Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Classic/Traditional Cars - Bonnet Stays

This has not been high on my list of priorities, but I happened upon some anodised aluminium tube (8mm external diameter) in Wickes. Wickes keep a large range of steel & aluminium sections in stock. These tubes are 1metre long and under £4 each. So all I had to do was to prepare some end brackets. I don't want these to be permanently attached like the stainless items available from specialists already, it's just for garage use, so they don't have to be too well finished.
At the bottom end, a simple aluminium push on cover will locate the tube on the bonnet bracket, and at the top I've made a turned over fork which locates firmly on the centre nut. It's important that the stays can't be knocked out of place easily.
So first the templates................


This shows the lower bracket. The one on the left has been bent to shape. This is 1mm aluminium sheet.


Here are the top brackets, both turned over. The hole you can see is for attaching to the tube, but underneath is a larger hole which locates on the nut.


The brackets locate to the tubes with 6mm allen headed setscrews which are araldited in place. Here is the lower bracket over the top of the bonnet bracket. It's a good firm fit. The bracket is lined with 3mm neoprene, although it's not strictly necessary.




To get the right height it was necessary to take 8cm off each tube and bend slightly as is visible in the next picture. If the stays are too long the bonnets will touch.


This shows how the fork locates around the bonnet fastener.


And this shows how the larger hole clips over the nut for a good grip. I've filled the slot with neoprene now, but you wouldn't see the fitting had I done this before these photos.


Finally this shows that the bonnets are just right. There's about a quarter inch between them.

This job took about three hours and needed a bit of fettling along the way, but will be useful for working under the bonnet.

Nice job, as was to be expected from you, Dave!

BTW I'm still waiting for samebody to come up with an "automatic" solution to keep the bonnets open - like on the old Citroens 11/Legère. I hate working on cars with bonnet stays because they always get in the way, wherever they are.

Frank

Frank,
I must confess- I DO have bonnet stays but when I worl on the car in the garage I have two rubber bungees with padded hooks suspended from the roof and I just hook these under the bonnet edges!
regards,
G

Funnily enough Frank I did wonder about a 'stayless' solution to this. I'm mentally working up smething that looks like a seagull - a sort of curved V, which would sit in the V between the open bonnets. It would need one at both ends - maybe when I get a minute.....

I assume that your "modern" classic Morgans have alloy bonnets which need a more careful handling than my old steel bonnet. Since more than 40 years I just let them drop over. Problem is that I can't keep open both sides at the same time.

I thought on the same lines as DaveW, and with the steel bonnet probably one Vee on the rear would suffice. Because I found no solution which wouldn't involve drilling or bracing the bonnet with spoiling the paint or the looks my ideas came to naught.

Frank

It's do-able Frank. The seagull should be made from 1mm aluminium lined with neoprene on the underside. Then attached to the bottom of the Vee it needs a castellated W shape, also lined with neoprene. If the verticals of the W are in the same plane as the bonnets, it will hold them open, and this gizmo will slot on from the rear. Although you'd need to support one side with a stay in order to fit the seagull. All the weight would be taken on the insides of the bonnets, and the seagull wings would prevent it dropping down.

Just take it off it's only 2 screws

Another nice interesting thread Dave.

I just envy your endless supply of just the right pieces of Stainless Steel, and in this case, Aluminium for these little jobs.

I must start making a collection, One of these days

Thanks Frank. I really need to get down to the Newark Autojumble again - there's a stall there with a vast selection of offcuts, although the supplier I use in Liverpool for aluminium & stainless is very good.
There's a Newark event on 11th April, but I'm away...........
The first one I can get to is 22 July.