Hi ... The locking mechanism on my project car is busted (round nose - old school) and I was toying around with an alternative locking mechanism to keep the bonnet shut. My ideas were either straps (not wholly in the theme of my car), metal brackets kind of like the moke (kinda ugly) or pinning the bonnet down (preferred).

Does anyone have pics of how they have mounted bonnet pins for a round nose bonnet? I would love to see how they are mounted inside the engine bay.

Other questions

1. Can you mount the bonnet and then not need the hinge (ie lift off / put on and lock in proposition)
2. Is it legal in NSW?
3. Are pins secure enough for a metal bonnet?
4. How do you line the holes up
5. Where can i actually get some?

Any help or advice is appreciated.......

For the period look, it has to be bonnet straps. I've never been a fan of pins because 1) they can get stolen, 2) they are attached to rings so you can pull them off but when running the rings rattle around and scrape your paint work?

A good quality set of real leather bonnet straps are the go for that period look (SEE MINE BELOW)

_________________
Lillee - 1969 Morris Mini K

IMO Pins in a roundy bonnet look ugly, straps or rubber straps (similar to the Moke ones) do look better, but why not fix yours?

Also having your bonnet completely removable might sound attractive and it does have it's appeal, but it's also a good way to get it and it's paint damaged.

_________________

Hmm... re the straps i am trying to move away from traditional/old school ways. I am not too fussed by the paint work or the rattle. Not too fussed by the look of it either.

GT i could fix mine, but do you ever have that "I wonder what else I could do instead" feeling about thigns??? Plus...... after gouging out my head on the bonnet clip thing (far right hand side) the idea of removing the bonnet in total seems ohhhh so nice to me...

Nooo nononono. That scar you have on the head from that is "The mark of Issigonis" - you can't get rid of the thing that causes that!

cheers

Jacob

_________________
'72 Clubman Van - 1022cc, 295 head, 731 cam - Daily Driver
'69 Morris 1100 S - Dinged by a bus, in shed under repair
'64 Morris 1100 - Early 1100, long term project

Well, fair enough.

Coming back to your list;-

1. Can you mount the bonnet and then not need the hinge (ie lift off / put on and lock in proposition)
2. Is it legal in NSW?
3. Are pins secure enough for a metal bonnet?
4. How do you line the holes up
5. Where can i actually get some?

1. Yes. Locking can be done with some very small padlocks (if you where refering to security)
2. May not be. Could be deemed a sharp forward facing protrusion.
3. Yes.
4. I'd suggest mounting the pins first on the locking panel, make sure they are straight, then winding them down (they are adjustable) until they just touch the inside of the bonnet. Put some msking tape on the inside of the bonnet at around this point. Put a dab of paint on the tips of the pins and close the bonnet once. Then your should have accurately marked the point to drill through.
5. Most speed shops have them. There is a place in West Ryde (Performance World), they would be very likely to have them in stock. You'll need to make a rough measurement of the length as they are available in different lengths (I think from the very distant memory they need to be 4 1/2").

_________________

or you could just go with a full flip front conversion!
wont gouge your head, keeps a nice look, and is oh so sexy!

_________________
Chuck Norris is the only person alive who can kick you in the back of the face!!
mooo, I'm a pig!

*looks at money in wallet and then at other half*

yeah finance manager will never go for that.

http://www.deftracing.com/aerocatch_hood_pins/aerocatch_standard_flush_locking_hood_latches.htm

A friend of mine with a Skyline put me onto these. Albeit a bit expensive, they seem flush and seem lockable which would satisfy 1 & 2 for me.

Has anyone got any pics of how to potentially mount the bolts in the engine bay though??