-
Welcome to the new SAOCA website. Already a member? Simply click Log In/Sign Up up and to the right and use your same username and password from the old site. If you've forgotten your password, please send an email to membership@sunbeamalpine.org for assistance.
If you're new here, click Log In/Sign Up and enter your information. We'll approve your account as quickly as possible, typically in about 24 hours. If it takes longer, you were probably caught in our spam/scam filter.
Enjoy.
Body sag closing up hood opening?
- Thread starter MARTINSR
- Start date
sunalp
Diamond Level Sponsor
Brian,
Where is it hitting? Is it a gap issue or is the hood hitting the body?
I'm not as familiar with the earlier cars as I am with the later ones,
but I'm pretty sure there are supposed to be rubber buffers at the
corners where the hood meets the firewall. I know my Series V has
four of them. If you're missing them, Sunbeam Specialties
(www.rootes.com) will probably have them.
Steve
Where is it hitting? Is it a gap issue or is the hood hitting the body?
I'm not as familiar with the earlier cars as I am with the later ones,
but I'm pretty sure there are supposed to be rubber buffers at the
corners where the hood meets the firewall. I know my Series V has
four of them. If you're missing them, Sunbeam Specialties
(www.rootes.com) will probably have them.
Steve
alpine_64
Donation Time
The bonnet should not hit the body, it it does it is out of alignment, moving on its hinges a bit to much or as suggested you are missing the rubber buffers that locate it when closed.
The body would not be sagging to cause that issue as it would be sagging down the middle.. when the cars go weak the sills dont support the body and the car sag in the middle length wise.. as in they banana and the tops of the door gaps close up and they rub on the B post.
The body would not be sagging to cause that issue as it would be sagging down the middle.. when the cars go weak the sills dont support the body and the car sag in the middle length wise.. as in they banana and the tops of the door gaps close up and they rub on the B post.
It hits on both sides at the fender opening, not down low, we are talking the hole is too small for the hood. I really haven't spent any time at all on it so I will get back to it tonight and see if there is some adjustment to get it better. Autobody is my trade so I know where to head, I was just wondering if there is something common with these cars that I should look into.
Brian
Brian
Bikesandfires
Donation Time
Fit and finish wasn't one of Sunbeams strong points...
TIP NUMBER 1: REMOVE THE LATCH PIN BEFORE DOING ANYTHING!!!!! If the hood closes and latches while it's in a bind, you'll remember cuss words you thought you had forgot before you get the hood open again.
TIP NUMBER 2: You CANNOT use the latch to even slightly adjust hood fit like you sometimes can on a modern car. The pin has to drop straight into its hole to work smoothly.
I scratched my head a good bit trying to line the hood up. Front to back is all the factory hinges allow. Don't be afraid to get creative with the adjustment slots in the hinges. I also had to add shims BETWEEN the hinge and hood to lift the front and make it line up with the grill opening.
TIP NUMBER 1: REMOVE THE LATCH PIN BEFORE DOING ANYTHING!!!!! If the hood closes and latches while it's in a bind, you'll remember cuss words you thought you had forgot before you get the hood open again.
TIP NUMBER 2: You CANNOT use the latch to even slightly adjust hood fit like you sometimes can on a modern car. The pin has to drop straight into its hole to work smoothly.
I scratched my head a good bit trying to line the hood up. Front to back is all the factory hinges allow. Don't be afraid to get creative with the adjustment slots in the hinges. I also had to add shims BETWEEN the hinge and hood to lift the front and make it line up with the grill opening.
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm with you, I was just out there looking at it, There is movement in the hinges side to side on the body you know. But yes, it honestly looks like the "hole" is too narrow for the hood.
Brian
65beam
Donation Time
opening
we had the same problem on one of our cars. your problem may be that the hood is hitting the flange of the fender. in our case we could not close the hood with the seal installed. it hit the clips and chipped the paint. this is the flange where you mount the rubber seal. it needs to be bent towards the outside of the car. we used an adjustable wrench and a soft rag to bend it out. this opens up the width of the opening. you may also find you have the wrong hinges since there were several styles used on different series. if you have an early car that has the hood prop on the bulkhead instead of on the side you will find the hinges to be different than later series cars. if it is a later car you can't use the early hinge. we sectioned the hinges on the series 4 in order to line evrything up. you could also have the wrong hood for your car. early hoods are different from later cars.
we had the same problem on one of our cars. your problem may be that the hood is hitting the flange of the fender. in our case we could not close the hood with the seal installed. it hit the clips and chipped the paint. this is the flange where you mount the rubber seal. it needs to be bent towards the outside of the car. we used an adjustable wrench and a soft rag to bend it out. this opens up the width of the opening. you may also find you have the wrong hinges since there were several styles used on different series. if you have an early car that has the hood prop on the bulkhead instead of on the side you will find the hinges to be different than later series cars. if it is a later car you can't use the early hinge. we sectioned the hinges on the series 4 in order to line evrything up. you could also have the wrong hood for your car. early hoods are different from later cars.
I'll look into the hood, it is a different hood than what came with the car. The hood that came with it wasn't bolted on though so I don't know, the hinges look like they came with the car. And yes the white hood has a prop rod point on the side while the near as we could tell the prop rod mounts on the cowl and I was trying to figure that out! LOL
You can see on the white hood how it is hitting the fender on both sides about a foot and a half back from the head lamp.
Brian
Last edited:
I just went out there and found some serious funkiness. 
The front end has been spliced right at the rear of the wheel wells on the front fenders. Bummer, it's certainly no virgin, but still very do-able. The fenders will need to be stripped of paint to figure out what to do with it but it may need that strip of metal where it was spliced to be replaced, it looks very funky.
Brian
The front end has been spliced right at the rear of the wheel wells on the front fenders. Bummer, it's certainly no virgin, but still very do-able. The fenders will need to be stripped of paint to figure out what to do with it but it may need that strip of metal where it was spliced to be replaced, it looks very funky.Brian