i want to smooth out my stock 54 chevy hood and was wondering how many ppl used bondo and how well it held up ?
Are you talking about filling in holes where the hood ornament and emblem were, and filling in the peak where the little strip of steel welting runs? Then no, it won't hold up, in very little time it will crack out and look like ****. What you need to do is weld up the holes where the ornament and emblem were, pull the center strip out of the hood and weld the seam shut. Once it's ground all flush, then you can use the filler to smooth out the weld areas and in that case it will hold up. I prefer Rage body filler over the actual Bondo brand, but that's more personal choice than anything else. It's a bit more expensive but worth it.
bondo is a joke, go to a autobody supply and get something better, rage is pricy, but worth it Also learn from some bodymen, there are a few tricks to get stuff to hold up right
thats how i do em. you cant just bondo over anything that will flex and seperate. its only to fill small imperfections. as we know, its abilities get stretched quite often. properly applied, you will never have any problems skull
Be very carefull with the heat in the center of the hood!! Too much heat will oil can your hood!!! go from end to end so you don't spend too much time in the same area creating extreme heat and warpage....... then use filler!!
Well I will be working on my 54 hood soon enough but my plan is to brace the hell out of it and then cut the lips off ( which would separate the two halves if not braced enough). Then use the gap blocks to keep the two sides together and then weld it up. This is just my plan- havent tried it yet so dont know how it will work out yet. May affect the ridge. Have any of you other guys tried this way?
What they said, Here one of the 54 hoods I did, I never cut the lip underneath out or brace them. Key is be paitent and go as slow as possible on the welding and polishing of the welds, rush it and the hood is garbage. Also gotta be careful not to lean on the hood while your tacking it up Good luck
Thank man. I also for got to add that I usually weld a 1/8" solid rod on the front section of the stock peak and shape it down to make the peak more prominent, then fade it out towards the top of the hood
those lips really help in keeping it flat when welding. it will be like 10 times easier to warp with the lip cut off id tack the top 1st , then cut off the lip if i was going to cut it off. skull
I peaked mine by taking a long piece of small brake tubing and spot welded (slowly!) it while bending it to shape. then used filler to smooth it out. Super easy and has held up for 4 years with no signs of problems.
my hood was done by someone else, those hoods seem to be quite flexible not very well braced , my corners are rounded well it warped and broke out and when it gets hot all the peeled up pieces just stick up , at all the shows tons of people try to push the bondo back down on it but the guy said he did not need to go to body school , and all the rest of the car cracked up too maybee it is the naked woman on the hood ornament that cause so many to look at it??
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take your time! I didn't............. Welding, all of a sudden I hear this huge "bung". Instant bird bath. And use duragl***, then top with rage. Don't fuk around or it will crack on ya.
I spent forever doing the hood on my my 54 and getting it prefect only to have a carb fire a year later and warp the hell out of it! haha It's not that hard to do just take your time and go slow.
hoods are tricky to weld up,that big expanse of flat metal is very prone to warpage,,,go VERY slow,,,tack it far apart, then split the difference with more tacks, and let it cool,,,curvy areas are much stronger and not as prone to warpage,,,just TAKE your time,,it's not race to get done fast, and it'll be less hammer/dolly work later on,,
X2 what rusty pipes said. That is exactly what I was going to say, and it's how I did mine.. Take your time, and you know you're on the right track when you come back after it's all ground smooth and have to actually look for where the welds are..
Does anyone use lead anymore? I stripped my hood and found it had been leaded along with the removal of the door handels. Keith
If you don't weld, Bondo is more forgiving and easier to re-do. Even when using weld method, many people end up with a coat of bondo to finish it off anyhow. Whether you weld it or bondo it, if it turns out looking ****ty, don't blame the product/method. Whatever you do, clean/prep is the most important part. A novice can **** it up worse trying to weld it than with bondo.
Here is one that I am working on. I built an X brace to take the movement out of the hood and maybe keep it from cracking the filler. It did strengthen the twisting of the hood but did not make it completely rigid. This was a little hard to get in the right place so that it would clear everything. I formed 3/16" rod to weld to the center of the hood. The rod tapers to nothing at the back. It will mimic the body line shape in the fenders. John
I would gas weld that using a **** joint, tack every inch, then weld a few inches at a time, stretch the welds, tweak and realign, smooth the weld area, shrink, tweak and repeat. Not hard to learn, just takes some initial guidance, patience and desire. John www.ghiaspecialties.com
that cool; senior fried; .........seam don't (seem) to distract me.......... A lot of peope like to fill it, I personally think it's just a feature of the car. Kind of breaks up the look of the hood, just to leave it alone.
kool beans thanks for all the info anyone round the seabrook south houston area have experience and willin to weld my hood
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