Bonnet adjustment gt6 late mk3

[Colin Davies]

I am starting reassembly, the bonnet needs adjustment. It fitted ok when I took it appart but seems a bit tight now.

It does not appear to travel forwards enough on closure to seat comfortably in the bulkhead. The new hinge mounts were fitted prior to my ownership. In the box of bits was an old mount that was modified by elongation and vertical downwards slot extension. Not an option I really want to consider. There must be a way of adjusting to cure this. The bonnet had minimal repair so no new panels that might have caused any lengthening. The chassis similarly has not had any butchery.

Any suggestions or tips should be appreciated. Thank you, Colin.

[chrishawley]

Hmmm. Could be simple, could be complicated.

To start at the most conservative end:

1) What is the target for the gap to be? The scuttle to bonnet gap should, by the book, be 5/32 to 3/16 inch. But in reality the correct gap is the one that just nips up the two edge fitted rubber buffers on the trailing lip of the bonnet. If there are absent on your vehicle then it's worth fitting some as they give a defined position at which the bonnet should sit.

2) Slacken off both the bonnet buffer cones (1/2 in. AF spanner) and their respective buffer plates (Cross head No10 unf screw). By having these four pieces slack they will not dictate the bonnet position as one adjusts at the hinge boxes.

3) Check that the pivot carriers are firmly tight to the hinge boxes and not slack.

Then, even if there is no visible further forward adjustment in the slot of the pivot carrier there maybe just enough free play such that as the bonnet is closed downwards the 'push' from the rubber buffers (as in #1) will gain an extra 1 - 2mm of movement (if possible aided by another operator giving a tug from the front)

.I hope that's a little bit helpful.

I spent ages getting my bonnet right so do post again if you don't get a solution.

C

[Colin Davies]

Thank you Chris.  I will give that a try this afternoon. So glad that someone took the time to reply.

My target is to eliminate the overlap first then set a gap. I had between 3 and 5mms in mind.

[Colin Lindsay]

What I do is to spread an old quilt over the engine, that the bonnet will rest on but not suffer any damage. Set the bonnet on it so that it rests on the bulkhead rubber strip, move it about as required - the quilt will settle under it as it presses down, so that you can adjust forwards / backwards and up / down - then once the gaps are good bolt on / up the tube brackets. It's handy for one-man operation.

[chrishawley]

Any luck with the bonnet adjustment?

C

[Colin Davies]

Not yet. I really need another pair of hands to avoid any paint damage. With the current cold spell I have not been able to spend much time in the garage. Arthritis in my fingers is severely limiting progress. I will get back to it once the temperature rises.

It has however forced me into completing a number of smaller jobs such as adjustment and fitting rear bumper mounts in the boot area.I

I will report progress or not once I can get back to it. Colin.

[Colin Davies]

Thank you all for your suggestions. The bonnet is now in place the spacing could be improved slightly however I will go back to that later. It now closes without striking either the buklhead or the near side door.