Hot Rods TECH - Building Patch Panels for my Hood

I know, I know, you can buy repop hoods but where's the fun in that!

I had a very rough hood for my 34 and the price of a replacement was enough incentive to try to fix mine.
So here goes.

1. Using 18 guage steel I cut two pieces larger than I needed for the panels and broke a 90 on one edge.




2. I made a cardboard template for the nose of the hood and transfered it to the metal leaving enough metal to bend a lip on the edge.



3. Using body hammer , dolly , a large old socket a heavy chunck of iron (anything as a dolly), dolly the metal over on the edge a little at a time, to the shape required.



Place your panel on a flat surface and tap the dollied edge straight down on the edge to keep your panel flat



4. Once the nose was shaped, I trimmed the panel tail of the panel to the proper shape, leaving it about an inch too long (so it will overlap the cowl when fitting)

Notice the pitiful pitted panel being used for a pattern



5. I made another cardboard template to match the crown of the hood, and began shrinking the edge to match.



6. Test fitting as I went



7. Using the E Wheel put the crown in the hood



8. Trim the rear to fit



9. The lower hinge area was good so it was saved. I trimmed it off the original and attached the side curtain, then fitted it to the car with screws.

.

10. The patch panel was trimmed to match the saved piece and steel welded togeter using oxy accet torch. Welding alternating small areas to prevent warpage



11. Finish grind the welds and dolly where needed.



12. The fitted hood




13. Refinish



Hope this inspires and has some helpful info.
Hope you like!

 

Nice job. Stu

 

Pretty bitchin, great job.

 

Great job,Nice pictures too,thanks for posting!

Steve

 

Thanks guys ... I appreciate the comments

 

All I need is an E-wheel and borrow some of your skill and I could be off and running!

Thanks for the tech post! Book Marked!

 

Very Nice!

 

You don't really need an E-Wheel for this one, you could shape the crown over a piece of pipe. The E-Wheel just made it easier.

 

Beautiful tech post. I love shaping sheetmetal I really wish that I had more time or more money to be free to do it more.

Again, great post and it goes to show that you don't HAVE to buy what you need.

Thanx,
Jaysin