leonk

Donuts?

Not a huge amount to report. I have mainly spent hours and hours getting a pound coin to fit between the bulkhead and the bonnet. This involves adding or removing shims on the hinges and locking catches adjusting it..............over and over again! The problem was that once I got it fitting on one side to the sill, the other side was miles out. I managed to build the edge up by 2mm on the drivers side but ended up completely remaking the passenger side. The main problem with the bonnet is that it is a single skin of metal that is seen on both sides so it has to be very neatly butt welded, ground up and then panel beaten back into shape. Any high spots have then to be heated up and beaten/shrunk back down. (hence heat marks on pic) Effin nightmare! Anyway, finally getting there. After all this, I felt I deserved some retail therapy and treated myself to these. Just worried they will be out of guarantee by the time I fit them.

Cheers guys, the pulley system is absolutely brilliant, even if I say so myself. Took the bonnet off single handed three times last night without any dramas. Now no need to rely on my son who for some reason seems more interested in his new girlfriend! Oh to be young again.

The only other thing would be to make sure it's not a cloned car, ie two running round on the same reg. As well as the VIN. Check the V5 reference number online. Look at the number plates, supplying dealer name in them. Service book supplying dealer stamps etc. Phone dealer to check. Other than that, what might put others off could end up with you getting a good deal.

Looking good mate. Hopefully now you're out of the ground, it should be relatively straightforward and on budget. People don't realise just how expensive the groundwork can be.

Fitting and aligning the bonnet is unfortunately a three man job and given that it needs to be fitted and removed heaven knows how many times, dragging friends, family and neighbours round every time I wanted to trial fit it was becoming more and more demanding. I therefore had to devise an alternative that would allow a one man operation, so in the spirit of keep calm and carry on, adapt and overcome I constructed a "simple" ( 2 weekends! ) pulley system that allows me to lower the bonnet onto the frames millimeter by millimeter. Whats more it works a treat. New engine frames fitted and lined up perfectly which was a huge relief. Bonnet on and shimmed up but still needs a LOT of work to fine tune all the gaps, but IT'S ON!!!!!

Looking good mate. Loving your enthusiasm! Catch up soon.

Sh#t! Looked at the first pic and thought that doesn't look too bad.....then scrolled down. Gutted for you, just glad you are ok.

Let's just say the bonnet to car alignment is as anticipated a little challenging! I've learnt that sometimes you have to step away from the project and return when you are in a better frame of mind. So hopefully after a little break I'll be back on it this weekend! What really really annoys me is that I had a perfectly fitting rust free original bonnet that complete muppets destroyed while stripping it. I have to try very hard not to keep thinking about this and start again.

3 courses of bricks at 65mm plus mortar joints, you should have about 225 to 250 to play with for an RSJ. Might be possible. Finish unpacking first. When you're ready I'll call for a brew and have a look. Obviously I'll park round the corner as you'll probably be under surveillance by at least one security or intelligence service following your other posts! I'll bring a pizza box and just pretend I don't know you.

I see you're settling in alright then Chris. You've not been there five minutes and your wanting to knock pillars down. What's next, digging a cellar for a media room haha?! Ref the pillar, you'll need a structural engineer to do the calcs for the steel to span the full width if the garage is integral to the house.What's above the doors? Ref nailing camo netting and " nailing" it to the roof timbers, don't go too mad, you'll have the tiles/slates bouncing off. Screws might be better. Anyway looking good!

I owned a white 4.2 fixed head for a while in the 90s(should have kept it) lol! Project 7 is the one that might give me a bashing!! Haha. Might just have the edge on you. Will be interesting to see how the 3.8 E type fairs against you. Look forward to you posting some times.

Certainly an interesting selection. A couple of E types I notice.

Spasibo (That means "Thanks" just incase someone doesn't speak Russian :lol:) If we're commenting in Russian..... Klassna! Looks really good Vlad.

Thanks for the support and encouragement guys. Keyser, ref all the jigs and stuff, you know the saying, All the gear and no idea..haha Marzman, that bl##dy bonnet has given me "shivers" but not the nice ones! And it's not over yet. Doogy. It's a bonnet, always has been always will be. Hood is somewhere you live... Once again thanks for bearing with me, I know it's not the fastest of projects. Next step is getting the new engine frames bolted on.

Actually managed a bit more on the bonnet. The main tub is off the rotisserie and onto the dolly I made. This allowed me access to the bulkhead ready for priming priming I then concentrated on the bonnet jig given that it's going to need removing qnd refitting heaven knows how many times. Notice the new bumper bar, all part of a cunning plan plan...

Frustrating isn't it mate! I can only refer you back to my PM. Best of luck, don't assume anything, keep chasing them and above all keep calm and carry on! Now you know why I get so little done on the e type, haha.

As Alex says, bearing in mind that under heavy braking there will be as much as 2000 pounds per square inch of pressure exerted on it.

Wow! Looking forward to this Chris.

At least he was going up the M62 the right way, it wasn't that long ago a senior citizen managed to go several miles the wrong way up the M60 before being stopped. Imagine seeing that coming towards you!!

I bought a cheap one from Toolstation, Silverline if I remember. It didn't last 5 minutes. I now have a Black and Decker Wizard that has had some real abuse on restoring the Jag and still going strong.

Looking good Chris, you'll soon have the paperwork passed and then all systems go! Keep up the good work.

Funnily enough I've just come in from the garage . Unfortunately due to work commitments I've not really had much chance to work on the car. It's now off the rotisserie and onto the dolly I made. I'm back on it now though and hoping to get the new engine frames on next weekend. That means I can start offering the bonnet up. The bonnet then needs to be made to fit the car by means of shims and if necessary trimming the metal on the back edge to fit the bulkhead. As this is going to have to come on and off about 50 times to do this I'm making some sort of jig in order to minimise the chance of damage. Overall I'm dreading it!! Haha. It will either fit or I'm into 8k for another bonnet and still no guarantee that will fit any better. Think positive..... It WILL fit. Hopefully some pics next weekend and thanks for asking and bearing with me.

Dbl post.