Has anybody stripped a bonnet?

[Gemini1962]

I have been stripping the bonnet on my car today and I found a strip of filler under the paint and below that what looks like a repair. There are 6 holes that have been filled in but I can't work out what the back story is. I'm guessing it didn't leave the factory like this but I'm new to Elans so wondered if anybody had stripped a bonnet and if so, what did it look like under the paint?


Also the fit of the bonnet isn't good at the front or back corners. Is this normal?

[512BB]

Your bonnet has probably been altered to fit a car that has had a new front at some time and is going to need a good bit of surgery to get it to fit nicely. Its no good like that.

Leslie

[661]

Cut and shut.
The holes are for the strips used to hold the halves together whist the glass strip cured.

[Gemini1962]

If somebody with an S3 could please measure the front to back length of the bonnet in the middle I would appreciate it. I can then try to figure out if the front of this car is too short or long!

[smo17003]

If somebody with an S3 could please measure the front to back length of the bonnet in the middle I would appreciate it. I can then try to figure out if the front of this car is too short or long!

My S3 bonnet is 867mm, that's with paint removed.

I suggest remove some paint from along the length of the wing tops to see if there's further evidence of old repairs.

Mike

[alan.barker]

I would live with it and if gap all atound bonnet is the same and level.
Cover complet bonnet 100% with Tissue and use ISO Resin not the ORTHO.
Sand using vety long sanding block NOT DA Sander.
Alan

[Andy8421]

Its not at all unusual to find new bits grafted on. The front of my Sprint is new (in the early 80s) and unfortunately the join lines can still be seen on the top of the front wings.

At first sight, it looks like your repair has been done to a good standard, so as long as it fits OK, I wouldn't be concerned. You may well find more repairs as you carry on stripping - the cars were sportscars after all, and aimed at owners looking for a 'sporty drive', so the odd biff is to be expected.

As Alan recommends, it would probably be a good idea to tissue the whole bonnet when you have it stripped to avoid any chance of the repair showing through.

[ericbushby]

Hi Gemini,
Just a little more detail. The bonnet on my S3 is 870mm measured on the top side. As it is curved it would measure a little less than that if measured on the underside in a straight line.
Hope this helps,
Eric in Burnley
1967 S3SE DHC

[Gemini1962]

Thanks all for the replies and measurements. I have just measured my bonnet with paint still on the edges and it's 880mm so 10mm bigger. That's a pretty good indication that it's had a new front end grafted on it at some point prior to 1980 when it was taken off the road.

It seemed an odd repair to do to a bonnet being at the back edge. It just goes to show you never know what horrors are lurking underneath the paint when you buy an old car. Hence my philosophy of buying the cheapest one you can find and then restore it.

It seems a bit strange that it would be 10mm longer though as I would have thought the chassis mounts would not have lined up? It looks like the original chassis to me but I'm no expert.

Paul.

[Lens4]

My. Hood tray had a strip of filler like that. Len

[661]

Thanks all for the replies and measurements. I have just measured my bonnet with paint still on the edges and it's 880mm so 10mm bigger. That's a pretty good indication that it's had a new front end grafted on it at some point prior to 1980 when it was taken off the road.

It seemed an odd repair to do to a bonnet being at the back edge. It just goes to show you never know what horrors are lurking underneath the paint when you buy an old car. Hence my philosophy of buying the cheapest one you can find and then restore it.

It seems a bit strange that it would be 10mm longer though as I would have thought the chassis mounts would not have lined up? It looks like the original chassis to me but I'm no expert.

Paul.

Maybe the chassis is cut and shut as well and you'll have a desirable 10mm longer wheelbase..............

[Gemini1962]

Maybe the chassis is cut and shut as well and you'll have a desirable 10mm longer wheelbase..............

As long as that makes it more valuable

[UAB807F]

It seems a bit strange that it would be 10mm longer though as I would have thought the chassis mounts would not have lined up? It looks like the original chassis to me but I'm no expert.
Paul.

Hi Paul,

Not necessarily, it depends on just how much was replaced, they might only have needed the smallest front repair section as shown in the parts manual.

As an aside, my S3 also has had a front quarter grafted on at some point, a larger section with the joints roughly mid wheel arch and as far as I could tell, that had the original chassis when I bought it in the 70s.

Perhaps folks drove faster in the '60s, or maybe the brakes weren't as good as they thought

Brian

[512BB]

I shall recount a chance meeting from earlier this year if y'all will permit me and y'all are sitting comfortably

A mate and I decided to visit the Little Gransden Airshow that doffs a nod towards a classic car show as well. That is always well supported and on strolling round came across a chap with some sort of Vauxhall that he had shoehorned a Lotus 907 engine into, nice job. Told him that the Dellorto carbs would look so much better if they were restored. Sent him pictures of some that I had done and he agreed.

Chatted to him for ages about his car and it turns out that he had made the whole of the front of the car in glassfibre, from moulds that he had made. An amazing job, looked like all metal panels and a great paint job to boot. All done by him.

He then tells me that he worked for a body shop in Ballards Yard in the 1970's, and they carried out all the body repairs for the London Lotus Centre, including replacing sections as and when nec. How about that for coincidence, I was blown away.

Needless to say, I have kept in touch with him, just in case. And, he is only up the road from me

Leslie

[Emma-Knight]

What about the theorie that S1 / S2 bonnets are slightly larger than S3 and S4 ones? On My S2, there is a slightly too small bonnet, Bit too much gap around and it with bonnet clamps adjusted to maximum up, it just gets top level of the body. Just means - could be more up…
The other idea is - looking at the repair strip - when the bonnet was „stretched“ in length, it would push up in front and rear and so raise up on full length. Like a wedge in a gap