HELP !! FITTING A WAYWARD TRAV REAR WING

[ronwilson]

Any HELP ! Nearing the end of restoring our Traveller- new ash frame on, doors fitting well and all glazing done. Great sense of satisfaction at getting to this point. Now feel (know ?) that was premature! Started fitting the new n/s rear wing and find the inner wing edge wants to buckle in at its apex and bulge the face of the wing at that point. Stared bolting the wing at the sill end and as bolting progressed past the arch needed to apply pressure inwards to keep the wing aligned with the frame. That's when the bulge started to appear. There doesn't seem to be any obvious culprit except that the plane of the wing inner edge and the plane of the ash arch aren't true with each other. ANYONE MEET (& OVERCOME) THIS PROBLEM ?? HELPFUL THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS WELCOME !

[rayofleamington]

Who sold you the wood and who sold you the wing?
I'd try talking to both of them to see if they've heard of it before. Depeding on who sold the wood they may be able to offer words of experience on the best way to get the wing to sit right.
Good luck, and I hope it is sorted amicably (as the last thing you need after that kind of money and effort is to get stuck).

[SR]

ello ron ,lyndsays porters minor resto book ,i think says start bolting up at the top/middle ,which makes sense to me,is it a pattern or genuine wing?

[johnm]

I think the advice above is correct, you need to offer up the wing with its beading and check that it will line up before attempting to screw it on. Once its offered up mark the top holes and secure the wing there and then put the rest of the screws in. Moggies aren't precision engineered!

[ronwilson]

Thanks Ray, Steve and John for your help. The wing's demounted now and we'll have another go shortly with a trial fit before bolting it on.

[simmitc]

Wings are seldom a perfect fit "out of the box" and it may be necessary to cut the mounting flange and either remove or add some metal. The best thing is to do a trial fit and adjust before painting. Alternatively, if it's not concours then just accept that the gap will vary slightly and simply do as suggested in previous posts.

[Gareth]

Moved to 'Bodywork' by Moderator ;)

[chickenjohn]

ello ron ,lyndsays porters minor resto book ,i think says start bolting up at the top/middle ,which makes sense to me,is it a pattern or genuine wing?

Steve thats a great tip, ta very much and very timely, as i'm about to re-fit one rear wing to the new wood

[ronwilson]

lyndsays porters minor resto book ,i think says start bolting up at the top/middle ,which makes sense to me,is it a pattern or genuine wing?

OK it's worth looking at but the difficult profile to match is at the front. That's where Lindsay Porter's book advises to start for the Traveller. Relooking at his book, starting in the middle was recommended for the convertible & saloon. Our problem started near the front when bolting up; this next trial we may attach one loosely at the front but try to get a better compromise fit at the mid and end points. BTW have measured up the length of the wing and the gap across the arch and found the wing (BMC Heritage product - original or pattern part ??) 5mm longer. Didn't look helpful but that may or maynot be responsible for problem. Will post results tomorrow. (2BTW- Ed thanks for moving thread)

[chickenjohn]

If the wing is 5mm longer- as said above then cut slots with a 1mm cutting disk in the flange where the bolts go through in the problem area and butt weld them up, then grind smooth with a grinding disk and paint.

Next time buy Hadrian/LMC panels! ;)

[ronwilson]

[quote="ronwilson"]
... this next trial we may attach one loosely at the front but try to get a better compromise fit at the mid and end points.

THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR COMMENTS. The wings and arches had previously been piloted for our intended s/s bolts. Have now successfully mounted both rear wings including the problem one by aligning the wing as true to the whole arch (as johnm suggested) before bolting up loosely at front, top and rearmost points using our pre-drilled holes . Fortunately, as these bolts were screwed in & tightened progressively the wing came up & aligned itself to the arch with steady but minimal pressure. We then bolted up the intervening spaces. You could feel & see the wing change its shape as this happened. Conclusion-happiness !! Believe the small buckle accentuated by the 5mm diff bx wing & arch was likely already there in this pattern-part wing; its lessened now and will get proper attention when roof gets final spray.

For what it's worth, now believe we generated the earlier fitting problems by bolting up the first 12 inches of the front (sill end) section too tightly before attempting any overall alignment of remaining wing to arch.