Morris Minor Owners Club

Sorry if this has come up before.

My bonnet has a bigger gap on the passenger side than on the drivers side above the grille. The other day I leaned on the front passenger side of the bonnet, and the bonnet popped up as if someone had pulled the 'D' handle.

The catch is at the end of its thread, so I can't adjust the bonnet down any further to stop this from happening; but if your bonnet does the same thing, and you manage to stop it in some way, please let me know how you did it!

My bonnet is one of the 1968 thin ones, but I don't think this is the reason that it pops up. It also has the pyramid rubbers on each side that the bonnet closes on.


Thanks. John

I noticed my pyramid rubbers had gone very squishy and replaced them.

What is a 1968 "thin" bonnet? My car is 1969.

Is that when they were trying thinner metal to try to make crumple zones but found out that it made intrusion into the passenger compartment worse?

Stephen

I think so Stephen.

I don't like to think about it.

stuffedpike20 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 7:47 pm I think so Stephen.

I don't like to think about it.

I agree. I just enjoy driving the car!

Where has this ‘thin’ bonnet idea come from. I’ve never heard it spoken about before. Is it a myth ? Let’s get to the bottom of this.
Maybe the metal supplier sent the wrong gauge at some point ! Surely it’s not just me who is curious as to fact or fiction!

les wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 7:58 pm Where has this ‘thin’ bonnet idea come from. I’ve never heard it spoken about before. Is it a myth ? Let’s get to the bottom of this.
Maybe the metal supplier sent the wrong gauge at some point ! Surely it’s not just me who is curious as to fact or fiction!

I cannot remember where I read this but BMC reduced the thickness of the sheet metal for certain panels in order to try to make the car safer in a crash. It did not work and made things worse so they went back to the original thickness.

Edit: I read it here. See the section entitled "safety" near the end of the article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Minor


Stephen

It would have been cost-cutting not safety. Not a farthing more than necessary was spent on the Minor by then.

JOWETTJAVELIN wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 9:02 pm It would have been cost-cutting not safety. Not a farthing more than necessary was spent on the Minor by then.

Whatever it was they did reverse it

Thanks Stephen, for finding the origin on the matter, a fact I wasn’t aware of. Interesting, we keep on learning !

svenedin wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 8:14 pm

les wrote: ↑Fri Aug 11, 2023 7:58 pm Where has this ‘thin’ bonnet idea come from. I’ve never heard it spoken about before. Is it a myth ? Let’s get to the bottom of this.
Maybe the metal supplier sent the wrong gauge at some point ! Surely it’s not just me who is curious as to fact or fiction!

I cannot remember where I read this but BMC reduced the thickness of the sheet metal for certain panels in order to try to make the car safer in a crash. It did not work and made things worse so they went back to the original thickness.

Edit: I read it here. See the section entitled "safety" near the end of the article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Minor


Stephen

This alleged claim has no citation, don't believe everything on Wikipedia unless it's proven were the quote comes from, anyone can add to it with unsubstantiated claims.

Back to square one then ? Time for a mass bonnet measure, micrometers at the ready !!

There was a bonnet advertised close to me, so I decided to buy it, paint it, and replace my thin one.

I won the auction, went to pick it up....... and it was another thin one.

What made you think it was a thick one ?

I assumed it would be a thick one, just because the thin ones were only made in 1968. Unfortunately, it was a 1968 bonnet. The seller only had the bonnet to sell, no other minor bits, so I took a chance that it might be a thick one.

I have ordered some new bonnet rubbers to see if that will stop mine popping up when leant on.

I think JOWETT is right; the thinner doors and bonnets were probably nothing to do with safety. A front end collision with a minor would probably result in the bonnet hinges snapping, or the bolts pulling out or shearing...so the thickness of the bonnet is probably not important.
I have heard that the worst thing to happen when crashing a minor is that the doors fly open. I am surprised that there is not an after market fix for that.

stuffedpike20 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 12, 2023 11:12 am I have heard that the worst thing to happen when crashing a minor is that the doors fly open. I am surprised that there is not an after market fix for that.

Might offer a quick escape route if the car caught fire!

Back on the subject of the pyramid bonnet buffers, I found some photos I took when I replaced mine (they had completely perished).

There is a little trap for the unwary. There is a metal bush inside the pyramid. This is not supplied with the new part so do not throw it away (it is unavailable as a spare part too).

You also need to put a suitable washer inside the pyramid as well as the reused metal bush. The screw and nut are 2BA, screw length 3/4". Will need a spring washer under the nut but any suitable will do. Fixings were very rusty on mine so a 2BA socket was essential as well as a sturdy Phillips screwdriver and lots of PlusGas.

Stephen

Washer fitted


Bush that goes in the pyramid (stops it being crushed)