Boot (trunk) lid alignment

[aarc240]

Can anyone have a look at the alignment and shape of the boot (trunk) lid on their C110 hardtop please?

More eyes that look the better.

Have look at the shape of the lid in this

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18143&d=1178566282

I was about to rework ours on the assumption that it was bent but in fact the right side is virtually identical in shape and fit to the pictiured 2000 GTX-E.

The left side fits much more accurately but again is very close to that of

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18140&d=1178566282

This view shows the 'misfit' on the right side also where the lid obviously curves more than the body and consequently the extreme rear edge of the fender just shows above the lid.

Our lid is rusted internally so it will be a 'master' to pull a mould from but I see no point in 'alignment fitting' it if in fact the original fit is generally like that shown.

After all, a lid that fits perfectly may well be a lid that does not fit correctly.

[240kconvertible]

I can't look at mine to see as it hasn't been on the car for nearly a year now

I do remember it not lining up properly as a panelbeater friend tried to line it up but was unsuccessful. We put it down to the convertible conversion and figured they stuffed it.

[aarc240]

No one else has a C110 hardtop they can have a look at??

Once the moulds are made then the lightweight panel will match mine, so if it needs fixing speak up now.

[Mr Camouflage]

Not sure what I'm supposed to be looking at. The one in the picture just doesn't look aligned properly.

Mine sits higher than it should as I think it has a new boot seal in it. I'll take a pic sunday and post it.

[aarc240]

On the right side you can see that for about the first third of the lid or so it matches the body shape and then rolls off in a curve that is tighter radius than the body exhibits.

The rear trim is noticeably lower than the trim on the body.

Compare that to the left side of the lid where it is a close match to the body all the way along the edge of the lid.

That mismatch seen in the two images is virtually identical to the mismatch on our GT and there is no evidence on it of any rear damage, inside or out.

I have been able to look at a couple more cars around Adelaide plus one I just bought for parts.

All three show the same shape in the lid and the same mismatch on the right side so I'm assuming that there was an error in the original pressing of something on the car.

Since I didn't think to get an accurate profile of both sides of the boot/trunk opening I'm not entirely sure that it is the lid. Maybe the outer skin of the body shell is actually where the difference is.

The lid fits the seal accurately on at least two cars so I'm reluctant to tweak the lid without good reason.

[Mr Camouflage]

I'll try and get a few photos for you later in the week. I tried this morning, but camera batteries were flat, and was late for work.

[Mr Camouflage]

Well heres pics of mine. See what you reckon.

I think in the pics of the car above the boot lid just needs better aligning. Basically you have a rectangle being held on a 3 points, both the hinges, and the boot catch in the center. If theres any uneven force on one corner, it will make the boot lid twist slightly making one side lower than the other.

I pulled up on the left side of the boot lid a little, and the right side dropped like the one in the photo. It went back to normal after I let go. I don think the curves are any different.

I guess you could try seeing how it looks with the boot springs off (there a pain to get back on though), and/or the boot seal removed.

[aarc240]

Thanks for those.

I don't have the springs in ours anyway - wouldn't stay open with spoiler on top, safety triangles underneath etc!

You're right that torquing the lid at one corner changes the alignment of the other corner but that doesn't affect the mismatched curvature of the right side of the lid when compared to the body line.

I'm still not sure but I think I'll just assume it's close and use it for the master.