Last night I finally got up enough courage to go after the MGA bonnets
acquired last year in hopes that one of them will end up smooth enough
to put in the car. To refresh the memory, I had the bonnet blow open
last year and lived with the bent unit all summer.
I started with the one that had the most damage since, if I trashed it,
I wouldn't feel as bad. Lacking actual body tools, I just used a
regular hammer and a 2 lb mallet as a dolly. I used a screwdriver to
reach up under the frame to get dents behind them.
The worst bonnet had a couple of dings plus an edge bent under such as
if a person had dropped the bonnet from some height. It took me about
30 minutes but it looks like the dents are gone. I have a little
waviness in the panel right behind the repaired fold but this is where
the frame is in the way and I am also pretty sure that the aluminum has
stretched there.
I think I am going to leave it as is and apply a skim of filler to level
everything. After that I will have to finish stripping and paint her
up. This will probably be the toughest part since I have no painting
equipment. I may try to have the local paint shop put some lacquer in a
couple of bombs and have a go. Or maybe I can borrow a spray gun and
compressor.
Regards,
Bill Eastman
61 MGA still in storage and will probably see a little time this year
with a bent bonnet.
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