Becky: Referenceing Moss catalog MG-08 pg. 48: My car has the hood stick (#20)
with a bend on the end that goes into the bracket on the right inner fender
with the hood (bonnet) in the raised position, and a round flange with a small
hole at the top that is connected to a triangular bracket on the cross brace
at about the midpoint of the bonnet, also on the right side. Later cars used a
telescoping bracket on the left side. In the closed position the hood stick
stays on the bonnet, attached at one end to this bracket, and in the jaws of
the rubber holder at the bottom. When you raise the hood you pull the bent end
of the stick out of the jaws, the stick pivots at the top in the triangular
bracket, and downward, and you fiddle around to get the bent end into the
bracket on the fender. The whole arrangement is similar to the boot lid prop
(assuming someone hasnt converted that to a telescoping prop). You can just
see the bracket on the inner fender in the VB catalog drawing, above the
radiator shroud.
The triangular bracket is part of the original alloy bonnet. Naturally,
when the PO replaced the bonnet with a new steel one he did not think to
include this piece. I used the bracket available for the telescoping bonnet
prop (#27) which is larger, but the hole is smaller and had to be drilled out
to accomodate the original stick. The end of the stick with the hole passes
through the hole in the triangular bracket and held there with a cotter pin
and a spring and a washer which give some tension against the cotter pin. VB
shows this spring washer, but Moss does not. Just above and slightly forward
of the fuse box there should be a bracket with an elongated hole or slot
immediately under the fender/inner fender flange.
The bent end of the stick goes into this to hold the bonnet up. The
Clausenger book shows some good photos of this, as do the Brooklands reprints
of test articles. I also have some photos of the under bonnet area that might
show this.
You mentioned two rubber pieces that hold the stick when in the bonnet
down position. I think there is only one (#22), which fits into the slotted
bracket (#23) at the base of the bonnet and is held there with a long cotter.
It should face so that the open jaws of the rubber bit face into the engine
compartment. Since the pieces were not attached to my car when I got it I had
to carefully measure a used alloy hood that I have (also missing the
triangular bracket) to get the right locations. I drilled new holes in the
steel bonnet, but wrapped some duct tape around the drill bit to keep it from
punching through too far. Probalbly not needed with a steel bonnet, but better
safe than sorry. Hope this wasnt too confusing. A picture is worth a thousand
words! Cheers, Andy
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