Gerald1963 Posted June 1, 2020 Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 (edited) When I purchased my 63 Herald the car was fitted with Vitesse bumper covers... naturally I changed these for the white rubber ones .... however the leading edge of the bonnet catches these on both sides and is causing damage ... I have tried to adjust the ride height but to no avail. Any suggestions please... would changing the springs assist? regards Simon Edited June 1, 2020 by Gerald1963 Spelling error Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted June 1, 2020 Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 When you say the bonnet is catching on them is this when opened, or just whilst driving? Firstly: do you have the correct 1200 valence? It should be flat across the top; 13/60 or Vitesse versions are raised in the middle and use different mounting brackets, stepped up at the inner side, although the line of the bumpers should be the same. Even so it may be easier to drop the front valence slightly by bending the mounting brackets downwards very slightly. If you open the bonnet it shouldn't be that close to the front valence as it pivots that it's hitting the bumpers; this would mean that it's too far back and also too low, and if it's hitting them when closed then it's too low at the front. The slotted fittings behind the front overriders allow for upward movement at the front; loosen them off and see how they adjust; if you have an old quilt rest it on top of the engine and this will prevent damage to the underside if it hits anything during adjustment especially if it drops when the bolts are loosened. It will move upwards without having to move either backwards or forwards, but watch the door gaps as it's a juggling match trying to adjust the bonnet against the front valence, or the doors, without putting the alignment out elsewhere. You should be moving it only fractions of inches at most unless something is seriously out of place. Can you post any photos? It may help us spot anything amiss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerald1963 Posted June 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2020 The bonnet touches the rubber bumper when opening and closing ..when locked in position it is fine... the valance is the original and the gaps to doors and scuttle are fine is it possible then to adjust the scuttle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerald1963 Posted June 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2020 Image attached.. showing o/s front..scuff to white rubber .. same happens on n/s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted June 2, 2020 Report Share Posted June 2, 2020 I took a photo of mine a few days ago, whilst it was on the lift... you can see the gap between the bonnet and valence when fully open. How does this compare with yours? It's not easy to see, being white on white, but the rubber bumpers are fitted and you can see a good gap between them and the edge of the bonnet. Lowering the front valence is not easy as it rests on two fixed brackets; there's a bit of fore and aft movement, but not up or down. Going by your photo it's quite far forward, is there any possibility of sliding it backwards - just the top edge - on the slots where it connects to the brackets? It should move backwards without affecting any of the other planes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerald1963 Posted June 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2020 Hi the silver tape is where it catches Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Clark Posted June 4, 2020 Report Share Posted June 4, 2020 I've just been getting ready to fit a 2nd hand bonnet and hinges to my car and reading (a lot twice) the Restoration manual for Spitfires / Heralds etc. Check that the gap where the bonnet meets the windscreen surround is about 1/4 inch and they need to be level. Also the gap at the rear of the wings below the catches needs to be parallel with the sills and also about 1/4 inch. With the hinges unbolted support the front edge of the bonnet to keep it in the right position up / down and fore / aft.. Then you can check if the hinges and other panels are in the right place. But I haven't actually done it yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted June 4, 2020 Report Share Posted June 4, 2020 Last time I fitted a Herald bonnet I put an old quilt over the engine and rested the bonnet on that. As it was quite thick, but easily moulded, there was no paint damage and I was able to get the bonnet sitting perfectly whilst resting by sliding it about, dropping a bit here and raising there by smoothing or compressing the quilt, and only then fitted and tightened the bolts. I have to do the same again later with the Estate but that's the way I'll do it. Make sure you have the long scuttle seal fitted to give it something else to rest on, but if you have access to an old quilt that's going to the dump, it's worth a try. (By the time that quilt reached the local skips it was so covered in oil, grease, dirt and paint I'm sure the Council Workers all wondered what the bed looked like, and what on earth I'd been doing in it... ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahebron Posted June 5, 2020 Report Share Posted June 5, 2020 20 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said: ......... (By the time that quilt reached the local skips it was so covered in oil, grease, dirt and paint I'm sure the Council Workers all wondered what the bed looked like, and what on earth I'd been doing in it... ) They probably thought there goes another Triumph Herald owner😉 Adrian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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