I’m quite happy with the way 75% of it fits. But along the left side it bows out about .40" more (compared to the right side) at it’s worst. The front had been clobbered (bowed) at some point and old injuries and repairs are evident. If this was steel I’d have cut that brace out by now and fixed, ready to reinstall, but my skills with aluminum are not quite what I need.
I’d like to cut out the old center brace and replace it and while I’m at it move it forward 1.5" to reinforce the tear. Getting the proper bow back into the skin will be the easy part, it’s in really good shape otherwise.
Is anyone making this mid rib (120 OTS)? It’d would be great to get one out of an hood that’s beyond repair. Anyone have a no good hood?
Anyone have a shoulder to cry on?
The torque box is hot-glued on making a very stable cradle.
Looked at this thread expecting some tips on my DHC’s soft top. I now see you didn’t mean ‘hood’, you meant bonnet. A hood is made of hooding material…
I had a similar challenge. After I straightened the bonnet, TIGged all its various cracks closed and pronounced it “straight” I cut, repositioned and TIGged the steel of the bonnet opening to fit the bonnet.
I’ve adjusted more bodies to fit their hoods, trucks and doors than I can count. I looked at one 140 a few years ago that had been miserably butchered at the fender/bonnet joint. A project I just didn’t want to deal with because if it was this bad here there’s no telling how awful some of the rest of it was going to be.
This will be relatively straightforward if I can find a way to work the brace without removing it.
I’d also like to run a reinforcement down each side to keep it from kinking again, something overlooked in the original design IMHO.
I think you’d agree that if it was steel the best approach would be to cut it off, straighten it and then weld it back on. While the manoeuvre isn’t quite so straightforward with aluminum the approach in my estimation would be the same. The wrinkle is being able to weld aluminum.
I know what you mean. I didn’t do near enough aluminum welding to get proficient at it, even with a really good square wave machine. There were several cracks in the bonnet flanges that needed welding up. Some days I did good welds, other days crap, and had to grind it out and do over again, and sometimes again. I enjoy welding steel. Aluminum, not so much. Still, that cross piece is 1/8”(?) aluminum so will be easier to weld than the 50 thou alloy the skin’s made of.
