Hi all, just recently bought an NBFL, loving it so far but spotting a few bits that need fixed. Lacquer peel, missing exhaust manifold heat shield, rust bubbles etc.
One random thing I spotted though is the gap between the bonnet and bumper, is this normal and just due to age? Anyone else had this issue and closed the gap?
Car has never been damaged or in an accident
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Nose looks fresh and un chipped. Might …just might…have been offed for a repaint and not quite joggled up as per factory. I’d not worry too much. It’s a bigger shut line than mine was though to be fair.
Is it fully closed? Could it be adjusted down?
Thats better than most Tesla shutlines.
Does the bonnet protrude from the front wings? To be honest, from that angle, it doesn’t look all that abnormal
It’s unlikely the bonnet has “dropped” over time, but in 20+ years there is a chance it’ll have come off at some point for paint. Remember, these things aren’t the sole preserve of careful entheusiasts,
A cursory glance at Facebook on any given winter day will show you lists of “projects” that “went a different direction” (typically a ditch or tree). Given the value on these now and how putting a bent wheel through insurance will write the car off, minor bumps are unlikely to be noted.
Examples below of how that gap is always there
The shut lines to the wings, and alignment with the passenger headlight looks good, but the bumper looks low on the driver’s side (look at the headlight).
I’d guess it has been bumped sometime. What you can see is strictly called the bumper cover - the ‘real’ bumper / crash bar is underneath. The tin work that the cover attaches to is quite thin and bendy, so it should be possible to gently bend things a little to get better alignment (hand force only needed).
Probably best to take the bumper cover off, see what it attaches to, look for potential damage and ‘adjust’ as necessary.
My guess is it’s been ‘bump parked’ at some point in its life - I suspect you might see the same thing at the rear. To explain, my brother parks his NBFL on the road and its constantly being nudged by other cars parking and displays a similar ‘bumper droop’. Personally, I wouldn’t worry about it as they’re fairly robust - I spun off at Cadwell a few years ago and hit the Armco with a glancing blow but it’s still fine bar a few scuffs etc.
I agree. That is what draws our attention.
If the gap was the same all the way across, and symmetrical L-R with even headlight gaps, none of us would ever notice it.
A small “joggle” should fix it.
Thanks everyone, that’s really helpful :). I suspect I’ll be taking the bumper off at some point in the summer to address some laquer peel on the bottom front corner of the bumper so I’ll have a fiddle round with the alignment and such then. For now I’ll just enjoy how much fun this thing is 
Its pretty much normal. Someone may have taken the hood(bonnet) and/or bumper off at some point in the past and when replacing it didn’t pay too much attention to the spacing. I would start by adjusting the hood bumpers(not sure what you call them on that side of the pond)
