Hood/bonnet fitting….she wonky.

[DarkHelmet]

New hinges. Hood set all the way back in the slot. It's still too far forward and the back edge hits the opening edge. Guess I'll drill new holes a half inch back in the hinges, cut off the studs, use new flat screws

[94touring]

Is this a statement?  Lol.  Minis in general fit together like shit. So keep that in mind. Altering the stud holes on the hinges is pretty common.  As is grabbing the bonnet and bending in the front corners. Same for doors. I will be in the shop man handling doors and bonnets while I'm test fitting.  I'm still not entirely happy with how this genuine bonnet is fitting to a genuine front end to this early shell in my shop. There's about a foot of length where the gap between the wing to bonnet just doesn't match perfectly to the rest of the gaps. I plan to just weld a small bead in that area, grind and prep so it all matches perfectly, and paint.

[DarkHelmet]

Ima cut the studs and drill new holes. Simplest. The bonnet shape is perfect right now, I'd hate having to bend it.

[MiniDave]

Wait, is the hood too far back now or too far forward? Seems like you're saying it's already hitting along the back edge, so it can't go back any further? So how will cutting off the studs and using new holes help if it can't go back any further?

If you're saying it's too far back, I would simply lengthen the holes to allow it to go forward.

I've never seen a Mini bonnet that fit all that well, the one on my green car doesn't, that's for sure. But, I can't see that when I'm driving!   

I've seen a lot of instances where they cut a slit in the bonnet along the sides and inserted a thin piece of metal to make it fit the shape of the fenders, so you're not alone there Dan.

[94touring]

If it's all the way back and sticking out the front, time to bend each corner. It's easy and does no harm.  Grab each corner and just push downward with the other end against the floor on a towel. Doesn't take much.

[DarkHelmet]

It was all the way back in the mounting slots... and I had 3/4" more behind the rear lip before hitting the body.

Drilled the hinges a half inch back, bolts and it's in a great place now but the front is just a little bit out front still.