Im wanting to make a custom aluminum hood for my car. any one have any tips or photos of how they did theirs.
Pic of my hood i made about 28 years ago. Simple procedure. Used some construction board to make a pattern and transfer it to a sheet of aluminium. Cut a bit larger than the hole and file your gaps after you shape it. Leave extra material at the bottom edge hanging down, about 1 1/4 in. After you have the cowl and rad shell gaps close, mark the hood at the cowl line to the front rad shell. This is where you bend or break a straight line and give the edge some strength. I used counter sunk aircraft 1/4 turn fasteners to run just the top of hood. No sides. 4 simple brackets behind the hood ,on cowl and rad shell holds the 1/4 turn fasteners. Side panels are easy. Just measure the side holes after the top is dialed in. I used 'lunch box' style latches to draw the sides up tight to the top hood. At the rad shell, a small bracket with a 1/4 hole is made for a pin on the hood side to slide in. Top and bottom. Don't forget to make the hood sides 1 inch longer on top and bottom. You'll need to bend, break, the top and bottom edges for strenght. Bolt latches are mounted on the inside of the hood sides cowl end, on the 1 inch bend you just made. I can get some detailed pics later if you want.
We use the good stuff here in the states, not that off shore crap. check this thread out how my buddy Matt Seret made one a little while back: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=297329&highlight=seret+aluminum+hood
Thanks for the refresher. That's how Kent Fuller did the one for Av8's '29 hiboy. Now all I have to do is fight the CRS until I need one for the '32 roadster I'm putting together. Frank
Word Origin & History aluminum 1812, coined by Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829), from L. alumen "alum" (see alum). Davy originally called it alumium (1808), then amended this to aluminum, which remains the U.S. word, but British editors in 1812 further amended it to aluminium, the modern preferred British form, to better harmonize with other element names (sodium, potassium, etc.). "Aluminium, for so we shall take the liberty of writing the word, in preference to aluminum, which has a less classical sound." ["Quarterly Review," 1812]
http://www.seretcustoms.com/ Matt Seret. His work makes me cry. It looks cool in the pictures. You should see it in person.
A simplefied version. Get a sheet of 3003 h14 .063 thk aluminum. Go to a print shop and get about 4 pieces of chip board. They use it for the backs of tablets etc. The chip board is about 2'x3'. Mark the center of the car, so you will have reference to go by. Use the chip board to make a pattern. When you make the pattern mark the center, where you want the hood to stop on the sides, and a rough estimate where the roll curvature starts and ends (so you will know how much roll to put in it. BTW, I only make a pattern for 1/2 of the hood and I flip it over to check the other side. No matter how good the car is they are never the same. If it is too far off this is the time to correct it. I tape the chip board to the car, stretching it to get it tight. Mark it and cut it out with sissors. I make notes on the chip board for different things, like if I have to add a little to the patern for the opposite side because it doesn't fit exactly. Okay, after you have made the pattern, mark the center line on the aluminum sheet(ALLWAYS USE PENCIL, DO NOT SCRIBE ANYTHING). Lay the pattern on the aluminum, lining up the center lines, tape it down, draw around the pattern and transfer your notes. Run a piece of 1" masking tape across each end making each end 1" longer. Add 2" to each side. Now you are ready to roll the top. An oxygen bottle is about right for a 29 hood. You have your marks where the roll starts and ends, so just roll it over the bottle. It is better to put a little too much roll it than not put enough. So start a little beyond each mark. The rest of it is just pushing and pulling by hand untill it fits. The more time you spend here the better. Don't put so much roll in it that it sticks up or is loose in the middle (center line ) of the hood. You want the attachments to pull it down against the welting. Once you have gotten it fitting it is a matter of trimming the ends so it fits between the shell and cowl. Take your time and cut a little at a time till it fits. Depending on the style you want you can either brake it where the side panels go or trim it off so it overlaps the side panels. Once you have made the top the side panels will be easy for you. Just use the same method of making a pattern with chip board.
Those hoods look AWESOME Cabriolethiboy .... glad I found this thread. Thank You for explaining the materials and process. Any chance you have a video these days?
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