Split Bonnet

[garethbowers]

Hi people, i have decided to change the bonnet on my 2b. I currently have a "croc" bonnet which i just dont like. What i would like to do is fix the scuttle and the nose cone which i think is easy enough.

 

What i am worried about is when i cut it into three, the middle part will become flexible i imagine. What have you guys done to strengthen it so it keeps its shape? I have thought about fibre glassing it but i think it will foul the XE :-) . I have done a search but couldnt find a difinitive answer. Any suggestions?

 

Cheers for the help.

 

Gareth

[Guest old_timbo]

I converted to a fixed scuttle and nose cone, with a lift out centre section like other se7ens last winter. I fitted a lip to the front of the scuttle so the centre section sits on the scuttle, nose cone and side rails and is held down by 4 rubber over centre bonnet fasteners. Works great!

 

Tim

[garethbowers]

cheers mate, so did the center section not spring out so to speak? Any pics

[agent_zed]

Hi,

this thread may be of use. I've put a few pics of mine on there showing what i did. Also a couple of different ways other people have done theirs.

 

http://www.rhocar.org/index.php?showtopic=17026

 

HTH

[garethbowers]

thats grat bud.. I dont suppose you have any of the bonnet fitted do you? Im still concearned about how you keep the shape of the middle section. Have you re-enforced this too?

 

Gareth

[agent_zed]

Hi,

i've put a bigger pic in my garage, although it was a while ago when i was thinking which alloys to buy so its got some photoshop'd on

got nice black ones in the end. I also replaced the silver edge trim of the bonnet with black rubber trim.

 

As for the bonnet, the back edge sits on a ledge i put on the scuttle and the front sits on the nosecone. the sides sit on the side rails. Its actually pretty strong as the fold down the centre gives it a backbone. I'm going to add a safety catch at the front incase one of the front catches fail at speed.

 

I guess the bonnets a little flexy when you lift if off but nothing too bad. I'll stand by itself without a problem and i can take it off and on by myself. If you find it too flexy it would be simple to put some metal ties from the edges up to the centre folds underneith, you'd just have to find a place where the ties would miss anything else.

 

I'll try and find a more recent photo, i know i took some in the summer.

 

hth

[Guest old_timbo]

Here are some shots of mine. I made 25 x 3 mm mild steel support frames that support the front of the scuttle and the back of the nose cone, so they are both very stiff and held to shape. The bonnet is stiff enough to bridge between the two. Hopefully these pictures give enough of an idea. So its a similar approach to Zed's . My 4 x rubber catches hold the bonnet down very firmly so no chance of it coming-off.

 

Tim

[fry61]

 

Bonnet has centre piano hinge; rear of nose & front of scuttle has frame made from 20 x 3 flat curved to shape with 12 x 3 flat cut & welded to make a fully shaped angle iron.

[Guest chris brown]

Mine like Bobs has a centre piano hinge with fixed scuttle and nose cone with a strip steel 25*3mm sandwiched between the scuttle a wider strip of stainless that sticks out froward of the scuttle and has bonnet tape attached.

[garethbowers]

cheers for the pics lads much appreciated. Timbo, what did you use to edge the bonnet, scuttle and cone? I have a stainless bonnet at the moment but i am planning to paint it all so dont want rivets on show really. How did you secure the lip on the scuttle? IDEAS? Also where could i get say a 1500mm x 50mm strip of stainless?

 

Im planning on doing a how2 when i do it so will be sure to mention names .

 

Cheers Gareth

[garethbowers]

also where can i get a new cone and bonnet? Cant find them on the gbs site..

[Guest old_timbo]

cheers for the pics lads much appreciated. Timbo, what did you use to edge the bonnet, scuttle and cone? I have a stainless bonnet at the moment but i am planning to paint it all so dont want rivets on show really. How did you secure the lip on the scuttle? IDEAS? Also where could i get say a 1500mm x 50mm strip of stainless?

 

Im planning on doing a how2 when i do it so will be sure to mention names .

 

Cheers Gareth

 

There is no edge trim on the nose cone, but on the stainless edges I just used chrome plastic edge trim picked up at a show. This is a pig to fit unless you bung it in boiling water first. Once it is on it stays there well enough, I've not glued it. I made the lip protruding from the scuttle from aluminum sheet and trapped it between the scuttle and the support frame it sits on. I bought a big sheet of aluminum and used it to make the firewall, box over the pedals etc. I hate working with the stainless steel!! My scuttle is fixed down to the frame using st.st. button head socket screws. Looks neat on the polished stainless but would be much more obvious it you are going to paint. One of the features I wanted to achieve was the ability to remove the scuttle just by unscrewing parts so I could get to things when I make the new dashboard.

 

Tim

[garethbowers]

Cheers for the replies, much appreciated. The split bonnets look much better i think. Im going for the same design as timbo's i think. Hopefully be able to get on it next week some time. :-)

 

More pictures would always be appreciated.