This is the left side of the vehicle. This is as “tight” as it will close… any tips?

 

obviously the side of the hinge bolted to the firewall is bolted too high. Loosen the bolts slightly at the firewall, enough slightly to be able to push the hood down. Then open the hood slowly and tighten the bolts. Takes a few tries.

 

I’ll take a good look later but iirc it’s fastened to the wheel arch / Chassis ?

 

I've adjusted numeerous bonnets in my working life, and one hood on a Pontiac many years ago, and the last one was my '66 S Type a couple of years back before taking the head off.

As I remember things, the bolts, in slotted holes, that hold the hinge plates to the inner wings are for vertical adjustment and the bolts between the hinges and the bonnet are for lateral adjustment. I always mark the positions with a pencil or strips of tape before slackening the bolts so I have the starting point and also remove the sprung threaded pin at the front so it can't lock itself down when it may be badly adjusted. I think I've remembered that right but removing one bolt will reveal a slotted hole so it will be self-explanetary which set of bolts does what.

Before I recently removed the bonnet on my S Type, I gave the hinge plates and bolts a tiny squirt of matt black paint from an aerosol to mark their positions for any future reference.

Ray, in Wet and Windy Blighty

 

I concur with the above that the bonnet can be adjusted for height using the slotted bolt holes in the hinge plates on the inside of the engine compartment. In my case prior to buying the car a garage that specialises in restoring Jaguars let their trained monkey do the welding repairs on the inside of the engine compartment where the hinge bolts to the inner wing. This area is prone to rusting out.This could have been used as an example of how not to do it in many an engineering workshop manual. The wing holds captive nuts and if these are not in the right position either through bad repairs or accident damage from a past life then it is a pig of a job to get the bonnet lined up. In my case I have had to elongate the slotted holes even further with a Dremel so could get the bonnet sat low enough not to be seen. As Jose has stated it is a case of tightening the bolts enough to hold it in place but loose enough so when you lower the bonnet you can apply force to sit the bonnet flush. The trick is then to lift the bonnet slowly so as not to move the position and tighten up the bolts. Takes a couple of times to get the right tension to be able to move the bonnet down but not allow it to lift up as the bonnet is lifted. Doing it with the engine out is really easy as you can get the specialist Churchill tool "wife" to sit in the engine bay with a spanner to tighten up the bolts as you line the bonnet up from the outside. (I have a very understanding and supportive wife).

 

I, too, have a supportive wife who can support the bonnet at the other side. She has also been known to support an awkward cylinder head and use fingers to protect the new gasket when it slips out of her grasp. There was a bit of a fuss because, I think, the nail varnish suffered damage.

Ray

 

Hey guys, what is the Churchill number for that tool?

 

I couldn'tafford a Churchill tool so mine is the Sykes Pickavant version. They're no longer available these days, Jerry, but you'll likely find one on line with a bit of searching. Be wary, though, as it's easy to get tucked up with a cheap copy that won't last very long.

Ray

 

You can get a Russian or Chinese version of this Churchill tool but they can be just as expensive in the long run as they are prone to breaking and emptying your bank account. I find it best to find a friend who has one and borrow his for the day. Just don't forget to give it back before he gets home from work.

 

I've had 50 years of service from mine, still in ace condition, just a little patina, survived much better than the Mk2.

 

So not attached to the firewall..

Good side

High side

High side

guess I have to try to get a wrench/spanner on these bolts?

 

Each hinge has three bolts into the inner wing which you need to loosen off slightly to allow the bonnet to be pushed to into the correct position.

 

Looks like you can get to the right hand bolts ok but may need to hook the spring off the left hand side - easier than removing the heater box, I'd think. All part of the fun old cars, apparently.

Ray.