Hood rubber buffers

[AUSMHLY]

What is the purpose of the small rubber buffers under the hood of a BJ8. Are they suppose to touch the hood when it is closed? Reason for asking is, I am trying to center the hood. Gap all around is good. Problem is the front corners of the hood are not high enough to be flush with the rest of the hood. Seems the adjustment is with the hood pin. By turning it, it raises or lowers the hood. When at the right setting, it seems the pin hold the hood, centers the hood and determins how high or low it is. Are the rubber buffers suppose to make contact? If I push down on the hood, then they will touch, but release pressure and they don't anymore. Seems the hood will be moving around a lot, only being held in place by the pin. (the two safety latches don't seem to be of any help in the front, were the problem is). So, is the pin job to hold the hood closed, center, align, including height?

 

[Keoke]

YES! The pin must do all those things and YES the hood buffers should contact the hood and if for some reason while the bonnet is moving around the pin unlatches at speed you will be glad the two latches are there--FWIW---Keoke /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Dave Russell]

Hi Roger,
Keoke is definitely correct. The buffers should compress slightly when the hood is at it's correct height.

It may be that the buffers are compressed or otherwise out of shape. Or, maybe they never did fit.

You could try new buffers. You need buffers Moss # 031-359, split rivets # 325-765, & washers # 325-770. Get a few extras to experiment with.The buffers have to be drilled/punched, one side only, for the rivets. The body flange is drilled for the rivets.

Try the buffers first for contact with the hood at proper height. If they don't contact the hood, You could shim under the flange contact area to build them up. If needed, you could drill new flange holes a bit higher up & to one side slightly, & then shim under the buffers. The buffers will cover the old holes.

When the buffers are at the proper height to contact the hood, punch through the inboard (engine side) only, ice pick works ok, of the buffers to line up with the flange holes. Insert a rivet with washer from the engine side through the buffer & flange. Spread the rivet ends against the flange. The spread ends of the rivet will be underneath the outboard portion of the buffer & not show.

A little tricky to get the hang of the first time, thus the suggestion to get extras.

Or, if you don't want perfection, just build up the buffers with some rubber pieces glued on to the existing buffers.
D

 

[SHG]

I had a similar problem with my BJ8. The hood was rattling too much. There is supposed to be an additional longer bumper on the driver's side, which I bought from Victoria British. It was tricky getting everything to fit tightly without being too tight that the hood wouldn't close, but when all the pieces are in the right place and the adjustment down is correct, it should all fit tightly.

 

[Johnny]

Welcome AUSMHLY to the forum. To answer your question IMHO I don't think the buffers are there for much more than to keep the hood from banging against the shroud flange it sits in. The long rubber piece on the drivers side is to prevent water from spraying in under the hood and getting into the carbs. The pin in front is critical to keeping the hood aligned. BTW if you remove the chrome bezel from the hood scoop you can adjust the height of the pin with a screwdriver to attain the proper height, then reopen the hood and tighten securely. You can also adjust the latch below mounted in the front (where the pin seats) up/down and even sideways slightly. I usually start by aligning the pin first so it strikes the latch correctly then allow the hood to sit down on the buffers then adjust the pin until it closes with a click.
Good Luck.

 

[AUSMHLY]

This help is great guys. I have adjusted the latch below, and the pin. Problem is when getting the hood to be flush with the edges, the hood no longer touched the rubber buffers. If I push down on the hood, then it will, but the hood now sits to low. Seems like I need taller buffers. They are all lined up, where the holes for the rivits go. The buffers are new and were rivited in when I did the tear down. Maybe I have the wrong buffers? Mine are black, horseshoe shaped, but are cut even at the bottom. I think I read somewhere that one end is to be longer than the other? Humm, which leads to another question. What if someone cannot close the hood because the buffers are to high. They would trim the bottom? The pin is adustable, then what about the buffers? Can anyone tell me the mm or inch size of the longes part of the buffer that makes contact with the bottom of the rail cannel?

 

[Dave Russell]

Hi Roger,
Interesting question.

From engine side to outside, rivet head, washer, inside buffer leg, vertical flange, flattened rivet, outside buffer leg.

Note that new buffers do not have any holes. The hole is made when you fit the buffer to the car. Your existing "new" buffers may not have the hole properly located.

There are several buffer shapes available from different vendors. The supposedly "correct" original buffers had the leg of the U which contacts the bottom of the "canal" shorter than the other leg by about .150". Bottom of the U .330", one leg .470", the other leg .320".

The "incorrect" buffers that Moss sold had both legs, measured at the inside of the U, at about .470" & overall height of the buffer is about .800". In your case, the "incorrect" buffers with two long legs might actually help the situation. Especially if you shim the inside bottom of the U to contact the flange so as to raise the buffer.

For long buffer life the inside of the U should contact the flange top at the same height as does the leg of the U contact the bottom of the flange channel. Thus the shimming & fitting before punching the final rivet hole location.

If you need to straighten the rivet legs to remove them, the rivets need to be annealed before trying to reuse them, otherwise, they will usually crack. Heat red hot with a torch & allow to slowly cool. Best to have a good supply of new rivets. On my BN2 I had to individually fit 6 buffers plus the striker plus the hinges plus reshaping the hood contour, to get perfect hood to cowl elevation alignment.
D

 

[Keoke]

Well it seems all the bases hve been covered here.I would like to suggest to ease adjustment of the locking pin, that the locking nut be removed,remove the pin/spring, reassemble the nut to the pin and reinstall the pin in the bracket assy. This makes the locking nut easily attainable and adjustable from the outside. No more contortions or removing chrome pieces as suggested.--FWIW---Keoke /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[bob hughes]

Can I stick my two penny worth in, from experience, something is required in there to stop rattling, my BJ7 had all the proper rubbers on it, but the rattle was terrible. I used some self adhesive rubber seal over the top of the existing rubbers, not pretty but effective, the problem was it kept unpeeling itself from the original buffers. The more practical solution came when I had to re-new the rag top seal over the windscreen, the one that clips over the aluminium fitting. I cut a few pieces from the old seal and clipped it onto the shroud at a few places around the opening. No rattles now and it looks quite the part, only a Healey owner would know that it is not original. It does not seam to obstruct the channel unduly, not that I intentionally take it out in the rain, but over here, in the right place, you can have all the seasons in one day, at any time in the year.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/england.gif Bob