leonk Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 Cheers Doogy. Darren, definitely the way forward, now the shell can be taken on and off the dolly without worrying about the paint on the underside. I've also made it so that the full rear suspension and diff can be raised up into the painted shell while still on the dolly. The cross braces are removable for access too for fuel and brake lines etc. Just as a word of warning, I went for bigger wheels than the rotisserie as while great on the garage floor, loading it into the transporter and at the blasters was difficult. 350kg per wheel, braked, swivelling and with bearings all 4 for £65 delivered on ebay. Thought that wasn't bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhackyWill Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Great update. Coming on nicely, will be ready for the Summer., :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I've got to say, progress was looking good yesterday bud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonk Posted February 4, 2015 Author Share Posted February 4, 2015 (edited) Another minor update. After much heartache and looking at all options, I came to the conclusion that the original bonnet was never going to be to my standard given the amount of damage it had to all the flanges. Added to this was damage done to it by the initial stripping company that they denied. The problem is that although very rigid as a complete bolted together bonnet, each individual panel is quite flimsey. This has marked a real low point in the restoration with the daunting prospect of having to shell out £7,000 on a new bonnet. When I'd given up all hope of finding a good secondhand one and looked at several that to me were only worth scrap, a guy on the Jag forum mentioned he was going to race his and was building a lightweight alloy panelled replica. A cheeky pm, a bit of haggling and a trip down to London with a Mercedes LWB Sprinter and I had a replacement bonnet from a US dry state car. I've started work on the bonnet, stripping it into its various components and then stripping them of paint. The smaller bits I can put in the blasting booth but the bigger panels have to be done by hand, The flat panels can't be blasted for fear of distorting them. It's a long and labour intensive job but at least I have some control of it this time. Wooden dolly made to support the wings to work on them. And as if by magic.... Bonnet centre section stripped and offered up. These were hand made and trimmed at the factory to fit each individual car. By the time of this photo it had already been on and off about 20 times and it's still not 100%. Going to have another go at the weekend when I'm in a better mood. Edited February 4, 2015 by leonk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R35LEE Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Looking good Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I do love your new front suspension arms mate - Black & Decker would be proud Hang in there buddy you are doing a stirling job it's gonna be the nuts when finished I may even have to make a road trip one weekend just to see this for myself 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonk Posted February 4, 2015 Author Share Posted February 4, 2015 Cheers guys. Chris you know you're always welcome, make sure you bring your overalls though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhackyWill Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Great update, so nice to see it restored with such care and attention. :thumbs: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Sorry Leon just being a sod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren-B Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Fantastic news on the bonnet (well not having to fork out for a new one that costs as much as a half decent zed & I love the support dollies, I'm planning to use some insulation foam & shape it with an old jack saw Keep up the great work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryjackson Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Any updates on this Leon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonk Posted August 9, 2015 Author Share Posted August 9, 2015 Funnily enough I've just come in from the garage . Unfortunately due to work commitments I've not really had much chance to work on the car. It's now off the rotisserie and onto the dolly I made. I'm back on it now though and hoping to get the new engine frames on next weekend. That means I can start offering the bonnet up. The bonnet then needs to be made to fit the car by means of shims and if necessary trimming the metal on the back edge to fit the bulkhead. As this is going to have to come on and off about 50 times to do this I'm making some sort of jig in order to minimise the chance of damage. Overall I'm dreading it!! Haha. It will either fit or I'm into 8k for another bonnet and still no guarantee that will fit any better. Think positive..... It WILL fit. Hopefully some pics next weekend and thanks for asking and bearing with me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Looking forward to the next update, and I am sure the hood (lol) will be fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryjackson Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 Awesome Leon! I'm a huge Jag E type fan so looking forward to the car being pushed forward! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonk Posted August 16, 2015 Author Share Posted August 16, 2015 (edited) Actually managed a bit more on the bonnet. The main tub is off the rotisserie and onto the dolly I made. This allowed me access to the bulkhead ready for priming priming I then concentrated on the bonnet jig given that it's going to need removing qnd refitting heaven knows how many times. Notice the new bumper bar, all part of a cunning plan plan... Edited August 16, 2015 by leonk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonk Posted August 17, 2015 Author Share Posted August 17, 2015 (edited) Edited August 17, 2015 by leonk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 Awesome work, just the shape of the hood (bonnet) does it for me B) B) B) B) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 You are putting as much work into fabricating jigs, stands and holders as you are the rebuild - Hats off to the dedication mate. I recon you will have that bonnet lined up 2nd attempt (well fingers crossed) Keep up the good work 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WINKJ Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 wow... what an amazing job!! looking forward to seeing the next stage 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 Seeing that bonnet gives me shivers! It looks amazing!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonk Posted August 17, 2015 Author Share Posted August 17, 2015 Thanks for the support and encouragement guys. Keyser, ref all the jigs and stuff, you know the saying, All the gear and no idea..haha Marzman, that bl##dy bonnet has given me "shivers" but not the nice ones! And it's not over yet. Doogy. It's a bonnet, always has been always will be. Hood is somewhere you live... Once again thanks for bearing with me, I know it's not the fastest of projects. Next step is getting the new engine frames bolted on. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glrnet Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 Looking good, attention to detail is amazing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryjackson Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Any more on this Leon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonk Posted September 11, 2015 Author Share Posted September 11, 2015 Let's just say the bonnet to car alignment is as anticipated a little challenging! I've learnt that sometimes you have to step away from the project and return when you are in a better frame of mind. So hopefully after a little break I'll be back on it this weekend! What really really annoys me is that I had a perfectly fitting rust free original bonnet that complete muppets destroyed while stripping it. I have to try very hard not to keep thinking about this and start again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsexr Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 On a serious note, one of the things the seminar did highlight was the dangers of the new green trend of adding ethanol to petrol. this is something the government has signed up to as part of an EU initiative. The problem is the damage this stuff does to your engine and fuel system, especially to older cars. From what I could gather from the talk, was that ethanol absorbs water and becomes highly corrosive. One guy there in the questions and answers section at the end who worked in the fuel industry said that they delay putting the stuff in the tankers as long as possible because of the damage it causes. One of the lecturers warned that they were seeing more and more cases of expensive fuel systems and carbs destroyed by the fuel especially in cars stood for any amount of time. He pointed out an example of a V12 Jaguar that it had caused nearly 10k worth of damage to. The only answer to it at the moment seems to be to completely drain down the fuel system if the car is not used. Now not only do I have to worry about the humidity and rust but the bl**dy government conspiring to destroy my car! You know which way to vote if we ever get the chance then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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