Peaked Hood How-To (with pix)

Peaked Hood 101

I stated out with a spare hood off a 52-54 Ford. I had already peaked the hood that goes on my sled but failed to take any pictures of it.
Here is the hood. I knocked the paint off the crown so we could get some good welds and mud sticking action. She had already been nosed and filled from days gone past.

 

Find some round stock that is the height of the peak that you want to add. For the lowbuck project shown I pulled the hood insulation bows from the underside of the hood and cut the rolled ends off and viola….3/16 dia. Steel rod the is 50 years old just like the hood. Some call this being a cheap ass but I prefer to call it recycling. Find the center lines of the hood in roughly 4 spots. Mark the centerlines with a pencil. Lay the round stock on these lines starting at the back of the hood. Clamp the rod type and start tack welding at the back of the hood. I found that if you tack one side only the rod will pull as it cools so I tacked both sides immediately to keep the rod straight. Notice how the rod bows as the weld cools. Pressing down hard while welding will keep this from happening.

 

Here is how everything looked when I finished tacking the first piece of rod.

 

The same procedure is used for the next piece of rod that curves around the nose of the hood. I butted the rod up against the tacked rod and using the same technique tacked it all in place. As you come over the crown of the hood keep pressure on the rod so as the heat from welding weakens it you can start to bend it to match the radius of the hood. Notice the amount of welds needed to keep the rod tight against the hood. Keep the welds very cool and work slowly

 

Get out the air grinder with a good cutoff wheel and chop the rods off leaving about 1/8” extending past each side of the hood.

 

The welds aren’t pretty but they will hold everything in place. I added tack welds about ever inch letting the hood cool in between. Hoods warp very easy so special care needs to be taken to keep everything straight.

 

This is the nose of the hood. Since I was not going to extend the peak lower than the hood I used the grinder to taper the rod until it comes flush to the hood at the bottom.

 

This is the back of the hood. I went in with the grinder and ground all the welds down as close to the rods and the hood as possible without cutting the welds loose. If you don’t do this you will have to use a lot of Bondo and the peak will not be as prominent as desired.

 

I mixed up some mud and slathered it on pretty heavy knowing that about 90% of it will end up on the floor anyways.

 

I filed off as much as I was comfortable with and let the Bondo harden. I then wrapped some coarse san paper around a deep ¾” impact socket and started to shape the peak.
After a half hour of sanding here are the results

 

:

 

Finish up the bodywork as you normally would and hit it with a few coats of primer and you are ready to final sand and spray.

 

Awesome post. Thank you.

-Dane

 

cool article..i will definetly keep this.

 

I have to do that to my 42 hood, the round rod should nestle (there's a word you don't hear very often) right in the groove. Thanks!

 

Just one word: TECH-O-MATIC!!

 

Not to "walk" on Ichoptop's post, but to get a better peak, use 1/4 inch cold-rolled rod...I've been using it for years...(you should see the Caddy now Aaron!). The rod bends easily, gives you much more to weld to and takes up to a "#6" on the Mig's heat temp setting very well...IMHO 3/16 is too frail.

MAKE SURE you weld it solid...not just every inch or so...believe it or not, bondo WILL crak in those spaces NOT welded...looks like shit AFTER you go to all the trouble of painting it!!!
R-

 

I chop, that looks cool. I used 1/4", but followed pretty much the exact procedure. One other exception, I made a hood ornament out of the 1/4" rod too with plates on each side, take a look:

 

On a caddy or some long nosed beast that may be fine but my opinion is that that would be just to tall on a short hood like a 52-54 ford hood. I dont want the peak that tall. I have also reinforced my hood by a triangulation of bars running from hinge to hing then two to just either side of the latch. That will support the strain of opening and closing otherwise frail hoods on 50s cars without the binding action that they usually receive. Stude may be right but I have had the hood I peaked this way on my car for 2 years and she looks just fine.

 

I guess I'm smarter than I look. That's the same way I did this fender (was a 10" wide trailer fender from tractor supply)

 

"On a caddy or some long nosed beast that may be fine..."

Don't think that's a good assumption to make Aaron...I used the 1/4" rod on the fender/door body lines on the '57 Chevy half ton truk to "enhance" them and '57 Chevy truk fenders and doors aren't half as long as the hood on the '54 Cad!!! Guess it all depends on what kind of peak you're looking for...you can grind it down to get a smaller peak...but the 1/4" rod is much stronger!

BTW, next time, use a piece of hard rubber hose when sanding the peak, wrap the paper around it...it's flexible enuff to follow contours...works for me!
R-

 

Thanks for the cool how-to!



[ QUOTE ]
Guess it all depends on what kind of peak you're looking for...you can grind it down to get a smaller peak...but the 1/4" rod is much stronger!

BTW, next time, use a piece of hard rubber hose when sanding the peak, wrap the paper around it...it's flexible enuff to follow contours...works for me!
R-

[/ QUOTE ]

Various diameters and lengths of PVC pipe can be used as sanding blocks too. Stick on sandpaper by the roll is convenient.

 

Nice job! If you ever do it again, you might consider the no weld approach. You could use a small shot dolly filled with sand (or a shot bag) and a ballpeen hammer or a piece of 1/2" thick aluminum with the right shape ground on the end and hit with a hammer to stretch the peak into the existing sheet metal, then smooth with a hammer and dolly. If you have a lot of patience, you could do it with no filler. Just an idea for the next one. If anyone wants to try this, I'll try to help with how-to tips.

John www.ghiaspecialties.com

 

I realize this is an old post, but it's still great tech, and I'm wondering if anyone tried John Kelly's method. It seams to make sense.

 

Very helpful how-to tech... thx bro

 

Now this was on my 52 at this point the hood was welded and the new peak and the new lower section was roughd in as well the new opening and lower pans