Zero - Help With Fitting The Bonnet

[David S]

So today, despite man flu, I decided to have a look at fitting the bonnet. When I pull the bonnet in tight at the front, it springs out and there is a gap of about 5mm to 8mm between it and the nose cone all round, whioch infers that the nose cone is stitting too low. When I pull it in tight at the scuttle end, there are gaps at the scuttle corners. It just doesn't fit to a satisfactory standard. It is as if the returns to sit flush on the chassis rails are in the wrong place.

 

Has anyone else had this issue? Where could I have gone wrong? I have fitted the nose cone as I was told by Ben at GBS but it just doesn't seem right. Any clues or advice would be appreciated.

[Guest scrabster]

hi dave, looking at the pics on your blog i see you have the louvres pressed in,it maybe that the stamping proocess has flattened the bonnet a bit making it more rigid across the centre.mine doesnt sit properly untill the catches are fastened.as for the nosecone end,you will have to raise the fixing points to match the bonnet as the folds in bonnet are a given and cant be altered.i think yours maybe the newer nosecone,mine was version 1 and slants to one side a bit like someone was leaning on the mould until the resin had gone off,or a friday afternoon spec as they are sometimes known.the shape of the scuttle is also critical when riviting and gluing together.post some more pics if you can,someone else may have better advice than me ,mines due for mot in feb so there have been improvements since my build.

hth,regards ,jess.

[Guest merc190provan]

Hi David,

 

Funny that, just fitted mine today and took two of us about 3 hours of fettling to get it looking right. My nosecone was the precut type, but also as above mine leans to one side. I am going to lift the mounting point on one side to correct this as i am not happy with it. My scuttle was found to be folded wrong at the factory making it short 12mm in the middle section (after fitting it ). This caused a huge problem of the bonnet not matching the curve of the scuttle. Only way round it to get a good fit was to move the bonnet forward. Looks and fits good here now but the bonnet overlaps the scuttle by only 8mm.Also had to cut 20mm from the front of the bonnet (weight saving LOL ! ) If i was doing it again i would only clamp the nosecone on at the bottom until a good fit was acheived then mount the nosecone to fit nicely into the bonnet. Remember you will be fitting the chrome trim each end which will help improve the fit. I have also fitted some foam strips each end as this helps to even out the pressure on the bonnet and helps the fit.

 

Hope this helps David.

[Guest sandy77uk]

David

 

My nose cone doesn't sit flush across the top when mounted square, this causes an issue with the bonnet, haven spoken to GBS they have changed the moulds for the nose cones but that doesn't help you, I ended up running a rubber strip across the ressed lip on the nose cone and on the scuttle pannel for the bonnet to sit on

 

I fitted the bonnet so I have a 2/3mm gap on both sides and rivetted the catches in place, once clamped down the bonnet does look to sit flush but does have a gap all round (although the gap at the nosecone end is less than the gap at the scuttle)

 

James

[David S]

Cheers guys. I knew there was going to be a gap at the scuttle end as as I had seen this on factory cars (not that there should be!) but it was the gap around the nose cone that got me. First thing I will try is to raise the nose cone up a bit on the top fixings. If I can raise it the 5mm to 8mm I need it may do the job. The other alternative is to get one of the new re-designed nose cones, but this will be a last resort as I suspect they will not be cheap.

 

Marty, as you suggest, I think I will try and clamp the bonnet in place and then use that as a guide to raise the nose the correct amount.

 

I have been really happy with the fit and finish of the Zero so far but, with the amount of money I have invested in it, it just seems a shame to ruin the final look of the car with a bonnet that looks like it is just 'thrown on' as an after thought.

[Guest Spencer Griffiths]

David

 

Just had a look at your blog on the bonnet and nose cone and it looks amzingly good. I have the 1st nose cone and a bonnet that looks like it was bent by getting an elephant to sit on it, I am not looking forward to trying to get it all to fit, if I can get it looking like yours I will be well pleased. Nice job.

 

Spencer

[David S]

David

 

Just had a look at your blog on the bonnet and nose cone and it looks amzingly good. I have the 1st nose cone and a bonnet that looks like it was bent by getting an elephant to sit on it, I am not looking forward to trying to get it all to fit, if I can get it looking like yours I will be well pleased. Nice job.

 

Spencer

Wow, thank you Spencer. It is by no means perfect but it is better than I had hoped.