Westfield Elevens

Fibreglass tent poles?

Get a grip, man! Carbon fibre!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CARBON-FIBRE- ... ODWPLp2isg

Easiest way is to get a glass cover laid up. If you do, please make me one, too...

So, I wasn't going to post the underbonnet shots until I'd tidied up the cosmetics, but who knows when I might get around to it. Meanwhile, Simon (and maybe others) might find the details useful, so here we go.....

Starting with the bonnet tape and copper split-pins, both are available from Woolies. This is the thinner of two possible thicknesses. Meanwhile, the Dzus spring clip bracket, bolted to the front face of the scuttle, is available in both steel and ally from Demon Tweeks (this one's ally and there are two per pack). It's there to both locate the bonnet laterally and to stop it from bowing up. This is the only Dzus fastener on the whole panel; the bonnet is otherwise held down by the two leather straps.

Again, I really wanted to lose the Dzus fasteners on the flanks of the car, both front and rear. But the springiness of the fibreglass bonnet means that the flanks will naturally protrude. Various suggestions were made as to how best to stop this, including glassing-in glass "rope", but I went with my initial idea as being both simple and foolproof! Vertical pins brazed up and glassed onto the inner wings locate into holes in the sills. (It's those holes that need tidying. I suspect that modified front door key escutcheons might be the solution!) Only one pin is required on each side, just behind the wheel arch, as this is the place where it would otherwise flare out the most. And if you haven't read my post on led headlamps, you're looking at the heatsinks and driver-units in the middle picture. As ever, clicking/tapping on a photo will open it up full-size so that you can see the detail.

You didn't think that I was going to leave the holes in the sills looking like that, did you?

A couple of hours in the garage this afternoon with tinsnips and file and we have the brackets pictured below. An added advantage is that, with the 6mm pins now located in 8mm holes, the bonnet now shuts in exactly the same position each and every time. There's no need to faff about, trying to line-up the single Dzus fastener. Shut the bonnet, squat on each side to pop the pins into the holes and buckle the straps, and the Dzus fastener is lined-up perfectly every time!! Delighted

Really smart, nice job!

Thank you very much. Greatly appreciated!