Installing an aftermarket fiberglass hood ?

David Neibert

SCCoA Admin
I know that many of you have aftermarket hoods on your cars, and since this is an area I have zero experince in, I need some pointers and have several questions.

Is this a job for someone who knows nothing about working with fiberglass ?

Is there much rework required to obtain fitment as good as a stock hood ?

Did you install your own hood or have it done by a body shop ?

If you did install your own hood, how did you handle the painting ?

Any certian type of hood pin I should use or avoid using ?

What about the gas charged hood supports...use them or get a prop rod ?

David

PS: The hood is a Cobra R style and I think it was made by Legendary.
 
I think most anyone could do the job.It would be nice to have help
when lifting it on and off during the first fitments of the job.

If you sand though the geal coat and into the glass fibers. You
need to cover the exposed fibers with fresh resin, then sand down.

The biggest time comsuming alinment problems would be getting
the hood latch working in top form.Hood to body lines alinement
isnt a big job.

I had mine painted at a bodyshop. They will finish any pin holes,
alinments, and paint.

I spent the time to aline my hood to hood latch.So I do not use
hood pins. But I plan to switch to hood pins,and delete all of
the hood latch parts. This make the front of the car look cleaner
with hood raised. And loose some Wt.

I tested my hood shocks numerus times.The first time I fully latched
my hood,then went to open it one of the hood shock pegs broke of.
my pegs broke while closed, not while closing the hood. My shocks
had to much pressure after latching.

I would do the ruff in install myself.Then have it finish at a
body shop. You can get an estament with and without hood
installed and painting from your chosen local body shop.

Randy
 
I'll help you work the bugs out on your hood and then maybe I'll be ready to install mine :)
 
The car I just bought already has a fiberglass hood on it. The previous owner also bought it this way. It is done just like the factory hood--uses the same mounting points, and uses the stock latch. Sorry that I dont have any info about installing it. I do know that around here, most cars that get mods like this are done by younger kids, and they think that the hood pin look is cool....good luck with your project
 
David if you use the latch on a Cobra R hood.You will need to loosen
the bolts and slid it up as far as it will go for adjustment.
This was not far enoungh for my R hood.

So to get the hood latch adjustment high enough.YOU may have to
slot or make the latch bolt holes larger. This will let you move the
hood latch up so you can adjust.

If you have to slot and move the latch to high,you may need to
use some washer to bolt latch back snug. One person told me
that they had welded the washers around and to the latch bolt
holes,To give more surface for the bolt heads surface to rest on,
after tight.

Randy
 
Randy N Connie said:
David if you use the latch on a Cobra R hood.You will need to loosen
the bolts and slid it up as far as it will go for adjustment.
This was not far enoungh for my R hood.

So to get the hood latch adjustment high enough.YOU may have to
slot or make the latch bolt holes larger. This will let you move the
hood latch up so you can adjust.

If you have to slot and move the latch to high,you may need to
use some washer to bolt latch back snug. One person told me
that they had welded the washers around and to the latch bolt
holes,To give more surface for the bolt heads surface to rest on,
after tight.

Randy
I had the same issues...actually had to weld mine for it to work. AS for fitment, I used a sharpie and a dremel to fit mine. Put hood on, use sharpie to mark where its rubbing...dremel off sharpie marks....refit. Do this enough times and you will be in good shape. My fitment is almost right on and I've never done body work before either.

-Tim
 
I installed mine and had to do some grinding to the hinge area in order to get it bolted up. After that I had to grind slots in the latch to move it up as well as adjust the fenders and hinges a little to get it to line up.
I am still using the stock struts and no pins.

I paint my own junk. If you want I will come down and spray yours and Kurt's for a couple of cases of Hamms:)
 
Anyone got pictures of where they installed the hood pins and where to order them from ?

Pictures of how hood looks in the area where it bolts to hinged mounting brackets would also be nice.

David
 
David,
Send me an email: smalone@neb.rr.com and I'll send you what I've got going right now. I'm currently installing my Cobra R with ram air (yes, I finally got it) and am doing the hood pins and all. I'm keeping the stock latch, but not the struts. I've got a prop rod instead.
 
The fiberglass hood flanges with two holes ,that the allen head hinge bolts
go through to thread into the hood hinges..

I had to sand this thickness thinner.And the bolts were still
a little short because of the fiberglass flange thickness. The
shop that painted my hood had bolts that were longer,and
looked identical to my 90 SC-bird hood bolts.

Sorry have no install pictures.

Randy

P.S
Disclaimer,I don't want my car to think I am braging on it,
it breaks when I do.:)
I have no problems or worried that my latch would ever
fail, come loose, and cause my hood to blow over.


If you spend the time on modifiing the hood latch right.
it will work just like stock.and never blow up & over.

On the latch you will need to weld in a small peice on metal
( washer) to the bottom of the latch,inline with original bolt
hole. For adjustment.

Micah car has good hood pin placment,if you have any pictures
of his ride.And his car looks very nice and clean with all the
hood latch parts ,brackets,cable, deleted.

I would like to get rid of all the hood latch , Like Micah
You Just need to touch up the paint in the area that
the metal parts and brackets covered ,or paint the hole
top radiator chassis support .

I bought some hood pins from AutoZone .Have not installed yet.
So I am going with hood pins,For the cleaner look under the hood.
And maye 2lb less Wt.

I read more post about hood blow overs from people with hood-pins.
They forget to replaced the pins and drive off.Then the hood blows
up & over..

Randy
 
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if you buy say an aftermarket hood from scp or somewhere how much does it usually cost a body shop to prep it and paint it?
 
SCme94 said:
I paint my own junk. If you want I will come down and spray yours and Kurt's for a couple of cases of Hamms:)

Unfortunately, unless I build another garage, we'll have to paint it up at your place. And there's absolutely no way Dave's compressor will paint anything.

Lastly, I could never purchase a six pack of Hamms, much less a couple of cases. If you could find an Anuheuser-Busch product that is acceptable, then we can talk :D
 
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