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This is mostly a story and b!tch session, although if anybody can offer any actual help, it would be welcomed. I don’t think anybody can do anything about my problem that I haven’t already tried. I do wonder if I’m the only person with a hood fitment problem, or maybe it’s just normal for these cars. My car is a FiberFab and has had problems with the hood fitment since before I got it. I had thought, WTH, it’s fiberglass, how hard can it be to fix? Haha.
The top front edge of the hood originally wasn’t square with the grill when I got the car (looking down at it, the hood overlapped the grill on the driver’s side, and there was a big gap between grill and hood on the passenger’s side). Naturally I either didn’t notice or forgot about this until after I got the car back from repainting. Well, it looked awful and really bugged me, and I couldn’t make the hood longer, so I had the idea to square it off by cutting it back and filling the resulting gap with something chrome.* Anyway, in these photos, I have filled the gap with chrome welting. Unfortunately the first time the gap wasn’t wide enough, then when I “fixed” that, I made the gap TOO big, which is what you see now. My current plan is to open it a tiny bit more at the driver’s side front edge, as indicated by the tape, and then fill the gap with 1/4″ plastic chrome molding.The molding I’m thinking of is HR076C at http://www.flexchrome.com/products/extruded.htm. That molding should have enough width and height to fill the gap better than the welting, so that’s about the best I hope for. With the molding and fresh paint, it should look fairly good on top. Some rubber on the inside should seal it okay.But the sides and back are still messed up, and I don’t think there is much I can do. On the passenger’s side, notice the joint between hood top and hood side. There shoudn’t be any gap at all, but in this case there is maybe 1/4″ gap at the rear and 1/2″ gap at the front. I think that the original builder cut the side of the hood out of square. Nothing I can do now except distract the eye with some shiny chrome molding once the hood comes back from the painter again.As noted in the photos, the hood does not go down completely on the passenger’s side, especially in front. You see this clearly in the third picture where I marked it (1) and (2). The FiberFab hood simply doesn’t track the shape of the grille — it bends too sharply to make a good fit. I have tried grinding down the inside edge of the hood and grinding off part of the radiator grill shell where they touch, but it simply can’t go down any farther.I can get it to shut and latch, but the latch bends the fiberglass every time and makes a really big “SPPPRRRUNG!” Not professional at all. I can use my Dremel to move the holes for the latch up on the bottom and down on the top, to see if that helps with the SPPPRRRUNG! I tried that once without success but there is still some room for more without exposing the holes. If that doesn’t work, I am stuck with the SPPPRRRUNG! Sigh … let me know if you guys also have the same problem. Misery loves company.Another issue that maybe you guys can comment on is this. The BACK edge of the hood actually sticks up above the rubber molding. Maybe this was mis-installation by the original builder, but it seems more like it’s just a bad hood piece from FiberFab, because there really wouldn’t be any way to move the whole hood forward … it’s too long (or would have been before I messed with it). I guess the original builder could have set the back edge first and then carefully cut the front edge back, but care in construction really wasn’t his strong suit and by now that ship has sailed.I could cut the back edge so it would fit inside the molding, and **maybe** that would allow it to drop down into alignment. But on second thought, at least now it mostly seals at the back edge. With my luck, if I mess with it, it both might not work AND might introduce leaking. Hopefully with a fresh coat of paint on the hood, that part simply won’t be noticeable.All of this begs two simple questions: First, WTH did I have to be born a perfectionist? Second, WTH can’t I learn to leave stuff alone?
Some of the actual builders may correct me, but I think what you’re experiencing is entirely normal. My car’s hood isn’t just right either, and I made it slightly worse when I added a radiator up front–the top bracket apparently spreads the sides just a leetle beet more than the top hood piece wants to stretch to cover. SPROOONG. Also: “crack” where the fiberglass stresses.
The answer to all this is patience and thought, then thought again, before hitting anything with the dremel or anything else. Pay close attention to the difference between problems with size vs. problems with shape. It’s not chess, exactly, but it is three-dimensional.edsnova2016-01-15 21:20:27
Oh…and if its any consolation, the owners of real TDs are forever complaining about how much they have to fettle their bonnets when reconstructing their cars.
John, not sure if this helps with your problems. But, I really need your advice on a serious problem. I have suspected for
some time now that my wife has been cheating on me. You know, just the usual
signs: The phone rings and when I answer, the caller hangs up. Plus, she goes
out with ???the girls” a lot. I usually try to stay awake to look out for her when
she comes home, but I always fall asleep.Anyway, last night about midnight, I woke up and she was not home. So I hid in
the garage behind my TDr and waited for her. When she came home, she got out of
someone’s car, buttoning her blouse, then she took her panties out of her purse
and slipped them on.It was at that moment, while crouched behind my MG, that I noticed a hairline
crack in the lens of the right rear tail light. You really can’t see it unless you know it is there. – which unfortunately, I do. Do they sell replacements on MG Magic or maybe Moss??
—Roy (Where do the girls get the idea that we are not warm and cuddly?)
Royal 2016-01-15 22:07:03 OMG, you totally owned me! I laughed so hard I cried. I wish that wasn’t me, but it is … and I apologize for being a downer here. I just wish I had enough experience to know what to expect, and the serenity to accept that. Your post helped, but the only real cure is to get the car down to the upholsterer and painter so I can actually drive it and stop seeing the things that bother me. Thank you for the levity.
Upper front corners of my hood are raised slightly, I had remembered. Wasn’t sure just how the overall fit was so I got the camera out for a couple pictures. (side panel is blacker in these flash pictures!)
Here’s the windshield end:
I could see the rubber seal behind the widest gap, near to camera there, but hidden in this side view.Obviously different from yours since I don’t have a continuous strip of rubber in that gap. I would guess this gap on mine is about 1/4 inch wide across the top and maybe 3/8 at the side(s).And here’s the grille end, also side view:
As you can see it’s fairly level with the grille, except for the slightly higher (or wider sideways) corners. Pinches inward a very little bit along the bottom edge at the chrome strip.Not perfection, to say the least, but sure doesn’t seem to be anything like the trouble with your hood.I don’t know if this chrome strip on mine was to clean up an ugly edge or not. The latches snap like an overloaded suitcase when I open the hood but I figured that could be the way it’s supposed to be.LRH2016-01-16 01:09:10
“The latches snap like an overloaded suitcase when I open the hood but I figured that could be the way it’s supposed to be.” Yes, that’s the SPPPRRRUNGG! that I was talking about. And the shape of the front of your hood looks a lot like mine before I cut it back. However, your hood still seems to fit better, especially at the back. I think about 1/3 of the problem is poor quality from FiberFab, 1/3 is poor construction by the original builder, and 1/3 is my own head.
johnsimion wrote:and 1/3 is my own head.LOL yeah, you should have seen me wincing at my photos when I was getting them from the camera!Whoever bolted on the front side panels of my car didn’t seem to care if it was crushing it. At least I doubt they’ll ever work themselves loose!
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