Rear bumpers

[aggie]

I need to fit the rear bumpers and overriders to my Mk 1 Spitfire but, unfortunately, because they are new panels there are no holes in them.  Does anyone know of any templates that I  might use to enable me to drill holes in the rear wings and back panel ?

[Colin Lindsay]

The rear top overrider holes are quite large, with a rubber grommet, whilst the side ones are only the thickness of the bolt. I take it from your post that you don't have holes drilled through the lower wings yet?

The top mounting (overrider) uses a captive nut. Put a short bolt into this and screw it in until the head is behind the metal edges of the overrider (don't damage the chrome by using an over-long bolt, forcing it right through and making a dimple!)

Stick masking tape to the rear panel and the side wing to cover a good-sized area where the bolts will pass through.

There's a metal bracket that attaches to two bolts under the boot floor on each side - fit yours if removed. Attach the bumper and overrider to this before tightening the bolt at the bottom of the overrider to keep both bumper and overrider in a reasonably secure position, as close to your desired end position as you can get them, then tighten the lower bolt fully to keep them in the preferred position. Using only one bolt means you can pivot both around to get them vertical and horizontal, and you can align the overrider against the exposed panel seam on either outer side. This gives you a good starting point and leaves both hands free once you have tightened the lower bolt fully.

Now, if you gradually unwind the top bolt that you screwed in earlier it will extend until the bolt head touches the bodywork of your new panel. Mark this spot as it's where you'll need to drill.

For the side wings, once you're happy that the bumper is level to the car, mark where the slot of the side bumper lies, along the top and bottom of the bracket as it touches the masking tape. Then you'll know to drill in halfway between. I use a rectangle of old inner tube between bumper and bodywork as a gasket.

I have this job to do on two new rear panels of my GT6, but as yet another bodyworker has let me down as a no-show, I don't yet have the rear of the car stripped down to measure the holes, but that's as good away of determining where to drill without actual measurements.

[NonMember]

When I did my Mk3, the rear holes were easy to locate by fitting up the brackets inside the boot. The Mk2 is different but the principle should still hold. The holes in the wing are trickier but Colin's method of fitting and marking should do the job.

[aggie]

Thank you Colin for that advice.  I guess as long as one takes it slowly and carefully that there is no reason not to get a perfect fit.