{"id":2792,"date":"2012-04-22T13:47:20","date_gmt":"2012-04-22T17:47:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.monocoque-metalworks.com\/main\/?p=2792"},"modified":"2015-02-18T13:18:08","modified_gmt":"2015-02-18T18:18:08","slug":"your-typical-ebay-bonnet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monocoque-metalworks.com\/main\/2012\/04\/your-typical-ebay-bonnet\/","title":{"rendered":"Your typical eBay Bonnet\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

She’s an evil temptress – the eBay bonnet…\u00a0 There she is on eBay, up for grabs to the highest bidder, with a low starting point, GREAT looking photros, and a description that promises that this is the nicest E-Type bonnet you have ever seen!\u00a0 But don’t be fooled, the next morning, when the spell wears off and all the lights are on, she is UGLY!!!<\/p>\n

I recently ignored my own rule about never buying bonnets on eBay for a few reasons:<\/p>\n

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  1. I needed a Series 3 V-12 center section and underpanel for an order.<\/li>\n
  2. It was cheap.<\/li>\n
  3. I could see enough from the photos to know that the V-12 wing flares were virgin and good.<\/li>\n
  4. I had spoken with a customer of mine who had actually seen this bonnet in person, and told me enough about it to let me know I would get what I needed, and that I’d do OK on it for the price.<\/li>\n
  5. It was located about 90 minutes from the shop and right around the corner from our sister restoration shop, so I knew I’d be down there eventually with an empty trailer.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    So I took the plunge, and overall, I’m satisfied, because as I said before, I was after this bonnet for those two pieces, and I figured I’d just throw the rest up in the attic for future projects.\u00a0 We have the luxury here of purchasing a whole bonnet for a couple of pieces, but as an owner-restorer, you’d be expecting to get a complete restorable bonnet out of a purchase like this, and as you’ll see, that’s rarely the case.<\/p>\n

    The photos below will start with the three photos from eBay, and then finish with photos of the bonnet as it was disassembled and stripped here.\u00a0 Here is the eBay description:<\/p>\n

    “Good used 1974 XKE bonnet with repaired minor right front corner damage, but no structural damage. Has some bondo in lower air scoop area and a four inch tear in metal area near right side light. Hinge areas are good.”<\/em><\/p>\n

    The moral to this story – DO NOT buy a bonnet from eBAY!\u00a0 Follow along in future blog entries as we salvage what we can from this mess, and use it to build a show-winning V-12 bonnet.<\/p>\n