Brad writes...
>Just a thought on adding that extra thickness. Keep in mind that the
>latch bolts to the bonnet directly, anything you add in that area to
>stiffen it up will force the edge of the bonnet out by that same
>amount. That could be benificial and it could also be a hindrence
>depending on the fit you currently have with your bonnet.
He he...actually the fit in this area if pretty good just now thanks
to a careful sculpturing with bondo three years ago. :-) Seriously,
your point is well taken. The proposed 20 gauge reinforcement
would only add .036" which I *hope* will not create a problem.
I'm eyeballing a spare bonnet latch right now as I type this, looking
to see if adjustment is possible. Near as I can tell, if I run into
fit problems I can shave the three mounting points to re-establish the
original geometry. I'd then follow this up with additional
strengthening to the *backs* of these mounts. Should work...I think.
:-)
Another infamous area for stress cracking is around the headlamp
bezels on the inside...where the 90 degree bend is. Is this only a
squaretail problem or do you folks with the earlier cars get this too?
This one reminds me of my '67 Vette with the motorized headlamp
buckets. Had 'em fixed maybe five times over the ten years I owned
the car. No joy. :-(
Cheers!
Tom O'Malley in Southbridge Massachusetts
'74, '77 Spits
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