Okay, I'm not exactly what anyone would call a pro at bodywork, but I'm not too bad. I managed to pick up a spare hood for dirt cheap and I was wanting to make a functional cowl-induction hood. I have two basic questions if anyone can help.
1. Would I be better off building the scoop out of sheet metal and welding it, or try to bond fiberglass to the metal?
2. What is the best method to remove all the paint and primer? I don't want to grind it, because that will warp such thin metal... would say, 80 grit sandpaper work just as well?
Thanks for any help in advance!
it's always good stay with the same material in this stituation. id say if you know how to weld(or know someone who does, and can get them to help),then weld it. not that f/g is a bad choice(if done right of course), but welding is way stronger. i have a f/g ss style hood. i had to reinforce parts of it, because after time, i started to get stress cracks from the wind trying to lift the hood off the car. good luck
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you would be better off welding it. after repeatedly opening and closing your hood, not to mention wind when driving and temperatures from direct sunlight, the fiberglass would have a pretty good chance of cracking or seperating from the metal.
again you said the key word not good at body work.......with this being said all i can do is give you my advice from a professional
using a grinder on such parts as a roof , deck lid, and hood, need experience in such a sense that we know how much pressure and how fast to move the grinder so it won`t warp the metal, To strip the hood clean of all material i have to choices 1.use my mud hog the 8 inch D.A. USING 40 GRIT 2. use air craft paint stripper now this stuff is very strong and burns your skin on contact so remove the hood wear heavy rubber gloves wear a mask apply the stripper with a brush in heavy coats and even coats cover it with plastic and about 20 to 30 mins and you will see the old paint bubble right off
you might have to do a 2nd coat
then use your d.a. with 80 grit to clean up the hood and the rest of the remianing paint
using the mud hog with 40 grit takes allot of experience even with that you can wrap the metal
with any type of metal fab`n you always want to start with a template then take the template transfer it to the metal i suggest using a TIG WELDER tig welding with the right welder behind it will not wrap the metal it will give you a cleaner weld which means less grinding to do MIG WELDING takes allot of practice on such thin metal not to wrap
i like your idea your thinking out side the box, i am doin the same thing with my hood i am making my own hood which will be all metal
so on to the point of fiberglass to metal yes it can be done and if doen right will last the time of the car, preping both surfaces will make a great bond, i suggest using 3m`s panle bond panle bond is a 2 part epoxy which means it is corrosive resistant and when preped correctly the bond is stronger then a weld when panel bond is resistant spot welded not mig welded not tig welded that bond is the strongest you can make it but only the factory and the shop that i work for has that tool
anyway.............if you choose to panle bond a fiberglass scoop 1. clean off the hood down to bare metal, grind the scoop lightly so you don`t remove that much material apply a bead on the scoop and on the hood you could use sheet metal screws to hold it in place but then apply more panel bond when you remove the screws i don`t even have a clamp that big to clamp i have done it and it works just fine
so in closing i hope that gives ya some insight on your dilema
can i haz bondo
Cool. Thanks a lot. It's not that I'm not good at bodywork, just not experienced. All the other projects I've undertaken have turned out great.
well making your own hood does take allot of experience and metal shaping
good luck!!
can i haz bondo
