bugeye front tilt bonnet

[Tman]

Hello,
I have been restoring a bugeye on and off for the last 15 years - I wish I would have joined a forum much earlier. In any case, I am very close to finishing this car. I was able to get very nice gaps in the doors, but I am still not happy with the way the bonnet fits. I recently went to a British car show and observed one bugeye with a front tilt bonnet that fit quite nicely. My question is what are the advantages and disadvantages with a front tilt bonnet? By the way, everything is stock at this point.
Thank you

 

[Gray_Cat]

Tman:
There are a couple disadvantages when converting the Bugeye bonnett to tilt forward. 1. You can no longer fit the front bumper as the bonnet will hit the bumper if tilted forward. Also means you need to fabricate something to display your front license plate as well. 2. Authenticity. Depends on how much of a purist you want to be. You would loose points for the conversion at a concours but I don't know if you will be entering shows or not.
There is a huge upside - unfettered access to the engine compartment. Working under the original style set up (raising the bonnet from the front) is a literal pain in the back. You can get conversion kits from various vendors, or do it yourself. Having a restraining cable is a good idea to keep from stressing the mounting points too much when tilting the bonnet forward.
When my Bugeye is finished, the bonnet will tilt forward.
Regards
Roy
Roy

 

[Keoke]

HI Tman, the only advantage I know of is slightly better access under the bonnet when the bonnet is hinged at the front.---Fwiw---Keoke

 

[Biff]

Tman,
There is a front hinged design, https://www.gerardsgarage.com/GarageContent/Tech/tilthinge/tilthinge.htm that will allow keeping the front bumper in place. It's complicated compared to other front tilt units but a good design. If you have any more questions re: Bugeyes use the Spridgets Forum.

 

[Tman]

Thanks for all the information. It looks like I have a number of points to consider.