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 Now in 2010 we do not have a JBA Factory producing any vehicle that has been evaluated in any articles in the various Kit Car Press magazines or approved by VOSA BIVA testing.
Please note these are the old build pages from 1999 to 2004 when we had a JBA Factory in full production from 1982 that was regularly featured in the Kit Car Press and complied with regulations including passing UK Vosa SVA/BIVA tests and TUV tests in the EU.
A 2004 JBA Engineering Ltd Sports SR kit has passed the new BIVA test in June 2009.
Spanner Sizes
Spanner Sizes fits on the head of a bolt. 8mm spanner fits M5 bolt,
10mm......M6, 13mm......M8, 17mm......M10.
Options
Bonnet Rubber or Wing Piping
Other types of Bonnet Catches
What You Will
Need
Four Bonnet Catches
Bonnet Panels
Bonnet Hinge
The bonnet panels come in six parts. The two top sections, the two
louver side sections, these four panels are over length and two bottom inner
sections, which are cut from the rectangular aluminium plate supplied.
 Follow the Build Manual
Exactly
This is the part that took me ages.
I was very careful at this stage, as it is the part that you want to look
right.
I followed the manual exactly, well
almost I preferred to err on the side of caution. Reading and re-reading
the manual and trying dummy fits to make sure that I did not cut anything
away that I shouldn't. The top parts of the bonnet have two flanges, a
vertical one that has to be drilled using the bonnet hinge as a template
as the bonnet hinge fits onto it.
And a horizontal flange at the
bottom of the curve, which also has to be drilled, the louver side panel fits on to
this.
These top panels need to be cut and filed down a bit, so that they could
fit in between the scuttle next to the battery and the plywood surround at the radiator
shell. Kenny cut out the edges of the
bonnet flanges to clear the CBU.
Then
we fitted the bonnet hinge and cut it to
the length stated in the manual, remembering not to cut the hinge pin.
First temporary add
the 1 mm thick rubber strips to the wooden bonnet support panel and
scuttle. I used wing piping as used on olden day cars instead. This piping
can be bought from Woolies the trim people in various colours and
materials to match your paint job.
The hinge is quite long and then we cut
the flaps to fit one on to the scuttle and one on to the plywood surround
at the radiator.
Bonnet Hinge
The hinge itself has to be filed down in order to
clear the CBU just above where the black air intake is on the photo.
Also note where it is cut to clear the plywood radiator surround. Careful again please note that the Hinge Pin is not
cut.
He drilled holes for the pop rivets in
the bonnet tops copying the holes in the hinge and fitted them to the bonnet
hinge, just with three temporary rivets each side at this stage.
Bonnet Tops
Kenny cut the bonnet at this stage
following the instructions in the build manual, but I asked him to cut it 1/4 inch proud of the
factory measurements. That was Mistake
No1.
We used an angle grinder first, but found that it
gave a rough edge to the cut, as it melted the aluminium,
rather than giving a nice clean cut. Kenny re-cut it using a hacksaw
and it took me ages to file the tops down to the correct length.
To get the top bonnet
panels to follow the curve of the CBU and wooden panel at the radiator. Use something like
your wife's rolling pin and make sure aluminium and CBU are protected from
rolling pin making scratches on them.
Make sure flange does not dig into curve on CBU.
Keep rolling the pin over the panels at each end exerting gentle pressure,
until you are satisfied.
Photo
shows a later stage
Louver Side Panels
Next the louver sides were clamped to the
bonnet and cut still 1/4 inch proud. Mistake No.2
It
took me ages to file the panels down to the correct fit and I was using
wing piping round the scuttle and on the plywood. So much for
caution.
The louver panels were left clamped to
the bonnet at this point and we continued with fitting the wings. The
front wing needs to be in place to cut the louver panel to suit the
profile of the wing.
Fitting the wings is explained on next page.
The Front
Wings Have to be Fitted Before You Can Continue.
Next
Page
Now it was time to cut the louver panels
to the lines of the front wing.
We drew a line on the louver following
the shape of the front wing. Then we removed the louver panel from
the bonnet and Kenny cut it a little higher than the marked line allowing
for the size of top part of the wing piping to be added later. Once this was achieved we
drilled holes equally spaced in the louver panels to marry up with the bonnet tops. Then he pop riveted the
panels to the bonnet tops only temporary at this stage, with three rivets.
Note
These off cuts can be used to make securing tabs for the "P"
windscreen seal and various other small brackets.
The Bottom Panel
This photo shows a bottom
section which has to be cut from the rectangular
panel supplied. We cut out the lower aluminium
side panels which are sketched onto a panel supplied by JBA this is
placed inside of the engine compartment and drilled, fitting it to the
wings with four bolts.
The rectangular
panel is etched and these have to be cut out to the marks for engine bay
panels.
This we fitted by drilling
holes as per manual along the length of the panel through the wing flanges
and bolted it to the wings, as in photo above. A strip of rubber is
glued to this bottom panel after spraying, to prevent the louver panel
scoring or rattling against it. Alternatively you can glue a strip of
rubber to the inside of the louver panel instead.
The cut out in this panel was for a centre locking handle that we fitted
to the louver panel.
In the photo above Eric has
shown how he fitted the rubber to his Cortina based Falcon Tourer.
Bonnet Catches
In Doug's Photos above and
below he has cut the louver panels to accommodate the bonnet
catches.
Most JBA builders use the same type of bonnet catches available from
Europa. Doug used stainless steel screws and nuts to fit the bonnet
hinge.
For the SVA test you need approved catches, these are also from
Europa part number BCOBFSVA.
The bonnet catches.
Most builders cut out the bottoms of the louver side panels similar to
this in photos above.
With the louver bonnet
sides lowered above the wing we placed the bonnet catch against the
panel and drew round the the bottom spring bracket. Then with the top
bracket inserted in the top of the catch drew a line, then pulled the
spring catch up a bit and drew another line.
This was repeated at the front of the louver, but we could not go right up
to the front as the spring catch will not fit there, besides I was going
to use a Falcon Scroll badge here.
We then cut out the louver panels so that we could locate the Bonnet catch
onto the CBU and the bottom panel.
Here comes Mistake No 3 I was given a set of
bonnet catches the open spring type and I cut out the bottom of the louver
panels to fit them bolting them to the engine compartment side panels and
the CBU and drilling the louver panels for them.
Once I had fitted them I did not like
them. I preferred the ones that JBA fitted. So they were discarded and new
ones bought from JBA.
When I went to fit them they wouldn't
line up with the holes I had previously drilled and they were shorter. I
had given the old ones away. A blind panic set in, what could I do,
I'm glad Kenny wasn't there, I had cocked up the louvers, so I locked up
the garage and drowned my sorrows.
I thought about this problem for a couple
of weeks and the answer came at an Autojumble I visited, a Chrome side
escutcheon, I bought two.
What this
meant was making the cut in the louver higher as in photo above and
filling in the bottom hole in the CBU later.
The chrome escutcheon was fitted to the front end over the existing hole
and new holes were drilled for the top part of the new bonnet catches and
the bottom part on the engine panel.
Anyone looking at the louvers does not
realize a mistake has been made unless I tell
them.
Even if you do make a mistake all is not
lost, it takes a bit of thinking about and perhaps asking other builders
if they have any solutions.
David Bradburn
Adopted a different
approach he fitted them to the wings using a block which he made up.
The part of the bonnet catch in the centre is fitted with a rubber
protector which rests against the louver panel. This is a rounded ball
which you may have to slice a bit off to make it level in order for it to
fit.
Once you are pleased with the fit, super glue this rubber into its holder,
as they can come out and the metal holder will damage your paintwork.
Solutions
If the Bonnet may be sticking
out a wee bit it could be that the flange on the bonnet needs filed down
or on the louver side panel at either end. Just file enough away to
clear the CBU.
If the bonnet is sitting
too high it is maybe that the Bonnet
Hinge has not been filed down on the bottom or that the front plywood
bonnet support is too high.
If the bonnet catches won't fit properly onto the top catch. It could be
that the rubber ball in the centre is holding the catch too far out from
the louver panel, slice the curve from the ball for a better fit.
In the photo above you may
notice a strip of insulating tape this side of the battery, this was to
cover up the score made by the nearside flanges as I had not filed enough
from them to clear the curve of the CBU. This was not evident until the
car had been used for a couple of weeks.
Bonnet Stays
Owners usually make them from the old bonnet stay from the Sierra by
cutting and bending it and making up two brackets to hold it in the open
position and another bracket for the closed position. Usually two Sierra
bonnet stays are required.
The photo above shows how Mike
done this one. The small bracket in the centre of the bonnet is to hold the stay
when the bonnet is lowered.
 The
Falcon Scroll
Available from Europa
Part number JBAF.
The next page
deals with fitting the front and rear Wings.
Additional
Photos Courtesy Of David Bradburn, Doug Philp, Keith Morrish and Mike
Cushley.
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Safe Driving All the Best Regards Robbie 
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