wing alignment

[horrace]

help required please.

just putting nos wings onto the rebuilt front of the pick up. something is amiss though, to me it looks like the profile of the wing is not correct and does not match the bonnet, the bonnet seems to line up ok.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[bmcecosse]

Ah the joys of non-genuine parts! You just have to 'make' it fit!

[alanworland]

That looks bad! - surely it's not fit for purpose? (no pun intended)

[PSL184]

I'd need to see more of the wing but I would bet they are repro's and not NOS items. That's the usual level of c**p we get these days unfortunately.....

[chickenjohn]

This is why, when restoring my minors, I spend a lot of time restoring- cutting out the rust and welding in new steel- the original wings that fit!

You might need to cut a slot in the wing mounting flange near to where the chrome trim fits and bend the wing out to fit!

Yes, sadly pattern wings are carp, to put it politely.

[LouiseM]

Looking at horrace's earlier thread he's been having quite a few problems with wing and panel alignment so it might not be the panel that's at fault : http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=30501

[horrace]

the wings were nos with british leyland stickers still on them?!! i had though about cutting a slit in the wing to open it up so that it matches the profile, so its just a case of cut and make it fit then?

[chickenjohn]

Now you've painted the wing I can't see any easier alternative to cutting a slot or two and bending it to shape. The return is a bit too wide to use a metal stretcher on it, and besides, that would mark the paint. If unpainted, you might have been able to drill out the spot welds on that area of the wing, bend it to fit then plug weld it together again.

I bought a simmilarly badly fitting front pattern wing when I rebuilt my traveller. I had to cut a slot and bend it the other way!

This shows why it is a good idea to test fit the panels before painting them.

[bmcecosse]

Perhaps the whole wing could slide forward a bit - if you elongate the bolt holes? Maybe just the stickers were 'original'.........

[horrace]

yes im beginning to wonder that as well, or maybe bmc rejects that were bought on the cheap back then? if i slide the wing forward then the door gap will be monsterous and the lower holes where the hockey sticks fit are already touching, i think its the profile thats wrong as its a different one to the bonnet? interesting thing is both wings are identical, i have taken them both off and put them against each other and they are the same shape...............i foolishly assumed as they were bmc wings they couldnt not fit so didnt bother to try them before i put it all back on...schoolboy error!

[jonathon]

Have the inner flitches been replaced. The reason I ask is that the radius of the top edge is no longer correct and differs from both the wings and bonnet line. they might have been set too far forward too.
If the bonnet is shut in your second photo , it does look as though the top chrome protrudes significantly, indicating this possible problem.
Can you let us know which areas of the front of the car have been restored.

[horrace]

both flitches have been replaced I have already chomped one back as it was rubbing on the front panel. Then bonnet was just sitting in there not fixed.

[jonathon]

Was this a pro restoration ?. When fiyying new flitches its fundamental that the whole front end and bonnet are bolted together, to achieve correct positioning of new panels. It would appear that this has not been done.

[horrace]

yesit was a pro resto, bonnet and front panel were there but not front wings. so whats the answer?

[horrace]

If the bonnet is shut in your second photo , it does look as though the top chrome protrudes significantly, indicating this possible problem.
Can you let us know which areas of the front of the car have been restored.

the bonnet lines up ok in the middle but at either end of the chrome strip it sits back.
the front panel can be pushed back a little more...

[horrace]

if the flitches are too far forward, and i am able to push the front panel back a little more the bonnet would then overhang the middle of the chrome strip which i dont think is right? am i right in thinking the chrome should fit level with the bonnet in the middle but proud of the bonnet at either end.
thanks for the help!

[PSL184]

I "think" it should look like this (This was after many hours of adjusting wings / front panel / bonnet etc)....

[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[chickenjohn]

I "think" it should look like this (This was after many hours of adjusting wings / front panel / bonnet etc)....

[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

No they shouldn't look like that!

The fit and finish is far better than they managed out of the factory!

(seriously, the car looks great, good job).

[PSL184]

Thanks John.... If Morris had taken as long aligning as that one took me they would only have produced 1 car a week

[horrace]

that looks very tasty, im going to take a wing and match it up to another original one and see if its tha same..