fender welting

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 4:54 pm

I Believe I Have A Manx Hood With A Ridge Down The Center.i Am In The Process Of Painting,and I Noticed There Is About A 1/2'' Gap Between The Hood And Fender.does Anyone Have This Issue? If So Do They Make A 1/2" Beading? The Jel-coat Is There On The Side Of The Hood So I Dont Think I Lost Any Width On The Hood.

UncleBob · Post by **UncleBob** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 5:07 pm

1/2" is a LOT. I see you're in the paint process, but have you test fitted the hood yet (i.e. bolt it up?) Do you have 'fender supports' on your shock towers? I used standard VW fender welting, after I comfirmed that the hood/body was a nice tight fit.

newmanx59 · Post by **newmanx59** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 7:40 pm

I have seen more then a few buggys that have a loose fitting hood. The way the hood is made it will open up to fit between the fenders. Tighten the bolts slowly and evenly, side to side. It may take a couple days but I would bet the hood will fit.

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 8:02 pm

I SURE AM GLAD THAT THIS FORUM EXIST. THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR INPUT. I DID NOT BOLT THE HOOD ON ,BECAUSE I WAS NOT SURE THE NUMBER OF #10- 1 BOLTS OR THE SPACING. I ONLY FOUND 1 HOLE TOWARDS THE DASH ON BOTH SIDES. NO OTHER HOLES ARE IN THE HOOD OR BODY. I HAVE A TIGHT FIT AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE HOOD/FENDER AREA. I ONLY NEED TO CLOSE UP 18" IN THE MIDDLE. DO YOU THINK THERE IS ENOUGH FLEXIBILITY TO TIGHTEN UP THE GAP. I AM WORKING IN A 70? ROOM. I DONT THINK I HAVE FENDER SUPPORTS, NOTHING TOUCHES THE SHOCK TOWER. IT IS FLAT ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE FENDER. I WILL TRY TO INCLUDE PICTURES LATER FOR SOME MORE IDENTIFICATION.THERE WERE NO TAGS OR NUMBERS WHEN I GOT THE MANX, I ONLY HAVE THE RIDGE ON THE HOOD. [QUOTE=UncleBob]1/2" is a LOT. I see you're in the paint process, but have you test fitted the hood yet (i.e. bolt it up?) Do you have 'fender supports' on your shock towers? I used standard VW fender welting, after I comfirmed that the hood/body was a nice tight fit.[/QUOTE]

UncleBob · Post by **UncleBob** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 8:36 pm

You might own a Sears Rascal. Either way, yes, the hood should flex a bit to fill the gap. Go slow like NewManx59 said, to allow the fiberglass to 'bend' without cracking. Might want to add a bit of 'flex agent' to the paint...

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 3:15 am

My Manx had a teeny-tiny gap between the hood & shell, and it was a bit tricky lowering it into place and setting the welting in at the same time; I used standard Beetle fender welting, by the way. Fitting the welting was especially tricky down below the headlight, where the body line curls back under towards the beam. Silicone spray & a 'waffer-thin' thin Bondo spreader helped immensely. I hope the POR-15 outside & Bill Mitchell sealer inside the tank last for-freeking-ever....I'm in no rush to do that job again.

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 9:37 am

From what I know. If you have a ridge down the hood It's not a manx hood, But a 1/2" is not much. If you mean total. A 1/2 on each side thats on the ide side, will put stress at the section where the fenders meet the firewall ( area in front of your feet) That will be under the dash and would be hard to see any crack in the paint. There are differant types of door seals. the seals for door on a 18 wheeler trailer could be trimed to size and used for this. You even check a place like lowes or home depot for home door seal