Drivers side wing panel

[Camilla]

Hello
I was having a look at our scruffy bonnet and thinking the root of all evil is the drivers side wing panel. Rimmers sell it for £200 but wondered if anyone knew of cheaper or has a spare for a 1962 herald 1200 we could buy? Also, is it just welded on to the bonnet top?
Cheers Camilla

[Steve P]

Fitchetts list 1200 wings at �99.50.

See here:http://www.tdfitchett.co.uk/store/body-herald-vitesse/

Its just welded along the seam to the bonnet top.
Steve

[heraldcoupe]

The replica 1200 wings are modified by hand from the (original) tooling for the 13/60 wing - this is why 13/60 wings are so much cheaper than those for the 1200.
If you take a look at the area under the headlamp on your original wing, you'll see that where the wing curves in one plane between the grille and wheelarch, it's compounded by a curve outwards as it rises between sidelight and headlight. The reproduction panels lack this secondary curve; firstly this looks very wrong, secondly it makes fitting very difficult. The better restorers will usually start with a 13/60 wing, cutting away the front and grafting it to what can be salvaged of the original wing.
Original 1200 wings can take some finding, usually the result of scouring autojumbles and classified adverts. Ebay's not yielded many recently.

Additionally, the rust will be emanating from the seal between the wing and wheelarch bowl, so at least the outer edge of that panel will need repair, or replacement.

Cheers,
Bill.

[Slimboyfat]

Also beware on all types of Herald/Vitesse repro wing (sorry from 'original tooling') that the stiffner along the back edge is all the wrong shape.

It will need work to get it to line up with the front edge of the door.

If you weld it on as you find it it will 'kick' out at the bottom in relation to the door.

[heraldcoupe]

Slimboyfat wrote:

Also beware on all types of Herald/Vitesse repro wing (sorry from 'original tooling') that the stiffner along the back edge is all the wrong shape.

It will need work to get it to line up with the front edge of the door.

If you weld it on as you find it it will 'kick' out at the bottom in relation to the door.

My Herald 'S' was repaired this way by a previous owner, it sticks out like a sore thumb. I have a suitable bonnet to rebuild as a replacement, it's unlikely to get done though in my ownership,

Cheers,
Bill.

[Mark Hammond]

You could use an arch repair panel or get an enterprising panel beater to fabricate repair sections and joddle them into place.

Judging by the photos on your other post that frilly wing would repair easier than replacing.


M.

[Nick Jones]

I've made repair panels by cutting a sheet of 3/4 ply to the arch shape and forming a repair section using that.  I then cut both inner and out wing sections back to the solid metal (well down from the swage line happily) and welded both sides.  Lasted 20 years odd in my ownership and still ok I believe.

Nick