Pretty Bonnets

Chances are, if you’ve had the engine bay painted in your early Falcon the bonnet hinges have been removed and replaced at some time. The result is a nice gleaming engine bay but the bonnet no longer closes properly. You have to push down last 10mm of the trailing edge at the base of the and the windscreen. Everyone you talk to and local service station will tell you it’s worn hinges. Unless the bonnet has been lifted to hot wire the car each time it's been started in the last 30 years, worn are most unlikely.

Odds are, the problem is the way the hinges have been bolted up. The normal but incorrect method to replace the bonnet has been to mount the hinges on the engine bay with weight of the hinges resting on the retaining bolts. The bolts have then been tightened in the tops of the hinge slots. After which the bonnet has then been fitted with most of the adjustment being made with the front to back movement provided with the bolts that hold the hinges to the bonnet.

Then as the bonnet was closed the trailing edge lifted leaving a gap along the rear seal. So the natural thing to do was open the bonnet again with the intention of lowering the hinge, but horror, the bolts are already at the tops of the slots. Next step? File the slots or give up? In fact, the correct way is to fit the hinge to the engine bay. But after inserting the retaining bolts rotate and hold the hinge, by the top part that bolts to the bonnet, and lift and move it back towards the windscreen. Now pinch tighten the bolts with the two front ones at the bottom of the their slots in the hinge and the rear one at the top. Bolt the bonnet to the hinges and pinch tightened it in its most forward position,

With both the bonnet latch, safety catch and the two steel angle brackets at the ends of firewall rubber seal removed, carefully lower the bonnet. Watching in particular that the corners of the leading edge of the bonnet do not hit the freshly painted side guards and that the trailing edge dose not hit the firewall. Make necessary front to back and left to right corrections. Then set the height of the front bonnet screw stops, mounted on the radiator support panel, to give a flush finish between the leading edge and the side guards.At this stage, with the bonnet closed, the trailing edge will most likely be below the level of the deck. If not check that the bonnet side-edge rubber stops are not hitting the guards.

Rotating the top of the hinges away from the windscreen, the opposite way to installation, will lift the trailing edge. Adjust each hinge to set the bonnet about 1 to 2mm below the deck level. Refit the steel angle pieces to the firewall and carefully lower the bonnet. The two firewall seal brackets will lift the bonnet flush with the deck. If necessary realign the front to back, left to right adjustments as they do interact with rotation. Refit and adjust both bonnet latch, saftey catch and fully tighten all hinges bolts etc.

© BigH 2001

DISCLAIMER While this method has been tried and works, NO responsibility will be excepted by the Author, the Club or any of its Members.