Leitz Luggage Rack doesn’t fit

[356Monkey]

Hoping someone can help, I have an original Chrome Leitz luggage rack for my 356c. Trouble is, it doesn’t fit! The brackets on the rack do line up perfectly with the mounting brackets that were built into the engine lid but the right hand grill is in the way. The left hand grill seems ok with the fixing tubes passing centrally through a gap in the grill fins where as there is a fin in the grill clashing bang in the middle of the fixings position.

I’ve scoured the internet and seen pictures where it looks like the grill on the right has been bent to
one side to allow the fixing to fit but surely this isn’t what you’re
Supposed to do!! I’m thinking of buying a second grill for that side of the engine and butchering it so I can use it but before I do so I thought I’d reach out to all you clever 356ers and see if anyone else has had the same problem and better still come up with a solution??

[Peter Roberts]

Just checked on my SC and the holes line up perfectly with the gaps in the grill. Also checked the grill spacing and they are perfectly symmetrical so swapping the grills over would not make any difference. Have you checked the hole centres on the rack with the hole centres on the boot lid with the one grille removed? It may be the brackets are out and if these were bent to align the holes you would not be able to see the bend with the grilles in place.

[356Monkey]

Thanks for checking on your car, on mine, the brackets on the boot lid align perfectly with the brackets on the rack, so if I remove the right hand grill it fits perfectly?? Wierd

[Ashley James]

Mine isn’t a Leitz rack but I did have to force the fins of the left grill over slightly to get the bolts in. Once in it looks fine and no bend is apparent.

[Havana Henry]

Pretty sure my rack is an original, and definitely had to do some grill wiggling with the fixings loosened up, and a little bending to make it go back on after the car was apart for painting.

Sorry to have no magic solution, but that's how I did it, and as Ashley says, it doesn't really show with the rack on, and when off I just tweaked it back.

Good luck.

[louis356]

I have a twin grill B and my rack fits without any wriggling.

If your grill has been apart. Was it put together correctly? The finals are all different shapes.

I can take a picture if you want?

[356Monkey]

Thanks everyone, I did find a thread on 356 register which suggests I'm not alone with the problem, I seems the issue is the position of the 'C' shaped welded brackets in the boot lid, often the right hand set seem to be out - the solution is to remove the grill then carefullpy bend them using a quickgrip clamp into the right location.