutes ago, JohnD said:

 Nor me, neither!   But in restoring my first Vitesse, I had to lift the body off the chassis.    The WSM shows how to do this, and I rigged pulleys in my garage roof beams and two hallmarks to the front and back of the body. 

Then, hauling on each hilliard alternately, securing each to a becket while I hauled the other, I was able to lift the body enough to take the chassis out.   I have a pic if you need, but I'm on my phone just now!

The bonnet is made to to.be supported ON the frame, so leave it on that, a rope on each frame pivot.  Then, I suggest a length of timber under the rear edge, to lift that and store the bonnet horrozontally.

Good luck!

JOhn

Yes please John

[JohnD]

Aidan, I was uploading that pic to thi so post, when my PC had major software problem!   Can't do anything with it except look at Task Manager!

Sorry.  Normal service etc ASAP.

John

[JohnD]

 

From the WSM

 

  And lifting off the Vitesse body.

Hope that helps!

John

[Unkel Kunkel]

On 18/11/2023 at 13:06, Colin Lindsay said:

Be careful of the rear corner 'points' if standing it on end, they bend and crease very easily. 

There must be lots of ways of doing this.

Here is one idea:

With very restricted storage space at the time,  I stored the bonnet vertically on a wheeled wooden platform shaped to the rear end of the bonnet, cushioned by  foam flooring bits and all fixed to a a metal frame work  welded up from scrap bolted to  the bonnet

It allowed the bonnet to be protected whilst stored, and easily  wheeled to where it could be tipped flat and worked on,( serving as a jig for welding in new wings  and wheel arches ) and then wheeled back to the narrow vertical storage area as work slowly  progressed.

[JohnD]

Nice one ,Unkel!

[PeteH]

Now that`s what I call serious Lateral Thinking. My poor effort relates to using an old Bread Crate Trolley to make the engine able to be moved about. Well Done that man!.

Pete

[JohnD]

Just occurred to me.   A failing of the bonnet support frame, more with the one-piece Herald/Vitesse version, is that they can become deformed especially after a shunt.

Your device, Unkel, could double as a jig for restoring normal shape!

John