Forward opening hood / bonnet

[Stan Kowznofski]

Has anyone ever done a forward opening hood / bonnet for a Midget Mark III? I've seen the ones where the entire front end tilts forward but I am referring to just the "sheet metal engine cover". This would give the benefit of better headroom & accessibility without the complication of extending the wires to the lights and horn.

 

[RickF]

This thread has good pictures of how it can be done...

Reverse opening bonnet hinge ideas? : MG Midget Forum : The MG Experience

I've been enjoying having the bonnet off of my Sprite while working on the engine however my thoughts have been turning toward a more permanent solution to having the bonnet out of the way for regular maintenance and/or detailing. I'm looking into fabricating a reverse opening hinge setup but I'd l

www.mgexp.com

 

[vping]

My son and I are building a Midget and I like this idea better. We were going to try and weld the front end together and have the whole thing tilt like my Bugeye. This one is much more simple and I think I can fab the latching mechanism easier as well.

 

[Madflyer]

Now you could just get a TR 4 or 6. Madflyer

 

[RickF]

My son and I are building a Midget and I like this idea better. We were going to try and weld the front end together and have the whole thing tilt like my Bugeye. This one is much more simple and I think I can fab the latching mechanism easier as well.

Larry's design works well, but doesn't leave room for the stock grille. You might want to try to redesign the hinges.

Rick

 

[iceman]

Larry's design works well, but doesn't leave room for the stock grille. You might want to try to redesign the hinges.

Rick

Hi Rick, yes, you would have to cut into an OEM grill to make it pivot correctly. However, I like the look of an open, uncluttered air intake so it was not a consideration for me. One thing I would like to point out for those considering pivoting hood assy from a BE or the later cars, from the frt bottom, is you don't gain an open area to work on the engine. The Wings get in the way just like they do on a BE hood pivoted from the frt. With my mounting, the whole engine bay is open to work on, better on the back as well! My car is a 72 model, with only the hood pivoting, the fenders are still mounted in the normal position.

 

[RickF]

Hi Rick, yes, you would have to cut into an OEM grill to make it pivot correctly. However, I like the look of an open, uncluttered air intake so it was not a consideration for me. One thing I would like to point out for those considering pivoting hood assy from a BE or the later cars, from the frt bottom, is you don't gain an open area to work on the engine. The Wings get in the way just like they do on a BE hood pivoted from the frt. With my mounting, the whole engine bay is open to work on, better on the back as well! My car is a 72 model, with only the hood pivoting, the fenders are still mounted in the normal position.

Hi Larry,

I have to disagree. My race Bugeye has a stock steel bonnet that is hinged to tilt forward. The access to the engine is way, way, WAY better with the bonnet hinged forward compared to my street Bugeye with it's cowl hinged steel bonnet. The bonnet on the race car is almost straight up and down vertically when opened and the only thing you can't easily get to is the front of the radiator.

 

[vping]

I did a pretty good job with the BE. Hood fully opens with loads of room to work on the engine. I can probably figure something out for the Midget to give really good access. Mind you not as good as the BE.

 

[vping]

I think my signal lens are about 1/2" the ground.

 

[Stan Kowznofski]

I would love to do the same thing with my Mark III Midget but it seems rather complicated which is why I am leaning towards just the bonnet and not the entire front end tilting. Does anyone have any tips, tricks, suggestions, procedures, etc. on what is involved, particularly from the standpoint of lengthening the wiring harness and how to keep it out of the way when the bonnet / fenders are closed. What kind of connector is recommended to be used so the bonnet / fenders can be removed if need be? How much does the harness need to be extended?

 

[Jim_Gruber]

A 6 conductor GM Weatherpack Connector M/F Plug will work quite nicely. Comes with Pigtails if you pick the correct one and simply splice in the connector. I've also used a Trailer Harness Connection before.