Can anyone say if the rubber which gives the upwards spring to open the bonnet should have a flat top
The replacement I have seems a bit hard and might prevent the thing from shutting evenly.
Also, what does the spring look like that pulls against the release cable? The one I have earmarked to use looks too big.
Help please.

Hi,
No- the rubber bonnet 'cone' should have a slightly rounded point on it- they develop a flat spot over time.
The whole idea of it is that it should provide some tension on the bonnet to 'pop' it up when the release is pulled.

If it is too soft (like a lot of the new reproduction ones) or flattened it won't push the bonnet up enough to release the catch when you let go of the handle which means you will have to lift the bonnet while pulling the lever (quite awkward especially if you have short arms...)

The bonnet release spring should pull the latch firmly against its stop- if it doesn't it is too long- trust me if you have experienced a 500 bonnet coming open while driving (like me) you will find a correct spring...

Also make sure that the safety catch actually does hook into the bottom of the bonnet- it is common for them to be bent at the wrong angle and useless (see previous paragraph)

Thanks for that Damon. It's quite a solid rubber chunk so maybe OK with that. A spring is on order, the one I have always thought fits there clearly doesn't.
It used to be the habit to re-inforce the safety by using those bolt-on rubber catches but I really don't like them.

Damon500 said:

The bonnet release spring should pull the latch firmly against its stop- if it doesn't it is too long- trust me if you have experienced a 500 bonnet coming open while driving (like me) you will find a correct spring...

Click to expand...

I've heard about this before. The 500's a particularly prone to air getting under the bonnet and blowing it open while driving,

Apparently you can get retrofit safety catches for the bonnet. Basically a short length of cable with a safety latch (carabiner) that sits inside the bonnet out of site.

Do you know anything about those, or where to get them from?

Hi Pete,
The safety catch is fine if correctly adjusted- a pair of pliers is all you need and just make sure that the top of the safety catch is bent back at enough of an angle to hook under the edge of the bonnet.

The 'safety cable' you mentioned is pretty common in club motorsport and generally a requirement if you want to pass scrutineering with a rear hinged bonnet.

I have made several over the years BC (Before Children) when I used to vapourise money spinning various Italian money pits around racetracks.

If you go to your local hardware store you can buy the stainless steel cable by length and loops with inserts and crimps. If you make a section about 15-20cm long with loops at each end and two carabiners you can hook one end into the spare tyre strap bracket in the front panel and the other into the reinforcing bracket in the centre of the bonnet (just behind the main catch)

If you want to know why I know this my Fiat 500 actually competed at Mount Panorama, Bathurst in 2007 during the Fiat nationals that year- the 'bonnet safety strap' was required to compete and resulted in a second place trophy for the 0-1050cc class (not much competition that year!)

Suffice to say there was plenty of time to pick my line through corners and the bonnet strap was less likely to be tested compared to my Fiat 20V turbo coupe race car I ran the previous year!

I even managed to get a front page picture!...

Damon500 said:

If you want to know why I know this my Fiat 500 actually competed at Mount Panorama, Bathurst in 2007

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That's awesome!

After spending 12 years living in Australia I'm familiar with the hallowed tarmac that is Bathurst! I'm amazed a standard 500 made it up the hills!

Shaved off about a quarter of the cone. It nows shuts perfectly. I have a photo of a brand new 500R which also is fitted with a flat topped cone.

For safety's sake I got a new cable and spring. The spring appears to be exactly the same as supplied for the throttle.
For anyone else, if you have the original and especially if it has the little aluminium collar then hang on to it. the new cable was at least 150mm too long so needed cutting down. In the past I have used cable nipples like the one on the throttle mechanism to secure the cable end but it is supposed to be bent back on itself and captured through the collar as in my photo.

The outer sleeve of the cable is the black flexible Bowden cable as found on bicycles. It should actually be a solid, almost translucent plastic cover which may have been intended to prevent any chance of short-circuiting as the cable passes right under the fusebox.
Despite the criticisms of these pattern parts, the bonnet and its cable now work better than on any 500 I ever owned so.

I have the set-up that you used to have Peter with the little cable nipple. I used the translucent cable that was on the car originally but someone had basically tied a knot in the cable around the catch lever, it used to work of sorts but was never very good, so I fixed it correctly this time around.

Damon500 said:

Hi,
No- the rubber bonnet 'cone' should have a slightly rounded point on it- they develop a flat spot over time.
The whole idea of it is that it should provide some tension on the bonnet to 'pop' it up when the release is pulled.

If it is too soft (like a lot of the new reproduction ones) or flattened it won't push the bonnet up enough to release the catch when you let go of the handle which means you will have to lift the bonnet while pulling the lever (quite awkward especially if you have short arms...)

The bonnet release spring should pull the latch firmly against its stop- if it doesn't it is too long- trust me if you have experienced a 500 bonnet coming open while driving (like me) you will find a correct spring...

Also make sure that the safety catch actually does hook into the bottom of the bonnet- it is common for them to be bent at the wrong angle and useless (see previous paragraph)

Click to expand...

Yes. Make sure that bonnet latch is secured. I learned the hard way. I just got my 500 and took for a drive testing out my newly found power after cleaning a clogged carb jet. The hood (bonnet) flew open and smashed my windshield! New windshield is on the way.
Pull up on the hood to be sure it is properly secured before driving. That won't happen to me again.

Really sorry to hear that. There is a modified type hook available that somehow seems to be more secure as a retrofit. The ugly black rubber add-on, pull-down straps are cheap and should be easily available.