What's the most common reason for the bonnet of the car to 'hang' off centre. I think I have had it off and on again three times in the last year, every thing, no matter the efforts and adjustments, it hangs funny, closing but not snug on the passenger side of the car. near the lights it is lifted up on this side and it sits away from the edge by the battery. on the drivers side of the car it sits flush both front and back.

 

Bonnet hinge wear.

It will be a SMALL wear in the pivot pin, but is accentuated by the shear size of the bonnet and the angle of the dangle.

I chased all out S2 cars like you have, and eventually the penny dropped, so rebuilt hinges, and all sweet.

Same for the boot hinges.

 

Ditto, I did the same things and had the same problems before getting new parts. Over the years the hinges wear out... the passenger door hinge as well as that doors locks and window parts..

If you touch it, rebuild that section from one end to the other.... but expect that it needs it after all the years of use...

 

Agree that the hinges might well be worn out.

But with or without worn hinges achieving proper alignment can sometimes be frustrating. My personal experience...with cars in general, not just Jags.....is that I'm either done in 10 minutes or I'm still fighting the problem two hours later ! Sometimes the geometry involved gets the better of me, I guess.

A couple times over the years I've thrown in the towel and taken the car to the body shop where the old pros, who have developed a knack for these things, have everything perfectly aligned in no time flat.

I'll add that in some cases removing the latching mechanism has allowed me to more easily align the panel (boot lid, bonnet, door, tailgate, whatever) for correct fit. Then it's a matter of reinstalling the latch and adjusting it so that it doesn't skew the panel when closed....as can sometimes happen.

Cheers
DD

 

Aden.... :


To be nit picking, I think it is Jib. A triangular sail at the bow of a boat. Not that I am a marine, because I'm clearly not. But, words and their uses have always intrigued me.


The "hang of his jib" as a description of a guy. And, nowadays, perhaps, a gal. Can be used in a positive or negative sense.


Carl

 

Me too, sometimes to the annoyance of friends and family who don't always appreciate my love affair for interesting words and phrases. I just think they're fun.



Haven't heard that one in in long time, Carl. Although, I remember it as "cut", not hang"; "I like the cut of his jib".


Cheers
DD

 

Doug:


I agree, your memory is clearly better than mine !!!


And, like you, I've turned a phrase or two, some accepted, others not so much !!


You think "hang vs cut" has anything to do with the controversy between "rag sailors" vs the "stink pots" !!!


Way off topic, oh yeah !!!


Carl

 

Yes, but we use a light crane in film production called a Gib, as well as inferring the lean of the hood and various other inferences, my metaphors and similes and analogy are often a many car pile up on the road of language.

 

Well done, and then the fact you are a Kiwi, I understood perfectly what you meant.

I am not a Kiwi, work with many of them, near enough.

 

If the Queen's English was not meant to be loved roughly now and then they should not have invented New Zealand and Australia in the first place, eh

 

Getting back on topic the reason why your bonnet is not straight is probably the unevenness you have tied the pink ribbons..........


Runs away and hides.......

 

Aden:


Thanks for the enlightenment. Indeed, I do have a vague recollection of "Gib" as a crane form.


In my former career, investigation of large and small crane failures was not infrequent !!!


Might even Google it up for memory refreshment.


Thanks


Carl

 

So now with all those explanations of worn hinges, pink ribbons, Spielberg devices and all . . . may I REALLY push off topic . . . ah, go on, let me please . . . coz I really do know about this one.

Assessing someone according to the "cut of his jib" implies a more complex process and a more deeply rooted understanding than appearances would suggest . . . COMPLEX? What's so so complex about cutting out a triangular piece of cloth to make a jib? Ah, but if you look closely . . . very closely . . . no jib, even a Number One storm jib is a single flat triangle. Usually, a jib contains 2-3 joined panels - each of numerous strips of fabric all cut and sewn to introduce "belly" into the sail. By this means, the sail can "catch air" rather than just "spill air". It allows it to "work the wind". How this is done is as much art as science. On the International Formula catamarans we once raced, we were sloop rigged and carried any 1 of 4 different but equally large, almost Genoa, jibs - each with about 40 individual panels carefully cut to complex trochoid curves that resulted in about 2, 3, 4, or 5 ft of belly and chose which to set according to prevailing wind conditions.

So, as I also love the origins of language, coming to the conclusion of "I like the cut of his jib" tells us, IMHO, nearly as much about the measurer as the one measured. It implies careful inspection, precision, and thoughtful reflection . . . arriving only at this conclusion after pushing beyond the superficial public face to seek out the genuine character of the real man beneath.

But . . . we found that yachting, especially the blue water kind, has become the domain of those for whom owning and maintaining Jaguar classics may be a rather lowly pursuit - one suited for the impoverished masses! The suit of Hood made jibs I described, as well as a brace of 3 matching mains (8 sails in all) might today cost the equivalent of a pair of immaculate XKRs . . . and if you have to ask the cost of racing hulls, aerofoil mast, rigging and running gear for these top shelf international racers, then you KNOW you can't afford it.

Anyway, enough. Best wishes all,

Ken

 

Well done Ken.

Soooooo, it is as I suspected more related to "The angle of the Dangle" with Series Jag bonnets that is so important.

 

Well . . . Shiver me timbers, Grant lad, oi suspects you have the right hang of things. I can see why the issue is so important too . . . nothing turns the air quite so blue as watching a bonnet drop, only to gouge a paint chip from the lip of the inner guard . . . and worn hinge pins are so often the culprit. Trying to adjust panels without first fixing them is wasted energy.

Also, I can't understand how R&R bonnet is anything other than a 2man job, aided by a good sharp felt marker (or in days long past, a sharp grease pencil) to apply hinge and/or bolt registration marks BEFORE removal. This step makes for foolproof initial replacement and far easier fine adjustment thereafter to ensure fine, fair, level, and parallel panel gaps.

I recall that Rolls Royce, for whom one of our in-law forebears was the RR Works Manager at Crewe, had their QC Inspectors kitted with gauge wedges made of flexible India rubber to accurately measure each gap at measured intervals all around each opening. Not trusting to human eyesight, these were reputed to be accurate to within about 10/1000th inch. Any opening that departed from uniformity by more than 1 step was an automatic fail and returned to "shop" to be readjusted.

Cheers and best wishes,

Ken

 

When I worked for Ford at Halewood, our daily end of line audit inspectors(UPAS) had wheel type gauges with tags of differing thickness with which they assessed the uniformity or taper of the door, bonnet boot etc. I had one, goodness knows where it is now.

 

When I first saw Nix, she had several Large paint chips on the fender from a misaligned hood fitting sometime in the past revealing the original Yellow top coat (looked Terrible!).


I bought several bottles of various brands of BLACK nail enamel, (SO many different colors of black!), found one that matched pretty well at a distance of 18 inches, and covered all the offending blotches. I still do that with new rock chips.

After the radiator work, I allowed the guys to set Nix's hood in place, started a bolt in each hinge, and then banished them from the shop while I fitted it so I could work without distraction or "advice." I "cheated" though, because I had scribed heavily around the hinges before I ever loosened the bolts.


It took me about 15 minutes to adjust the hinges correctly, slowly lowering the hood several times to see that I got it right, and another 10 minutes to gather the courage to just drop it from fully open. It fit Perfectly.

 

Elinor:


You got it right.


I got it almost right!!!


I scribed, but apparently, not deep enough. Or the sands of time!!! It took a took a time between offing and reinstalling.


It is 'close" sorta. Will I mess with it again. Not likely. The task list grows "literally" not shrinking at all. Lumber jack and pasture management up top. Not to mention the Jeep on ramps, awaiting help to swap in a new fuel tank module. Son got sick. I insisted, "no way". Must've felt pretty bad, did not resist. Not his usual....


Carl

 

In NZ our ribbons are all black tho, anjum

 

Hot diggety! I contend R&R bonnet is a "2 man job" and our Elinor shows it can be done by just 1 good woman. If my co-pilot Chris were still here, she would reckon on a 4 man job . . . 1 man to do little more than think about it . . . 2 men to spend all their time talking about how good it was gunna be . . . leaving just 1 man looking for a mate to help him do the job!

Actually . . . I do the same as Elinor. Final adjustment is definitely a 1 person responsibility. Oh . . . and for all XJ6 owners (irrespective of series) who may consider adding an unloved XJ40 (there are lots around, even post '90/'91 upgrade models at dirt cheap prices) . . . all XJ40s come with gas struts for both bonnet and boot, with replacements at bargain prices on the 'bay.

Cheers,

Ken