Help - Bonnet needed

[v8craig]

This is my first post to the forum, having only owned my wedge (350i) since last May. I haven't had much opportunity to use it, but it has been totally reliable so far (I'm slighly amazed at that) and of course great fun to drive. And the noise...

Anyway - I need a new bonnet. Anyone got a spare? Any idea what I should be paying? Mine flew off on a club trip to Jim Stokes' workshop (good visit - lovely motors). Don't laugh too loud. I was hoping to save the recovered item, but it has a couple of chunks missing and some nasty stress cracks across it from where the strut bolts were pulled trough the fibreglass. All a bit messy really.

All suggestions welcome to help me track one down. It's not stopping me using the car but it looks awful and I'm too embarrassed to go to the local club meetings as a result!

[tallbloke]

TET mouldings?

www.b-link.co.uk/tet/tet/350is2conv.htm

[SEvans]

Thought about repairing it? Unless it's totally out of shape it may be the cheapest option. You will have to have a new one resprayed anyway and you may find it will need some minor alterations to make it fit as the cars all seem slightly different.

[v8craig]

Thanks for your responses.

Not sure about repairing it - there are stress cracks radiating about 12 inches from the bonnet edges towards the centre of the bonnet, although they are under the surface of the paint. In the centre, the paint is very badly marked with deep scratches (sods law being what it is, the bonnet landed butter side down and spun round a few times), and the missing chunks are from the trailing edge of the bonnet where it kicks up a bit at the base of the screen.
I'm not that au fait with fibreglass repairs but it doesn't look good to me, although I'm happy to be told otherwise! Having called a couple of places already to price a replacement (range £200 to £350 so far) I'm hoping someone's got a serviceable spare hanging around that I can get sprayed up without too much cost.

[wedg1e]

IIRC Graham Walden (PH user 'Graham')had a 390SE bonnet, dunno whether he'd want to part with it though.

[Badcow]

Tower View got one or two bonnets, but one is for me because I lost mine on the highway 2 hours after buying the car !

Is yours a series 1 or 2 ??

[Graham]

wedg1e said:

IIRC Graham Walden (PH user 'Graham')had a 390SE bonnet, dunno whether he'd want to part with it though.

I could be persuaded... The paint on its not in good condition but i think the underlying grp is fine...

G

[sevans]

Graham said:

wedg1e said: IIRC Graham Walden (PH user 'Graham')had a 390SE bonnet, dunno whether he'd want to part with it though. I could be persuaded... The paint on its not in good condition but i think the underlying grp is fine... G

What about a swap? Graham you must know a bit about GRP repair by now!!!!!!!!!!!

[19560]

v8craig said:

Not sure about repairing it - there are stress cracks radiating about 12 inches from the bonnet edges towards the centre of the bonnet, although they are under the surface of the paint. In the centre, the paint is very badly marked with deep scratches (sods law being what it is, the bonnet landed butter side down and spun round a few times), and the missing chunks are from the trailing edge of the bonnet where it kicks up a bit at the base of the screen.

Can you post any photos?

sevans said:

Graham said: I could be persuaded... The paint on its not in good condition but i think the underlying grp is fine... G What about a swap? Graham you must know a bit about GRP repair by now!!!!!!!!!!!

Sounds like the best idea.

[v8craig]

I'll post a couple of photos over the weekend so you can see how bad it is. This losing your bonnet thing must happen all the time - I was warned by the guy I bought the car from to check the fixing bolts regularly, which I did the night before it flew off. Is there a better solution out there? Nylock or something, I suppose?

[Gerry Attrick]

v8craig said:

Is there a better solution out there? Nylock or something, I suppose?

Mine are wired. Drill a hole through the bolt head and another through the side of the bonnet. Wire between the two.

[grady]

Ah, the 60s-70s are truly back.... my teenager has long hair, his girl friends wear minimal fabric around their middles and TVRs are going to have NASCAR chrome hood-pins to keep their bonnets stuck on.

[Graham]

The taz racer bonnet is a copy made from a mould i took of my original... its erm a little lighter than standard ( you can use it as a kite) and its held on with 4 bonet pins

The original bonnet weighs about as much as the tuscan, and the bolts were wired...


G