|
|
|
|
Hotrodders.com Project of the Week
To see our Project of the Week archives, click here.
Part 3: Fiberglass Hood
The first picture shows the start of the second generation of the car. It was a true frame-up "restoration". One thing I knew for sure was that I couldn't keep running the welded-together steel hood I had been running (shown in the second picture). It was constantly cracking, and was loaded with Bondo. I had a couple of options -- buy a store-bought '33 fiberglass Willys hood and look like all the other Model 77's, or make my own '36 fiberglass hood and be unique. Guess which I chose!
(Click photos to enlarge)
The next picture shows the steel hood all slicked up, painted gloss black, waxed 6 times with mold release wax and ready to make a mold.
(Click photo to enlarge)
The next pictures show the various shots of the 4-part mold. I ended up spending about $600 on the final hood, which is more than I would have spent on a store-bought one -- but no one makes a '36 and that's what I wanted.
(Click photos to enlarge)
Here's the hood fresh from the mold and in gel coat.
(Click photo to enlarge)
Once the hood was finished, I needed to mount it. The next picture shows the adjustable hinge I made. The back bolt fits in a slot in the hinge plate which in turn can rotate on the center bolt. Thus, by loosening the two, I can adjust the height of the hood to fit the cowl. The middle and front bolt combine to allow moving the hood back and forth. With that combo, I can precisely adjust the hood for a perfect fit.
(Click photo to enlarge)
The next two pictures show how the support rods work. To make them, I opened the hood to a good stable position, then taped a piece of string to the hood and the radiator support frame to simulate the rods. This gave me a total length. Then I closed the hood with the string still attached. I wiggled under there, and with my finger, pulled the string back in a V until the resulting legs of the string missed all the vital things like valve covers, headers etc. I marked the apex of the resulting V and that gave me the hinge point and length of the two parts of the rod. You can see the rods folding as the hood is closed and they come to rest in a totally innocuous place every time.
(Click photos to enlarge)
Click here for Part 4: Corvair Steering Gear
Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
Record your hotrodding project in our Hotrodders Project Journals. Add photos and information as your project progresses. Easy to use, and completely free. Click here to check it out.
| Hotrodders© 1999 - 2012 All Rights Reserved |
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)