TVR Vixen - Refitting the Bonnet

Just a quick job

The first weekend I had the car at home I thought I would adjust the bonnet to reduce the three quarter inch shutline on the bonnet. I'd done this with the previous Vixen and had some idea of how to do it and after twenty minutes or so the shutline was much improved - but I couldn't open the bonnet any more. The bottom edge of the bonnet was hitting the front edge of the chassis as it was opened and stopping it opening far enough. I put the bonnet back where it had been - very puzzled.

Over the next couple of months I tried to find out why. I knew the car had had a replacement bonnet but it must have opened properly originally.

I looked at several other Vixens at club meetings and a couple that Steve Reid had for sale. On all of them the chassis design at the front was slightly different and one of the differences was that my chassis was two inches longer and had an extra tube across the front. But why? Most of the people I asked had no idea - one had a Vixen with a tube across the front and had altered the edge of his replacement bonnet so that it would fit. His recommendation - "Cut the front of the chassis off". It sounded a bit drastic. He only knew of one other car with a similar chassis.

I spoke to the ex-owner of that other car who was able to tell me that on his car the extra chassis tube had been used to mount a heater fan in front of the radiator. Chassis with front mounted heater blower

Things were starting to make sense - all three cars were close to the transition from S2 to S3 when the heaters had been altered - an interim heater design appeared to have needed a chassis extension and a different bonnet. Some months afterwards I had a chance to look at a car 20 after mine by chassis number. This had the original bonnet which was a different shape and its edge was lower - although it didn't have the extra chassis tube. My mind was made up and when I painted the chassis I modified the front with the help of a friend.

On reassembling the car after painting the chassis I still had difficulty with the bonnet but it was hugely improved and I didn't have time to fiddle. I was aiming to attend Back Home 2000 and was running out of time. I subsequently managed to get it right - the bonnet catches weren't bent the same amount.
That wasn't quite the end though a couple of weeks later reversing into a car park space there was a loud noise as on full lock the nearside front wheel came into contact with the bonnet bottom edge. I put this down to my having moved the bonnet back a fraction of an inch to reduce the gap at the shutline but I still think there should be more space. Out with the fibre glass again to reshape the edge.