Gutted Hood Done Before?

[CarRacer]

Im looking for cheap (read:free) things to do to my car.

I know weight is something our cars have in spades. When I was racing stock body cars, we use to remove all the stock bracing on the body panels and build a "skeletal" frame out of 1/4" square tubing.

Anyone thought of doing this? I'm contemplating doing this to my hood.

Once it's complete, the hood sheet metal will be quite flimsy, but there's drawbacks to any mod. Hoodpins will become a necessity unless I make a mount for the stock latch. The cost savings over a carbon hood would be substantial and give the same result.

Opinions are appreciated.

 

[bustedsm]

I've never seen someone do it with a galant hood but a few local DSM guys have done it with theirs and netted quite a bit of weight savings (hood pins of course)

 

[ktmrider]

Would work, quite a bit of effort unless the savings are indeed good.
Note, when I installed the JDM FMIC I cut over 10# of meat from the bumper beam. Still left the cover mounts and cut the minimum to fit the IC. Went thru about $30 in cutting wheels, still cheaper than a RS hood.

 

[Hertz]

I think you could find easier weight savings elsewhere (better return on labor)

 

[CarRacer]

Labor is free, in fact it's what I'm seeking as it's a project car. (Hope I don't regret saying that.)

My bumper support is already cut, I'd like to retain ABS, Cruise and AWS. A/C is gone. I'm thinking the hood would be next. Materials would essentially be free as it's leftovers in the shop.

My only concern would be ruining the paint job, although it's hurting pretty bad. The hood already has hail damage so I'm not cutting up anything pristine. I think it would be fun to try, offer an alternative to CF.

 

If you looking for free... Why not just pull the sound deadening material from under the carpet
I watched my friends jutted DSM hood TACO his windshield, sun-roof and roof skin. I'm not a fan of gutting the hood.

 

[324vr4]

you should go for it!! i was thinking of doing something to this extent this winter

 

[CP]

I'm pretty sure Alex's (DSG) brother Nick did it to his white hood a few years ago, and posted photos here somewhere.

 

go for it man, do the trunk to? post pics!

 

[slugsgomoo]

even if you build a stock latch I would recommend pins at least at the front corners, otherwise you're going to have serious flapping issues.

I think the hood is actually more than one layer- I somehow doubt you can cut much more than 1/2 the weight by ditching the bracing. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

 

[skivittlerjimb]

I've been considering doing this, too, as I have spare, less-than-pristine white hood to try it with. For certain I'd have hood pins on the front corners if I do go through with this.

The main labor problem as I see it is the amount of cutting you'd have to do to get a good percentage of the hood skeleton removed. Since there is body adhesive between the skeleton and the underside of the hood skin, and it seems like to would be tough to get a cutting wheel of any sort under the skeleton, you're essentially cutting through the skeleton at a perpendicular angle to the plane of the hood, and then figuring out some way to pop the sections you're making with the cuts away from the underside of the hood skin. Sounds like it would take longer than a weekend.

Does anyone know of a solvent that would dissolve the adhesive between the skeleton and the hood skin without eating through the metal of the hood skin? I could care less about what it would do to the paint.

I'll try to dig up those pics of Nick G.'s old Galant. They got a good amount of material out of there but not all the extra metal at the front end of the hood. I'm guessing maybe 8-10 lbs. total savings could be achieved, maybe a bit more if you're completely getting rid of the hood latch assembly, cable, and cable release assembly, but still not as good a weight saving as a carbon fiber hood. Cheaper, though.

-Jim B.
280/1000

 

Quote:

Does anyone know of a solvent that would dissolve the adhesive between the skeleton and the hood skin without eating through the metal of the hood skin? I could care less about what it would do to the paint.



Seam-sealer is made to hold up against all solvents... @ my bodyshop, we use SS wire wheels whenever we remove panels and it becomes exposed. You should be able to pick 1 up through Snap-on, Mac, Astro-Pneumatica [(sp)I used their kit, comes w/ eracer wheel and wire wheel] or your local bodyshop supplier. The wire wheel will only remove anything topical to thee metal (paint, seam sealer, adhisives...)

 

[skivittlerjimb]

Resurrecting this thread because it's somewhat warm day (maybe 40F?) and I'm finally getting around to a "proof of concept" attempt at this.

Tiny, cheap air-compressor FTL. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif Sears cut-off tool is working fine, though. The cut-off wheels seems to be more than a match for the hood skeleton's steel. Just can't get enough air out of this crappy compressor to be able to cut at high enough rpms for more than 10-15 seconds at a time. If I can borrow a better compressor I think 2-3 hours of cutting and I just might be ready to go at the body seam adhesive stuff under the skeleton with a wire wheel. I'm just hoping I can find a wire wheel skinny and with long enough wires to get under the frame pieces and at the adhesive underneath.

Either way, if I do go through with it, the hood is going to be lighter than the 45 lbs. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bawling.gif it started out as.

-Jim B.
280/1000

 

[14u2nV]

Wouldn't it be easier to go to the gym a few times and lose the 5-10lbs? I don't get the whole fad with major weight removal programs. Put nitrogen in the tires, take out sound deadener, slim down the engine, etc. Why do something that could potentially be a safety hazard? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

 

Losing some weight off yourself is a very good suggestion and something most people overlook.

But why do people keep talking about this being a safety hazard? It's been said several times that hood pins are needed.

 

[CarRacer]

Nitrogen in the tires isn't done for weight savings. We use to run it in our race tires because compressed air has a high water content. The water expands much more when hot than a gas like nitrogen does.

Saving weight is often overlooked. It's not just a straight line advantage, it also helps cut down on tire, suspension, and brake wear. Ask Cy how much easier his Miata is on tires, brakes, and other parts than the Galant.

I also like the cost compared to carbon. It retains the sleeper look without a spendy paint job carbon would require at the low cost of some sweat equity.

 

[14u2nV]

yeah, I don't know why I thought it was lighter.

as for safety, you don't think a flopping hood is a safety hazard? Seems to me even with pins, after a while, the flopping is gonna win. I've seen several race cars with hood pins that didn't hold, don't know that I've ever seen a hood latch just let go.

 

[CarRacer]

I know if I did gut the bracing, I would make my own bracing out of 1/4" square tubing. It's easy to form to the hood, way lighter than the stock bracing, and cheap to buy.

That should eliminate any flopping around.

 

[curtis]

You could buy aluminum c channel or aluminum tubing instead of steel and use epoxy and or rivnuts to hold in place.

 

[Olson]

very good idea curtis i would go with a L channel aluminum brace for it and use as little as possible and use a good epoxy to glue it to the hood.