Hey guys, my bonnet has never closed properly ever since I got it. I'm assuming somebody has tried to jack it from under the rad support. The radiator support does look bent, and I think the corner of the radiator or maybe even the fan shroud is stopping the bonnet from shutting properly? (I can't figure out exactly what is stopping it) Anyway I've tried placing a plank of wood covered in rags on top of the rad support then jumping on it, then getting frustrated and just jumping on it, and I've also tried using the plank o wood and a dead blow mallet. That piece of metal is really tough I can't seem to unbend the thing, instead I've just made a couple of small dents Any suggestions?
I think you will have a lot of trouble getting it to close properly... That zed had a bit of front end damage one night up in the mountains, needed a fair bit of work to fix it. Get some bonnet pins if it bothers you. While you are doing the VH conversion you should be able to get a good look at everything and work out if you can fix it up.
Do the block of wood + hammer again, but before doing this remove the vertical bar that goes from the lower radiator support to the latch. Keep checking the bonnet height and then either leave it out, or drill another hole and put it back edit: it's the top of the radiator support that's keeping it from closing properly, that's where you should be hitting. If you're concerned about how it looks it will be a lot easier for the time being than trying to fix it from the bottom, as that's super thick. Think about getting a panelbeater to fixing the bottom later on!
lol Hmm I thought the damage was to the passenger side. The bonnet won't close on the driver's side... I would like to get bonnet pins but is there a possibility I might bend the bonnet? Ahh I will try this when I'm ripping apart the engine bay! Thanks! Only a couple more months now
Car was buried up to the windscreen in a guardrail. I wouldn't worry about it too much until you get the VH in there, you will need a custom bonnet anyway.
Damn, not a bad repair job then. Probably gonna use Anton's bonnet, gotta catch up with him when he's not busy and occupied with MRTT
I've made the mistake of jacking up the front end by the support and had the bonnet issue as a result. Best fix was to remove the radiator, possition the car under the entrance of the garage and jack the car up. Then use a small jack and a length of metal, wood or pipe between the metal support of the garage and the radiator support. Using a witness mark on a piece of wood or a ruler to check progress, slowly jack against the garage support down onto the radiator support until you make the required adjustment. I used a six foot crow bar and the scissor jack, which I turned upside down so the notch in the jack locked with the knife edge of the crow bar to keep it together. If you don't jack the car up first all you will do is compress the suspension. Mine came back perfect, though my ego was damaged. Good luck
I wanna try this when the engine is out... So you're saying put the car on stands, jam a bar/plank/pipe between the rad support and the garage, then jack the support up until it straightens up?
While the car is on stands, put your length of whatever on the radiator support, then put the scissor jack on the other end of the lenth of whatever and located the jack against the opening of your garage. You are using the opening as a solid brace and are jacking off this down through the length of whatever onto the top of the radiator support to push it back down. It is controlled, easy to apply heaps of pressure and accurate if you use a ruler or witness mark to guage your progress. Take it in steps, backing off the jack to see how much the support springs back.
I hope you werent counting on buying Antons bonnet with the BA bulge in it...Ive purchased it from him already.....sorry
My "friend" did this to my zed also. Apparently he had built all sorts of hot cars from scratch etc etc Including a 600rwhp Sigma . . . LOL (The only way to get a sigma to do 600 ponies is to strap 600 horses to the shell . . . lolz) Even after all of this "so called" experience he still jacked up my zed from the rad support instead of the crossmember. LOL . . . Suffice it to say we are no longer friends with this guy. Our local Zed shop (Bryan's Zed Shed, used to be O'connor Television, does GREAT work) has done a couple of these now but the way he does it can only be done once because it is done by adjusting the bonnet latch down and there is only room to do it once. So if someone was to do it again you would have to find another way. The jack way seems like the best option to me and I have not fixed mine yet so I will probably try that also at Bryan's shop. Peace
NO.........DON'T jack under the support This will just compress the support vertically You need to jack the chassis..or crossmember, whatever I've done this under houses a couple of times Did a HZ holden once that had been over a 2 metre drop, rails bent up, paid a panel shop $600 to mayrack it and pump it back down.... They took it 3cm too far and I had to brace it up to the house and jack it to get the rails back down
Well the car's chassis rails will be standing on the jack stands but the jack will be on top of the plank... so I won't be jacking under the support at all but from above (against the garage support) I had to read relect's post like at least 10 times before I got what he was saying
