Body caulk and adhesives

I'm working on the hood of an 85 chevy truck. It's just something to learn from, but there's a dent in it and a portion of the hood has come loose from the frame work on the underside. It looks like it is held together with blobs of silicone or something. Can someone tell me what this stuff is and what I should repair/replace it with? Also what kind of caulking is used on the seams in the bed? That stuff is hard and painted over.


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Have you ever used "JB Weld" two part epoxy? It would probably bond the pieces together, and it can be hacksawed, filed, drilled, machined after it has set.

I have, but I would like to use what was originally used or some modern variation of it. I also found some body caulk/seam filler doing a search. Now I just need to know if this is the same stuff that is used to "glue" the flat areas of the hood to the skeleton frame underneath it.

I wouldn't use any cements. Try some windshield caulk, basically it's going to keep the sheet metal from vibrating and making noise, and will give it strength if pushed down on. Many had a blanket that would tuck under the sheet metal to braces.

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I agree with CMR for the spots holding the inner and outer panels 'together', that does need to flex a little to dampen the vibrations of the parts...

Above and beyond the fact that those 80s GM pickup hoods would self destruct all to frequently even when new,... you may want to step up to a stronger adhesive than factory.

But I though you meant metal was broken away from an edge where it needs to be firmly attached. For that I would use JB Weld.

The hood bracing was attached to the hood skin with body panel adhesive.
When you reattach it, force the adhesive under the bracing as much as
possible, doing a 3-4 inch strip and then skipping 4-5 inches. This
stiching pattern allows the hood to flex but still keeps the bonding intact.

The bed seams are most likely filled with panel adhesive too. Todays
adhesive is much improved over that of 25 years ago; it is durable
stuff.....