Looks awesome, and you are making great progress!!
Thanks Paul,
just not sure of my painting ability. But other than paint and time I have nothing to lose. I hope.
If you use single stage urethane, it’s really not that hard.
Only thing I can quickly offer is to remember, during your painting “strokes,” is to keep the gun as perpendicular to the painted surface as possible, and release the Trigger at the end of each pass.
THAT is the easy part, it’s the lack of knowing if I am putting on a wet coat or a dry coat that’s killin’ me. Too wet I can see (runs) to dry I can kinda see (no coverage just noise) but the sweet spot seems to elude me OR I am doing it perfectly. 
Plan is to now bond flanges, remove bits, spray a another coat of epoxy primer to activate the first coats, then paint all the bits, final assembly, then another color coat to cover up fasteners.
Practice on an old SAAB body panel, first…!
Seriously, your concern is a valid one, and when I began, I just tore off an old fender offa—naturally!—a junk 1200 Datsun, and learned that sweet spot.
If you err on the side of runs—better than too dry—there’s a solution for that!
So the bonding is done. It wasn’t pretty. Like everyone says the bonding, 3M for me, is stringy, and really messy. And while I’m at it, while one tube is more than enough, don’t skimp on the bead size. Also have the solvent ready to clean up your mess. And if you get it on your hands and clean it off with low odor mineral spirits and put your gloves back on it will try to glue your hand to your glove. Just FYI. And I’m morally certain that PPG SX 330 is low odor mineral spirits. And will clean the mess off the epoxy primed parts without removing the epoxy primer. To be brutally honest I think now that everything is together and right (Did try it on car again before bonding) I’m just going to paint it without disassembly, better than factory and will look good. Tomorrow it’s another coat of epoxy primer and then urethane color and then see how I did.
PS the pivots are interchangeable and it’s easy to get the right spacers in the wrong one… sigh.
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Well I have some urethane on the bonnet. Not enough and not in all the right places. More urethane to come after reassembly. I gotta stop painting in the dark.
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Hi all,
I’ve epoxy primed all the parts form my S3 bonnet and I’ve reassembled all without bonding to see if all was good.
First step with the bonnet Under panel main part
Then the wings and the inner wing reinforement ones
All sounds to be good and bonding can start.
I ve followed pictures and recommendations from monocoque-metalworks on their own S3 bonnet reassembling method here :
http://www.monocoque-metalworks.com/main/2012/04/series-3-e-type-bonnet-restoration-part-6-assembly/
It has been very helpfull.
I’ll post additionnal pictures later on.
Michel
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Here are some more pictures.
Here are some more pictures.
I’ve marked the inner valance’s places to be able to protect the area with a tape.
I’ve kept the inner valance in place fixed to the to the bonnet under panel.
This has allowed me to open the gap between the inner valnces and the central panel to be able to bond the area limited with the tape.
Thank you to have got enough acetone and paper towel (dont know if it is the good word) to clean the sika on hands screw drivers and any other place where it had nothing to do !
Hope my method is the good one!
I’ll be happy to get yours feedbacks!
In a few days I will desmantle back all what is not bonded to go ahead on the painting.
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Just an update on mine, remember that I disassembled and reassembled and tried on the car 4 times or so, each time looked great. With final paint, no such luck. But a little bit of fettling and the front to back lines are good, the side to side lines are good, need to swap spacers to get the horizontal lines good. Then finalize all of the fasteners, last coat of paint, (Not sure if color only or color and clear), remount and Robert is your mother’s brother. Remember, I only painted the under surfaces, anything in color that you see was “spare” paint.
.
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I’ve tried to place mine on the car.
I first dismantle back all the panels all and fix the under panel on its hinges on the bonnet frames.
I place then the center panel on it and start to tune all at the good position.
My wife said that at least it started to look like an E type!
Whatever the tuning done it has been impossible to align the bonnet with the body.
Very bad news
It sounds that the bonnet support is bent. It ha probably got a lateral choc during its past life. I’ven’t seen this first and I need now to find a new one.
What about correct this ? I dont now how.
Michel,
first, check measurements of your frame.
In the manual you can find the measurement data for the frame and compare your cars data.
Don‘t worry too much now - your bonnet is still totally loose it will take more time to get things right.
Once the measurements are in spec there are numerous threads on fitting the bonnet - there are no shortcuts.
You will get there!
Martin
Thank you Martin.
I do have the manual but I’ve forgotten that there was this drawing.
I’m goint to measure.
Oups… 
I’ve used a setsquare to be able to define the middle of the bonnet support. I’ve applied it on the front cross member. I assume that the body is good and the 2 sides frame as well. I’ve changed them with 2 new ones.
The manual says 43cm, I measure 41.5 on one side and 44.5 on the other one.
If someone know how to rework this part I’m interested with.
Cheers
Of course if someone has a good S3 bonnet support available please let me know. I ll be interested with.
I need your advice.
Considering that a brand new bonnet support is very expensive, I’ve in mind to rework mine using the following methode:
- remove the bonnet
- cut the radiator support just in the middle of the support
- bent back to the right place each half support
- braze back the parts in the middle and confirm that it is good enough to tune the bonnet position.
I ve understood that the metal of these kind of part have to be brazed and not welded.
Because of the specific alloy I will certainly not touch at all on the main side frame around the engine.
Here, in the middle of the support , the risk do not sound to me a major one. Is there any risk do do so?
I ll be very happy to have feedback on this request.
cheers
Sounds like that frame piece is bent and you are trying to correct it.
The frame is made of Reynolds 531 which must be brazed below a temp of something like 1,742F to retain it’s strength.
You’ve got the two side sections and they are tied together by a more or less flat piece that carries the radiator and forward of that is a round tube that the bonnet support brackets attach to at each end.
I’m not sure what will be accomplished by cutting the piece that carries the radiator.
You said that you used a T square to check the alignment of the frames. Did your measurements show it to be that afar off? The pictures only showed 1 side off not both. I ask as you may be jumping to conclusions on what is wrong.
And if you are going to re-braze the front anyway, why not take a stab at just bending it a little with a hammer first. You have nothing to lose doing it this way.
Just some alternate thoughts.
I ve started at the top of the upper frame using the nut from the shock absorber to define the middle of the car. I ve first confirm that the upper rear face of front crossmember to front bulkhead was good.
Then i went down on the frame and from there to the bonnet to the front
Then i ve mesured back the distance between each side of the support until the middle defined on the picture
Left
Right
In that case, find the biggest hammer you can find and hit the damn things in the right direction. You have nothing to lose, you can always cut and braze later if you need to.