at the risk of sounding stupid.....which cutout is it to which you
refer...my bonnet is in excellent shape, save a small dent in what
would be considered the right front quarter panel.. if i can do
something preventitive now, it would save me the heartache later...
tia
---Tom O'Malley <tomomalley@hey.net> wrote:
>
> Chuck writes...
>
> >I have two questions related to Spitfires that I hope someone will
have
> >the answers to:
> >1. Has anyone experienced tearing of the metal at the upper
corners of
> >the cutout
>
> Yes yes yes. :-( Almost every Spit I've seen has this problem.
>
> I'm anticipating painting my bonnet this summer and I'd like to take a
> shot at a long term fix but I'm not optimistic. My feeling is that
> chassis flex is responsible for a lotta stress in this area even if
> the latches are not adjusted overly tight. I suppose that the
> stamping process that was used to create the original cutout may also
> be a factor. If this was the case I would guess that welding the
> cracks might solve the problem.
>
> In an effort to hedge my bets I'm going to take a different approach.
> I'm going to re-inforce the backs of the cutouts with another piece of
> 20 gauge steel that's spot welded to the original wing for a distance
> of four inches or so. The bonnet latch mounting screws will then pass
> through both pieces. What I'm hoping to do is spread the loading over
> a greater area...we'll see. :-)
>
>
> Cheers!
> Tom O'Malley in Southbridge Massachusetts
> '74, '77 Spits
>
>
==
larry, 1979 spitfire fm99248u awaiting more bits and pieces...
on the web at http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Speedway/9311 _NEW AND
IMPROVED_ FASTER PICCYS
No Plan Ever Survives The First Contact Intact.
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