Bonnet catches : The install

[Steve Webb]

Thought I'd stick this in here as its more general tech than anything else.

They have been sat in the garage for a while as I've been too busy to do anything on the car recently. But today I had some spare time, so its time to get these sorted out:

http://www.berlinasportivo.com/forumpics/bonnet/catches.jpg

First job was to get rid of the old bonnet pins which looked pretty rusted from the outside, but actually came out without a problem.

http://www.berlinasportivo.com/forumpics/bonnet/oldpin.jpg

Next was to find a suitable location for the new pins on the slam panel. There are a few spots that are suitable but would cause problems with locating the catches on the bonnet. After much measuring and checking I came up with here.
When I drilled the holes, I drilled them undersized and then ran a thread through them as well. This way the pins actually screw into the slam panel and are then fixed in place with a locking nut top and bottom.

http://www.berlinasportivo.com/forumpics/bonnet/newpins.jpg

The next step was to dab a drop of tippex (correction fluid) on the top of the pins and gently lower the bonnet down ontop of them. This gives you the location of the hole which is used as a reference for cutting out the bonnet.
Guide hole was drilled and the templates supplied with the catches were lined up on the bonnet.

http://www.berlinasportivo.com/forumpics/bonnet/guide.jpg

Quick check they look symmetrical

http://www.berlinasportivo.com/forumpics/bonnet/templates.jpg


Next up, to double check, I opened up the guide holes so I could look through to make sure they lined up with the top of the pins.

http://www.berlinasportivo.com/forumpics/bonnet/bighole.jpg

Everything lined up fine, so it was time to scribe onto the bonnet where I needed to cut.

http://www.berlinasportivo.com/forumpics/bonnet/scribe.jpg

Luckily I had a holesaw the correct size for one end of the scribed mark. So after a quick go with that, and 10 mins with the dremmel, we had the first hole. Check with the catch itself, and it slots in perfectly.

http://www.berlinasportivo.com/forumpics/bonnet/hole.jpg

Then under the bonnet and cut away a little of the underbonnet support.

http://www.berlinasportivo.com/forumpics/bonnet/holeunder.jpg

At this point the dremmel gave up the ghost. So thats where it all ends for today.

So far so good, slow going, but I have been measuring things over and over again to make sure it has all lined up before cutting anything.

The quality of the catches seems fine, but the pins are alloy and feel a little flimsy, and the locking nuts for the pins don't seem all that tight on the thread.

Out dremmel shopping tomorrow so should be finished tomorrow night.

Quick question to you all, the bonnet has a slight curve to it where the catches are going, so the catch won't fit perfectly flat to the bonnet. Should I use a thin skim of black mastic under the catches to seal them fully?

[Xti]

I realy like the idea of bonnet catches like yours, I will do the same sometime.

You could try to fill that space with a good quality double adhesive tape (just because it can be cutted and adjusted easier) but the mastic will do the job better and with safer results.

[Steve Webb]

Right part 2.

New dremmel bits acquired today, so on with the cutting. After much cutting and grinding the first hole was the right size.

http://www.berlinasportivo.com/forumpics/bonnet/1_hole.jpg

and from underneath:

http://www.berlinasportivo.com/forumpics/bonnet/1_holeunder.jpg

The catch slips in a treat:

http://www.berlinasportivo.com/forumpics/bonnet/1_inplace.jpg

and from underneath:

http://www.berlinasportivo.com/forumpics/bonnet/1_inplaceunder.jpg

Luckily my fears about the curve of the bonnet causing problems were unfounded.

http://www.berlinasportivo.com/forumpics/bonnet/1_inplaceside.jpg

And the pin lines up perfectly

http://www.berlinasportivo.com/forumpics/bonnet/1_inplaceopen.jpg

The only issue tonight was fixing the catch in place. I'm going to have to use the individual bolts, not the ring.

http://www.berlinasportivo.com/forumpics/bonnet/1_problem.jpg

All thats left is to tidy the edges, and fix the catches in place and adjust the pins.

Then its the other side.

[Steve Webb]

Finally got some time this afternoon to crack on with the bonnet catches. The location of the catches, dictated by the slam panel really makes bolting the catches in place a pain in the ass.
I spent quite a while drilling through the bonnet for the bolts, then enlarging the holes under the bonnet where there is the double skin so I can get a small socket in to tighten the bolts up. Everything fits now, so its just a case of tearing it apart again, tidying all the edges up and applying some rust proofing.

So all told, what looked like a simple job is actually a bit of a pain in the ass.