Making Bonnet hinges

[Steve Bryant]

I have to make new bonnet hinges for my bonnet. I saw an article showing the method with description and photos but I can't remember if that was on this forum. Any help in this regard would be most appreciated.
Thanks,
Stephen

[Steve Jones]

Can't help with answereing your actual question but when I wanted a bonnet hinge some years ago I found what I wanted at Vintage Supplies. Now in new ownership they still list various types and sizes. If you can find what you want there, a bit easier than re-inventing the wheel perhaps?

https://www.vintagecarparts.co.uk/catego...nnet-hinge

Steve

[Dutch-Ulster rep]

Maybe this will be of some help:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eqg4LyBsQQM

[Ian Williams]

Yes I posted some instruction about how to make accurate reproductions of Austin seven bonnet hinges. Probably in my body building thread but I cant remember for sure at this point.

[Steve Bryant]

Ian that  sounds like the information I am looking for.
Cheers,
Stephen

[Ian Williams]

I have just look through my body build thread and I make mention of posting about how to make the hinge on page 6 but I think the information you need is on the old forum. Trouble is I cant find it, and the relevant pictures are stored on an old computer which is currently in storage. So unless some kind soul on here can find the post I am afraid I cant help you at the moment.

[Dave Wortley]

Steve, if you can’t find Ian’s info, this is a fairly simple method I used when building my special and is only suitable for the two top parts of the bonnet.
First of all the bonnet tops are turned over to make a 13mm or so inward pointing flange at the hinge area to which you can attach by small screws individual pieces of hinge.
These are made of 20swg stainless steel sheet in my case and are made as follows. Start with a piece of cereal packet as a template and cut a rectangle of 35mm wide approximately by 75 mm long. Using a piece of 8mm bar about 100mm long, bend the 35mm width over the bar and stick the assembly in the vice with the bar horizontal and not gripped in the vice jaws but stuck out above it, the only bits in the vice being the two “tails”. Tighten the vice and there you have one short piece of hinge, albeit in card.
When you are happy with the length of the tails you can now cut out however many you need for the bonnet length in stainless or mild steel and use the same method of squeezing in the vice with the 8mm steel rod as a former.
Alternate pieces of hinge are attached by screws to the two sides of the bonnet.
The 8mm full bonnet length hinge pin can now be fitted. The downturn of the two pieces of bonnet top at the hinge gives you a rigid and square appearance, with no undulations in this area and no screws or rivet heads visible.
My special has separate side panels as the Ulster so no complications of side hinges.

[Steve Bryant]

Thank you Dave. I give that a go and see how it works for me.
Stephen

[Malcolm Parker]

Chris Goulds book on Building  Reproduction Ulsters has detailed instructions on making bonnet hinges, essentially as Dave has just described.

["Slack Alice" Simon]

I was very lazy when making the hinge for Alice.

I had acquired a roll of brass strip, about 3/4" wide.

Made 4 "P" shaped bits, and the rest just cylinders, so the hinge goes: cylinder / cylinder /  P to the left  / P to the right / cylinder cylinder down to 4 from the other end / P to the left / P to the right / cylinder / cylinder

Brass rod down the middle.  Four rivets only, job done.   It is only a special, after all.