Door and bonnet alignment

[Andyjwill]

Hi

Am new to Herald ownership and was hoping for some advice. As you can see from the photo the bonnet is out of alignment on drivers side. It's ok on passenger side. The doors need a good slam but I understand that's par for the course.

Is there an easy way for me to resolve this. The bonnet is also a bit higher on the drivers side it appears as there is a gap to the valance.

Thanks

Andrew

[Pete Lewis]

the height to the screen panel is controlled by the adjustable cones attached to the sides of the baulkhead , simple 1/2" nut these also aid the clamp of the latches, , the lower hook on the baulkhead is adjustable as its on small slotted holes to aid some tension in the clamping,

the front valence looks fitted 'high' as the bonnet is in contact and needs lowering at the front pivots, there are slotted links hiding under the front overiders, the links have a slot , one end and a fixed hole ,  parts list shows the links with the slot upwards , manual shows slot downwards

thers many thought on this I promote slot up bonnet pivot on the fixed hole.

to gain forward /aft travel you adjust the turnbuckle barrel nuts on the long  rods to the top of the suspension turret,  the nut is  LH and RH threaded ends
release the locknuts and rotate the barrel to extend or reduce the gap to the base of the screen as this pulls the front  slotted drop links into new angles and again affects heights.


the valence may need removing , get the fits reasonable then refit the valence to suit the bonnets new  height at the front


this will test your passion and needs a bit of head scratching and strong tea

Pete

[heraldcoupe]

How early is this car? There is a rod from the suspension turret to the bonnet hinge. On most cars this rod has a central adjuster to alter it's length, moving the bonnet backwards or forward as required. Early cars lack the adjuster though, it was introduced around 1961. I can see from your bonnet that yours is pre-1964, hence the question about age.

Similarly, the height adjustment on the bulkhead was changed in 1962. Early cars have a V-plate on the bulkhead, adjustable by loosening two screws and sliding the plate up or down, then re-tightening. From 1962 the aforementioned cones became common, though the earliest implementations had the cones in the bonnet top rather than on the bulkhead.

Your valance looks like it's a fibreglass replacement, which would explain it's odd position. Hard to advise on how to adjust this as the method of mounting it will be down to a previous owner's work.

Regarding the slamming doors, this shouldn't be necessary, it's usually caused (and accepted as inevitable by some people) because of oversize door seals. The original seals have a lip profile, some aftermarket types have a fat bubble section which doesn't compress enough as the door closes.

[Andyjwill]

Hi it's June 1963. Has the cones. It looks a matter of adjusting the catch plate on the scuttle as there is enough play in the bonnet to pull it down and forward to align correctly but of course can't be latched.

Haven't yet had chance to see if there is enough room for manoeuvre for the catch plate.

Yes it's a poor fibreglass valance so I'll need to source a better one in the future. I have changed the overrider recently and adjusted the valance so it looks a bit better now.

Thanks

[Pete Lewis]

Ill Plug Bill sells single lip seals that replicate the originals   been thro the big bubble variaety over the years and they are hopeless.

some other door shut ideas,  

make sure the small sprung slider under the striker  must be oiled and  free  be slide , this clever little wedge  stops the door lifting and  self opening .

if the seal gap is tight and well compressed at the waist B post and the bottom of the door tends to stick out you have what we know as Tub Spread.

if you have this ask for solutions , as its not a door fit/ adjustment   its a rear tub needs some strong heave Ho.

Pete

[Andyjwill]

Just looked at the latch on the bulkhead and removed lower bolt. It looked like there is a single hole? Are there other holes to the side. The manual seems to mention this but can't see it although rather a lot of underseal on scuttle.

Not sure if bonnet is original as can't see the adjustable rod mnetioned in other posts.

Thanks

[Pete Lewis]

C/o Canley  
http://www.canleyclassics.com/?xhtml=xhtml/diagram/herald1360bonnetassembly.html&xhtmlcatalogue=xhtml/catalogue/herald1360.html&category=bodyandfittings&xsl=diagram.xsl


adj rod  item 31  and drop links  28

Pete

[Andyjwill]

Thanks Pete

The problem I have is the the catch on the scuttle is in the wrong position. This looks like it should 1/2 inch to the left. I cannot see a way of moving this despite the manual implying it can be adjusted.

[garyf]

The catch should be fixed with two 1/4 UNF Bolts on to a threaded plate inside the car (On later cars anyway?), the holes in the bulkhead are slotted vertically to give height adjustment only.

If it's in the wrong place you can undo the bolts and re-drill a couple of additional holes and slot them vertically and re-bolt them to the threaded plate, you have to remove the trim panels inside the car and the sound deadening pads.

If your car hasn't got the treaded plates then a couple of 1/4 Unf bolts and suitable large penny washers inside the bulkhead should do the trick ;)

However it looks more like your bonnet needs moving backwards, it's strange that you haven't got the adjusting rods fitted though, maybe a previous owner has forgot to replace them? :-/

Or possibly you have an early 948 Bonnet fitted, pictures will help?

[Andyjwill]

All sorted and a lot better thanks. Once I'd taken my blinkers off, found the adjustment rods, used a load of wd40, it was straightforward.

It looks like tub spread is the problem effecting the doors.

Thanks to all whom contributed.

[Pete Lewis]

Tub spread is common , is yours saloon or convertible ??  you need to pull the top of the wing/Bpost  inwards , various approaches to this problem



some use a ratchet  strap  around/over the body to tourniquet the top of the Bost/wing inwards  you have to pull in far more than you need as it all springs back.
it takes a lot of load , you must  add supporting or you can deform  the wing top.

I used some simple threaded studding and used the tags on top of the Saloon wing ( remove the B post  seal extension panel )
and pulled in 2" to  regain 1/2 of spread  correction.