bonnet locators mark 2

 Well, the plan I had to sort the bonnet failed. As soon as the second one went on, the forces involved meant it just snapped on one side and jammed on the other. I think I'd have to do something a bit more substantial to get it to work.

However, that's not the big issue anymore. I'm not convinced two rubber bungs is enough to pull the bonnet into shape. The whole corner curve needs supporting. So rather than try and open up the sides as the bonnet shuts, I'm going to engineer something to give the bonnet more rigidity and line up with the body.

So the first thing was a template... 

Graph paper on the inside edge, and a sharp blade to cut it to the right profile. The same was then done for the outside edge, leaving me with two profiles;

I suspect they'll actually be almost identical, but I thought while I'm here I would get them both. I will now 3D print a profile to match, and see how they fit inside the gap and how much is left. I'll then combine them into one item and print perfectly fitting spacer. Well, the first one will be. The second one will be minus a few millimetres as I'll line it with rubber. 

The plan will then be to glue it to the bonnet, possibly with an additional metal support, that will keep the bonnet shape. I'll probably continue the process all the way down the side, although as that part is straighter I'm hoping I can do it with some aluminium or similar, rather than having to 3D print all the way down. 

And yes, I know this whole process is probably a bit excessive, but one thing I wanted from the start was a tight shut line for the bonnet, and at the moment I don't have that. It sits crooked, it would rub when driving, it's just not what I was after here.