This is just for curiosities sake, but what do the back/under sides of Fiberglass hoods and body panels look like? Are they flat or do they share the same characteristics as the factory steel hoods? Pictures would be appreciated.
Fiberglass Hoods and Body Panels
- Thread starter MuuMuu101
- Start date
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UDUST81
Well-Known Member
my cheap lift off six pack hood on my duster looks nothing like factory but it was only 300... maybe the more expensive brands look more "factory correct"
Do you have any pictures?
plumkrazee70
Well-Known Member
My lift off six pack hood was $500; 11 years ago:banghead: The underside looks like fiberglass.
UDUST81
Well-Known Member
no but i could get some this weekend its basically flat raw fiberglass with a big square hole in it lol
UDUST81
Well-Known Member
i guarantee yours is higher quality mine is super flimsy and i'm having a hard time making it fit just right but im okay with it im going more for that dirty drag car look than fancy show car lol :burnout:
plumkrazee70
Well-Known Member
Maybe. I personally don't like the fit. The gaps are too wide on either side. I bought it when I was 18 and thought it was cool. I mistakenly ditched the factory hood.:violent1: Oh the things we know now.
I am probably going to end up selling it and getting a bolt on so I can use the hinges.
UDUST81
Well-Known Member
my fendergaps are a bit on the tight side but my main problem is height with it, it fits perfect towards the grille but by the cowl area its a bit off (btw sorry for jacking this thread to talk about the pain of having a lift off hood) lol
CPDave
Spin Cycle
So here is what the underside of a VFN pin-on hood for a '66 Dart looks like:
You can see I've added some bracing and doubled up the center two hood pin hole reinforcing plates:
And I had to move the center two pins forward 5" from where I had them on the previous hood:
The previous hood mounted with 4 pins in line across the radiator support this allowed the front 7"-8" of the hood to start to flapping up and down 6" at around 133-135 and despite my attempts to curb that with some quick zip-tie fastened anchors at the track (worked for two race weekends then let me down) eventually tore the left front pin through the reinforcing plate and hood and folded that corner of the hood back flat, shearing the the left center pin and one I had (removed in this install) about halfway up the hood on the left side.
What the previous arrangement looked like:
I will say I also have a VFN Hood on my '66 Barracuda, that one is a "Bolt on" and has an abbreviated (leaves the center portions out) fiberglass version of the factory hood frame, and that only requires two pins and the hinges to locate it solidly. Everything bolted up and fit perfectly in the first try with that hood. I'll note however that you cannot use hood springs with most (nearly all AFAIK) fiberglass hoods.
Dave
You can see I've added some bracing and doubled up the center two hood pin hole reinforcing plates:
And I had to move the center two pins forward 5" from where I had them on the previous hood:
The previous hood mounted with 4 pins in line across the radiator support this allowed the front 7"-8" of the hood to start to flapping up and down 6" at around 133-135 and despite my attempts to curb that with some quick zip-tie fastened anchors at the track (worked for two race weekends then let me down) eventually tore the left front pin through the reinforcing plate and hood and folded that corner of the hood back flat, shearing the the left center pin and one I had (removed in this install) about halfway up the hood on the left side.
What the previous arrangement looked like:
I will say I also have a VFN Hood on my '66 Barracuda, that one is a "Bolt on" and has an abbreviated (leaves the center portions out) fiberglass version of the factory hood frame, and that only requires two pins and the hinges to locate it solidly. Everything bolted up and fit perfectly in the first try with that hood. I'll note however that you cannot use hood springs with most (nearly all AFAIK) fiberglass hoods.
Dave
So here is what the underside of a VFN pin-on hood for a '66 Dart looks like:
You can see I've added some bracing and doubled up the center two hood pin hole reinforcing plates:
And I had to move the center two pins forward 5" from where I had them on the previous hood:
The previous hood mounted with 4 pins in line across the radiator support this allowed the front 7"-8" of the hood to start to flapping up and down 6" at around 133-135 and despite my attempts to curb that with some quick zip-tie fastened anchors at the track (worked for two race weekends then let me down) eventually tore the left front pin through the reinforcing plate and hood and folded that corner of the hood back flat, shearing the the left center pin and one I had (removed in this install) about halfway up the hood on the left side.
What the previous arrangement looked like:
I will say I also have a VFN Hood on my '66 Barracuda, that one is a "Bolt on" and has an abbreviated (leaves the center portions out) fiberglass version of the factory hood frame, and that only requires two pins and the hinges to locate it solidly. Everything bolted up and fit perfectly in the first try with that hood. I'll note however that you cannot use hood springs with most (nearly all AFAIK) fiberglass hoods.
Dave
Thanks Dave. So the only bracing they added were those humps on the back of the hood in which they incorporated into their mold... Interesting. How would you say the torsional rigidity is on your hood? Are they pretty easy to flex? And is the underside painted? It looks like they just used chopped fiberglass Mat.
CPDave
Spin Cycle
Hi MuuMuu101.
I suspect they lay up the bracing separately then bond it on with resin as a final step in production. Judging from the level of abuse the previous took while refusing to fall completely apart, I'd guess they lay down a thick coat of mat black gel-cote followed by 3 layers - mat/cloth/mat. Even the traumatized hood was still structurally sound enough for one person to handle carefully. And it remained dimensionally accurate enough to template the four corner hood pin holes from and only need to oval one about 0.25" to make the new hood slip right on. I plan to repair the old hood when I get some spare time and nice weather this summer.
Dave
I suspect they lay up the bracing separately then bond it on with resin as a final step in production. Judging from the level of abuse the previous took while refusing to fall completely apart, I'd guess they lay down a thick coat of mat black gel-cote followed by 3 layers - mat/cloth/mat. Even the traumatized hood was still structurally sound enough for one person to handle carefully. And it remained dimensionally accurate enough to template the four corner hood pin holes from and only need to oval one about 0.25" to make the new hood slip right on. I plan to repair the old hood when I get some spare time and nice weather this summer.
Dave
Yeah, using the mat is definitely one way at keeping the cost down. So, you're saying you think the top layer (visual from the outside) is made from a couple layers of cloth. Then the structural support is the 3 layers of mat/cloth/mat? I've heard horror stories of fiberglass hoods not fitting.
CPDave
Spin Cycle
I've had good luck with VFN's parts pretty much dropping into place, but I've only had the 3 hoods and one front bumper (also on the Dart) from them, the vintage road racing rules don't allow fiberglass fenders. The fiber glass racing apirn I bought for my'66 Mustang from Maier Racing 30 years ago WAS a bit if a nightmare to install...
I'm not so much looking to buy. I'm more interested in how they're made. Part of my focus for my bachelor's Senior project was composites and analyzing interlaminar stresses. Since I've never seen one in person, I was curious as to how different companies conduct their lay up and what material they use. I've seen a couple different ways of making a hood.
CPDave
Spin Cycle
Really can't help you there, I have only dealt with VFN, and the various other fiberglass component manufactures I've bought from over the years, by phone, I've never actually gotten to watch them making stuff.
sscuda
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Here's a novel idea; why don't you contact AAR, Glastek, VFN, or Cynergy Composites and arrange to visit one of the suppliers and tour their facilities. You will get to see the lay up processes first hand and most likely talk to a knowledgeable person about the lay up process and materials used.
:glasses7:
:glasses7:
Agent_Orange
Well-Known Member
The underside of your hood will depend on a couple factors. One being the weight. If the hood is a race trim hood, it will be lighter, flimsy and not much care taken to what the underside of the hood looks like. The other (nicer) way to do either a fiberglass or carbon fiber hood would be to actually make two castings. One of the outer surface, and the other of the underside. This will leave a gel coated surface on both the outside and inside surface. Then the two molds are trimmed and glassed together.
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