Finished bar the polishing, but had issue with the body cut outs.

[Green Roadster Build.]

I finally completed my MK4. It took a year and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I did make one change that I’m wondering is anyone else has had issues with. The body didn’t sit on the frame around the engine bay, which meant that the hood didn’t line up, or match the curvature of the body particularly on the drivers side near the windshield. I’d already fitted the doors and trimmed the hood but it was really obvious. I noticed that the body wasn’t sitting on the frame as I believed it should, so I pulled the bumper supports from the factory drilled holes and let it rest naturally on the frame. The hood now lined up perfectly. So I bit the bullet, drilled new holes in the body for the bumper supports. Next I had to drill new holes for the hood mechanism which meant essentially adding one hole on the same spacing to the holes for the rivets that held the mechanism to the hood and the gas struts to the hood, both closer the middle of the car. Lastly I had the drill a new hole in the mounting bracket to allow the mechanism to slide back the inch or so it needed. This allowed it to fold up behind the upper radiator mount cross member which otherwise would interfere with it as the body/hood was lower. I patched up the old holes in the body and job done. It did leave a couple of issues, the drivers door gap in particular is now too big as the opening grew at the top now the body was able to lie flat, and the front bumper hoop is slightly too high. Has anyone else had similar issues with the factory cut outs for the front bumper and the hood mechanism?
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[danmas]

Nice looking build!

[Green Roadster Build.]

Thanks, to be honest the bodywork and the paint were the hardest part, but I’m really happy with it.

[egchewy79]

by bumper supports, are you referring to the "horseshoe" attachments that go to the front turn signal area on the body? Most experts recommend not using these and using the metro molded from grommets for the quick jacks to support the front in addition to some spacers under the hood opening at the radiator support. The body should be 1/2"-5/8" above the 3/4" tube just behind the radiator support, using some sort of rubber spacer under the body.

Nice color by the way. What is the color?

[Jeff Kleiner]

I finally completed my MK4. It took a year and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I did make one change that I’m wondering is anyone else has had issues with. The body didn’t sit on the frame around the engine bay, which meant that the hood didn’t line up, or match the curvature of the body particularly on the drivers side near the windshield. I’d already fitted the doors and trimmed the hood but it was really obvious. I noticed that the body wasn’t sitting on the frame as I believed it should, so I pulled the bumper supports from the factory drilled holes and let it rest naturally on the frame. The hood now lined up perfectly. So I bit the bullet, drilled new holes in the body for the bumper supports. Next I had to drill new holes for the hood mechanism which meant essentially adding one hole on the same spacing to the holes for the rivets that held the mechanism to the hood and the gas struts to the hood, both closer the middle of the car. Lastly I had the drill a new hole in the mounting bracket to allow the mechanism to slide back the inch or so it needed. This allowed it to fold up behind the upper radiator mount cross member which otherwise would interfere with it as the body/hood was lower. I patched up the old holes in the body and job done. It did leave a couple of issues, the drivers door gap in particular is now too big as the opening grew at the top now the body was able to lie flat, and the front bumper hoop is slightly too high. Has anyone else had similar issues with the factory cut outs for the front bumper and the hood mechanism?


NOTHING on these cars is symmetrical and you can get into trouble assuming that it is. The hood opening is not centered on the body (never has been) therefore when you tried to make it match the chassis tubes that surround the engine bay it brought the front of the body off center leading you to believe that the holes for the bumper tubes were mislocated. Also when you "let it rest naturally on the frame" the nose would have been too low (needs to be approximately 5/8" or so above at the front) and was messing with the fit of the hood and hinges. This would also explain why the front hoop is high. In the end though you sorted it out and the finished car looks good! Lots of flake and sparkle in that paint :)

Jeff

[Green Roadster Build.]

By bumper supports I am referring to the quick jack/bumper supports that pass through the body and by doing so control the vertical alignment of the body. Per the manual at least the body should rest on the weather strips on top of the frame rails so that the bumpers that the hood rests on can be riveted through the body to the frame. At least that was my understanding, there was no mention of shimming the body up but I can see why people were doing it now. That being said the hood wood not align with the body, the curvature was way out because the front of the body was being held up. When I made the change it lowered the front by just over an inch and then it all lined up perfectly. The spacing over the front wheels looks more like the original too as a trade off. I did use the "horseshoes" but now they aren't doing anything really other than holding things in place, there's no stress on them.

Glad you like the color, its a copy of Aston Martin's Ocellus Teal. My first and likely last paint job! :)

[Green Roadster Build.]

Thanks Jeff. The issue I was having was all vertical not sideways symmetry. With the front being held up by the quick jack penetrations the hood just would not match the curvature of the body, it stuck up almost 3/4" in the rear drivers side corner no matter what I did with it and it looked god awful. I couldn't raise the body at the firewall because it wraps under the sills at that point so lowering the front seemed like the only option. I looked at some posts on here were people had had hood fitment issues but didn't see a solution I liked so came up with this. Funny thing is in the manual pictures at least it shows the frame rails tucked up into the recess around the hood opening and even says that the bumpers for the sides of the hood should be rivetted into the frame rails with 1/8" rivets, which can't be done if its shimmed up. Any idea where the 5/8" gap came from or is it a result of everyone getting around the same issue?204499204500

I have the suspension set with minimal preload and the front wheel arches seem to be sitting where they should be without messing with them for aesthetics.

[rich grsc]

By bumper supports I am referring to the quick jack/bumper supports that pass through the body and by doing so control the vertical alignment of the body. Per the manual at least the body should rest on the weather strips on top of the frame rails so that the bumpers that the hood rests on can be riveted through the body to the frame. At least that was my understanding, there was no mention of shimming the body up but I can see why people were doing it now. That being said the hood wood not align with the body, the curvature was way out because the front of the body was being held up. When I made the change it lowered the front by just over an inch and then it all lined up perfectly. The spacing over the front wheels looks more like the original too as a trade off. I did use the "horseshoes" but now they aren't doing anything really other than holding things in place, there's no stress on them.

Glad you like the color, its a copy of Aston Martin's Ocellus Teal. My first and likely last paint job! :)

No, that is not correct. The body hasn't been fastened to the frame rail since the MRK II, in fact I don't think it ever was. I can see the hood not fitting if you tried to pull the body down on the frame rail. All said, guess you found your own way to make things work.

[Green Roadster Build.]

Hi Rich. I had the issues before I dropped the body down. Everything lined up perfectly once I dropped it. Essentially I let it sit where it wanted to naturally. Seems like things were changed just to accommodate the hood mechanism. My guess anyway.

[rich grsc]

If you got it to work, and you're happy, then all is OK.