Dents in Spider hoods

["Watry, Andrew (LNG-MBC)" <Andrew.Watry@domain.elided>]

Regarding the oil-cap-shaped dents in Spider hoods from the engine hitting
the ground and getting forced up:  Are people having that happen even with
pan guards installed? I would think that would be the first line of defense,
after ensuring you have good motor mounts.  If the guard is strong in
itself, and well bolted to the sway bar mounts and crossmember, that means
the chassis is scraping the ground, but the engine should not be getting
pushed up relative to the chassis/hood.  And so the hood shouldn't be
getting a dent.  Maybe the guards are weak enough or installed so poorly
that they deflect up, and the engine gets pushed up anyway?  I know the
clearance between pan guards and oil pans is often nonexistent. 

I owned a Spider only briefly, but it had a big telltale oil cap dent from
the PO, and the only Alfa I've ever bottomed the oil pan out on, in 25 years
of Alfa driving, was a friend's Spider.  I guess the engine just sits that
much closer to the ground than in a GTV, Berlina, Giulia sedan, etc.

Andrew Watry
Berlina Register
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