54' chevy hood

HELLO , DOES ANYONE RECOMMEND WELDING THE 54' HOOD TOGETHER INSTEAD OF JUST PUTTING THE BULLNOSE STRIP FROM NATIONAL CHEVY ASSOC. ?? I'M GUESSING JUST WELD EMBLEM HOLES SHUT ALSO? MAYBE I'LL GET A PRACTICE HOOD & KEEP MY ORIGINAL WITH THE BIRD . ANY SUGGESTIONS or BULL NOSE HOODS OUT THERE? THANKS

 

if you do it, go slow. real slow. like takes 5 hours to complete slow.

 

Exactly...I warped the crap out of mine because I was impatient.

 

Yea you can do it. Like has been said already, go slow. Support the center of the hood while you do it. Took me about 8 hours to weld it and grind it. How good of a welder are you?

 

i skipped around welding a rod into mine. about finished, i decided to go ahead and hit the gaps i'd left between stitches. suddenly, POP!

 

okay ive never done it but i was lookin at mine and thought, why not cut the flanges out and replace the center of the hood with a shaped strip of metal? its twice the welding, but you can control both sides of the metal and hammer or shrink where and when nessesary

 

Yea, you can do that too.

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http://www.hollywoodhotrods.com/MetalWorks.htm

The one I did before was a customer car, when I do mine I don't want a peak in the top, so I'm going to weld it up but still cut off the flange so I can hammer the seam.

 

I welded - very slowly - 1/4" rod down the centre of mine. Go slow.

 

good heavens old chap! that is bloody marvelous!

 

You've got to be a good welder, and a damn good hammer and dolly guy to do it right!

 

Hey,

If you go this route, don't cut the hood in half first, but add your filler strip at 6''12'' at a time whyle you cut, align, tack & semi weld it in place. With this method you arn't trying to wrestle two hood halves, and most all of the hood panel is always in alignment at all times.
Clean metal + small tacks with .023 wire @12'' apart @ first+ a sharp grinding disc, don't use cutoff wheels to gring off sheetmetal= a clean, non warped hood splice.

" Humpty Dumpty was pushed "

 

wow , thanks for all the replies & help , i'm not a great welder , but thats why i thought i'd get a spare hood & keep my original , also have a buddy who is a hell of a welder ,but really want to try it myself . THANKS AGAIN

 

I wonder if tacking the hood to the fenders would help keep its shape while welding???

 

...slow...