Fibreglass doors

[Marchf]

Hi - just joined the forum today after a web search showed the club. I am looking for some fibreglass doors and boot lid for my Mk3 Spit, and Honeybourne Mouldings have some photos up. So two questions - does anyone have any experience of the quality of these panels, and is the inner skin shown in the photo correct for a mk3 - it looks like a later version but I do not have anything to hand to prove that one way or another.

Also, are there any other manufacturers around for these panels.

Hope someone can help me please. Many thanks

[CharlieB]

I bought a MkIV bootlid from Honeybourne, I returned it  :( perhaps their other parts are better?
Here are some alternatives, T6 are apparently excellent but they don't do the boot lid AFAIK:
http://www.smithanddeakin.co.uk/T-Z.htm
http://www.triumphspitfirelemans.com/phdi/p1.nsf/supppages/3409?opendocument&part=4

[JohnD]

No GRP panels are as good as originals - some are over critical of them.  If you want to save weight, there is no alternative.
Have you seen how much T6 charge for doors?  Almost three times the Honeybourne price.

The Honeybourne website http://honeybournemouldings.co.uk/photo.htm shows an internal panel for a Mk4 or GT6, and a complete door for Spitfires Marks 1, 2 and 3,  So they offer the complete range.

In my Vitesse experience, H'bourne are very honest about their products.  They refused to make me a bonnet, as the mould was getting on a bit, until I said I wanted it for racing and didn't mind too much about minor shape irregularities.

Why not talk to them on the phone?

John

[CharlieB]

I should say Honeybourne were very apologetic & made another bootlid for me but they weren't happy with the result so gave me a full refund.

There's also a bloke in Germany who makes doors etc out of some exotic composite (kevlar perhaps?), very high quality apparently but very expensive.

[MarkB]

I had a Mk 4 boot lid from Honeybourne and it was a bit rough,but served the purpose. I've had one on my Mk3 for several years that isn't to bad a fit, but I was unable to get the frame to fit on the inside so have no boot stay fitted. I could fibreglass a bracket to the inside to attach a boot stay to, but have done without one.

[alan pettit]

i have a lenham bonnet made new from my mould by Honeybournes. i have bought TR4 and Sunbeam Alpine hard tops from them and they are always helpful and obliging. the panels in F/G are never going to be as true as steel ones but they are a lot lighter and a lot cheaper. i have a set of doors for my early spit and after a bit of jiggery pokert they fit fine.

[CHRIS211083]

How easy was it to fit the doors??? My current doors are not so good. Was there much work needed to the new doors for fitting and how much was it to have painted? Are you happy with the alignment? pictures would be nice. Cheers Chris.