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Re: spitfire questions

To: Chuck Watkins <watkinsca@appstate.edu>, triumphs@Autox.Team.Net,
Subject: Re: spitfire questions
From: tomomalley@hey.net (Tom O'Malley)
Date: Thu, 21 May 1998 00:38:02 GMT
Chuck writes...

>I have two questions related to Spitfires that I hope someone will have
>the answers to:
>1.  Has anyone experienced tearing of the metal at the upper corners of
>the cutout

Yes yes yes. :-(  Almost every Spit I've seen has this problem.

I'm anticipating painting my bonnet this summer and I'd like to take a
shot at a long term fix but I'm not optimistic.  My feeling is that
chassis flex is responsible for a lotta stress in this area even if
the latches are not adjusted overly tight.  I suppose that the
stamping process that was used to create the original cutout may also
be a factor.  If this was the case I would guess that welding the
cracks might solve the problem.

In an effort to hedge my bets I'm going to take a different approach.
I'm going to re-inforce the backs of the cutouts with another piece of
20 gauge steel that's spot welded to the original wing for a distance
of four inches or so.  The bonnet latch mounting screws will then pass
through both pieces.  What I'm hoping to do is spread the loading over
a greater area...we'll see. :-)


Cheers!
Tom O'Malley in Southbridge Massachusetts
'74, '77 Spits


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