Time to test fit the bonnet panels! - 1950 MG Rebuild Episode 38 

That notch in the rubber should be there Jaime. It gives clearance to the hood hinge keepers. I discovered it's easier to slide the hinge on with the halves folded over each other. You're not fighting the tension of the closed hood. Also a little lithium grease in the groove of the chrome hinge helps. (after they are painted). As far as the fit of the bonnet, I would line it up so it fits the tub first as the tub is fixed and not adjustable, then adjust your radiator forward or back until the front lines up. It may require some trimming from the ends. An extra pair of hands to hold it in place while you're fitting it would be helpful too. I got She Who Must Be Obeyed involved and it helped. If it makes you feel better I discovered mine doesn't fit right after I had it painted. I had to trim a little off the back end with tin snips after the fact, which required fixing the paint. Not sure what happened because it fit in mock up. Oh well. Old cars are fun... right?

That bonnet was and still is a PIA! For what it's worth here are the steps I did after paint strip and prep. 1)Apply base and clear coats and finish that painting. Impossible to paint once 4 parts are assembled. Add rubber parts and chrome bits at each end of the chassis. 2) Assemble all 4 bonnet parts on the floor using a electric drill to slowly insert the rod parts. 3)Install all 4 parts as an "assembly" using wife as helper (sigh). What I should have done but didn't is install the latching mechanisms to the body and test fit to the bonnet before painting it anything! The latches are part and parcel of the bonnet and have a mind of their own of course! I also rushed into drilling and installing the chrome bits and wound up removing them, drilling out the wood and installing wooden plugs allowing me to "start over". Take your time there! You might also want to look into the various methods people have used to brace the bonnet open without cracking the paint on around the top hinge. I've tried several methods and still have small paint cracks there. The MG forum on the web has lots of ideas. And keep smiling!

Your patience is very inspiring. Your video style makes the viewer part of the process. Fully enjoyable!

Thanks for taking us along.

Geez, those panel gaps on the bonnet now makes the door issues look a lot easier😕 Lots of great comments coming through from others, so I’m sure with those & your determination, you’ll win in the end. Keep up the great work👍🏼 Love following the rebuild😍

I totally agree with putting the latches on and testing how well the bonnet closes. I had my bonnet, radiator and wings off while installing an engine. I needed to put it back together rather quickly (for my son to use as his wedding vehicle) and found the bonnet latches were not close enough to the latch brackets to easily close. Also the gaps need much adjusting - but I'm still enjoying driving it too much to take the time to make those changes. Apparently I need to raise the wings some (if possible) and lower the radiator. So I strongly suggest making sure the bonnet fits and the latches latch before painting. My helper (wife) also helped me put the bonnet on as an assembly. We've done it three times, so she's getting pretty good at it!

In looking at what you're doing all I can think of is to remind you that there is more adjustment available. First loosen everything, radiator shell, the fire wall (scuttle?), And then the "ears" on the frame hoop. You can then shift both the back and front of where the bonnet fits. Note that there are so many bolts on the scuttle that you may have to remove several to allow movement in the body tub. Then can shift the body side to side a fair amount and along with shifting the radiator shell hopefully you can get an acceptable alignment. :-) Of course I'm not a professional mechanic either... Just a lot of time with old Citroen 11s and a '62 TR3A :-)