Fiberglass Hood - Mounting Options

[Santawillis]

Happy Sunday!

 

I recently acquired an affordable fiberglass hood for my 2002 model, as my original hood has unfortunately become riddled with rust, resembling lightweight Swiss cheese. This replacement hood was previously part of an old race car that's now retired. I'm considering reusing the original stock hinges combined with four hood pins, but I'm curious about what others have used for mounting fiberglass hoods.

 

Obviously, a re-spray is in order as well for the hood

 

Rafael

 

 

[Son of Marty]

Was it built with the hinge mounts?

[Santawillis]

46 minutes ago, Son of Marty said:

Was it built with the hinge mounts?

Negative! Looks like this, was hoping to fabricate some hinge mounts 

 

[M3M3]

Hood pins is the answer. It would take a lot of cutting and fiberglass reinforcement work to redo that hood to support hinges.

[Son of Marty]

I agree to support and reinforce the hood to take the strain and flex of it opening on hinges would IMO need to be accounted for from the start. But I could be wrong ya know.

[Santawillis]

Thank you @M3M3M3 and @Son of Marty

 

I think I may just run pins, although not ideal it will be easier to align the hood and save me a ton of time from re-enforcing, I did not take into account the flex!

 

Rafael

[TobyB]

I have one of those-

it's rigid enough for hinges, but NOT for self- supporting.

 

I pin mine.

 

t

 

[Mike G]

Pins seems like the answer. And respray the car to match the hood 

[tzei]

Gelcoat pretty cracked - lots of work to get nice paint on it. Sand carefully, light pressure & change sanding pads sooner than later.

 

No need to use those exact pin locations. Patch them up and choose others if you want.

[Santawillis]

43 minutes ago, tzei said:

Gelcoat pretty cracked - lots of work to get nice paint on it. Sand carefully, light pressure & change sanding pads sooner than later.

 

No need to use those exact pin locations. Patch them up and choose others if you want.

Power sander okay if I run low high grit sandpaper? 

Edited January 30 by Santawillis

[tzei]

Sure, i'd start with 240 grit and see how it goes. Take your time. You'll want cracks solved without digging into FC.

[Tommy]

It will be a pain having a daily driver without hinges. Lifting it every time when looking under hood, then you need to put it somewhere and crack the corners, wind will tip it over every other time... so on. I'd keep looking for a good steel one, but meanwhile making the hinges work may not be impossible. It is not plain skin so there is some sturdyness. For front corners I'd make adjustable buffers underside with hinges holding down at the center. Pins or aerocatches at the rear. It is some work to build the hinge mounts but it should work. Broomstick will work to keep it open but hinges alone will raise the convenience to another level.

Edited January 31 by Tommy

[Santawillis]

Update!

 

I've made progress on the hood project. I began by sanding the hood's surface with a power sander, initially using 220 grit paper but then switched to 80 grit after conducting some spot tests and finding the former too gentle. To address the cracks and front pin holes near the hinge—aiming to potentially utilize the original factory hinge—I applied a mix of long hair and short hair fiberglass filler. I started by sealing the pin-induced holes on the hood's topside with aluminum tape, filling them with long hair fiberglass filler on the underside, and then returning to the top, where I used fine fiberglass filler to create a smooth finish. After it dried, I shaped it by sanding it. The filler also helped repair the cracked corners, and I managed to outline the hinge holes, laying the groundwork for their installation. I marked the bolt locations, drilled them, and secured 6 M8x42 studs into the hood's bottom with JB Weld. A robust layer of long hair fiberglass filler was then applied to enhance structural strength, resulting in a very solid feel. Today, I finished with several layers of sandable primer to smooth out the deeper blemishes, using up two cans before deciding it looked good enough to stop. I've documented the process with photos and hope you won't critique my setup too harshly  

 

I will update with results!

[Santawillis]

Update #2!

 

The attempt to secure the studs into the fiberglass using a combination of JB Weld and fiberglass filler didn't go as planned. During the process of mounting and adjusting the spacing, the studs detached from the JB Weld, leaving their threads behind without providing any structural support. This compromise in stability meant the hood could potentially become a danger at high speeds. Fortunately, my brother lent his skills to the project, crafting steel triangles to which he welded the studs. We then integrated these reinforcements into the fiberglass hood, adhering them with the same bonding method previously used. This enhancement significantly improved the hood's structural integrity. Additionally, we applied paint and trim, enhancing its appearance significantly. I'm quite pleased with the improved look!

 

[tzei]

Keep an eye on it. If it does not hold you’ll need larger metal plates glued/rivited to get enough area to hold.