48 Chevy truck hood pie cut Its time to pie cut the hood. Can anybody give any info on cutting down a hood about 1 or 1 1/2 inch. My main question is do I need to pie cut the sides "ALL" the way back to the under brace or even go past the brace and stop about 3 inches at the back of the hood? I think i understand about all the stress cuts needed to push and pull to get a good flow line. If anybody has any info or better pics please let me know... THANKS BG
Hey, A section of one inch would probably be hard to tell that much was done to the hood. At 1.5-2.0, yeah noticeable, but at 2.5-3.0 you may well be back to the rear hood edge with your cuts. I'd start with a cut 3/4 the length of the hood back, remove your 1.5 and see how you like the flow. If the rear of your cut bulges, you need more relief cut. You could also cut the entire top loose from the bottom of the hood, move the top foward, and minumise the amount of relief cuts neces- sary to acheve the shape. You will have to add more metal at the rear of the hood to cover the amount you cheated by moving the panel foward, however. Swankey Devils C.C. "Meanwhile, back aboard The Tainted Pork"
You could also cut the entire top loose from the bottom of the hood, move the top foward, and minumise the amount of relief cuts neces- sary to acheve the shape. I was thinking about this also!!! Just not sure about the patching in and making it look normal. I have a DONOR hood that i can rob a patch panel from... Thanks Bg
I have the hood off the truck but have welded straps across the bottom to make it ridged after cutting.
bg, I didn't pie cut mine, I did a 5 1/2 inch section and it wasn't that hard. the relief cuts I made were way more than needed. have some photo's on "screwing up a good truck (not that good)
Which is easier ---- remove top section of hood and move foward and add metal to rear OR pie cut and hinge down with sevral stress cuts Do you have to pie cut the side ALL the way back or just to the brace and stress cut up to keep from binding when hinged down. My concern is not to KICK up the back of the hood lip that sits on the cowl. THE PICTURES HELP!! Thanks Bg
I did that to mine too, it hasn't fit right since. I later found out that usually it's tacked to the fendered befor cutting. My car was painted before I decided to pie cut the hood, maybe yours is too. But I really wish i had tacked it, the side don't follow the fender curves correctly and it rubs slightly at the nose. If I had tacked it on I think it would have been a much better fit later.
Give the suggestion of tack welding to hood to the fenders before you cut it serious thought. The fit of the hood between the fenders is a bitch at best and this will minimize the agony. Frank
I was on a different mission. I sectioned the hood and cowl. then cut straight down ahead of the doors and dropped the cab (channeled) the same 5 1/2 inches to do away with the running boards and lined the bottom of the door with the bottom of the fenders. it was alot easier than my mental picture. I'm getting ready to do another one and am going with two hood to gain extra metal to eliminate the added fill strip
Hey, You will, in all likelyhood, have to do some "corrective measures" to get the front end sheetmetal to line up after all is said and done. A 4 ton porta-power or friction jack will spread the hood panel in the opening. Hell, in a pinch, you could use a come-a-long (carefully) to spread the opening. The oem fit wasn't anything to write home about , to begin with! On the subject of the "kick-up" at the rear of the hood- The greater the amount of the pie section taken out the greater the kick-up at the rear. If you wind up going over 2.0'', you'll have to remove the amount , through the side of the hood, that will drop the back of the hood corespondingly, fitment shouldn't be an issue. Swankey Devils C.C. "Meanwhile, back aboard The Tainted Pork"
I have it taped off at 1 5/8 inch drop at the front and that looks like a bunch. Although the cab is cut 7 inches so it could go more Thanks Bg
It looks like the fenders can be moved around to make adjustments for a better fit. I have fabricated a new radiator shell and the fender mounts can be adjusted side to side and up and down Just my thoughts?? THANKS Bg
Send a PM or email to Hotrod51. He is building a 51 Chevy truck with a radical "Bonneville" chop and a louvered pie cut hood. I think he also worked the top of the cowel so the lines would flow. Good guy. He will help you if he can.
absolutely!!!!!!!this is where i screwed up!im gonna build another soon and painted or not that sucker getting tacked to the fenders,the straps will not work you will loose the curve over the cowl for sure and i believe its a compound curve so it goes both ways,hard to see at first but believe me you WILL SEE IT WHEN YOUR DONE,i put a shitload of hours in on mine and wasted my time.second time will be a charm i hope!
Would it be possible to mock up the front dog house with the front fenders and hood separate from the cab and brace it all up and then tack weld to fenders, then make the pie cut I have the cab painted so i want to stay away from the paint job if possible. 20/20 i would have cut hood down before painting anything and tack welded to fenders. Thanks Bg
I didn't tack weld mine, and it turned out fine. In fact it made it easier to chop the hood support and to hammer/dolly it with it off.
On my stude section I pie cut the hood and slid it forward, then made up a new strip for the back edge to lengthen it. It came out great, nice contours and no "stress cuts". I chopped a 39 buick fastback years ago and did the trunk lid with "stress cuts", it's much harder and you end up with more welding and more bondo. Just my two cents.
I thought about doing that but decided i didnt want to make a cut across the top of the hood and then try and hide the welded seam with filler .. my thinking was to make the cuts on the side and it would be easier to blend in filler on sides and less noticeable than the top "FLAT area... JMO Thanks Bg
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