How to reinforce a stock hood

[Mike Serlin]

Lately it seems like everytime my hood takes a hard hit on the side, it cracks. So instead of paying $600+ on an aftermarket one I reinforced mine. The major problem is that you have to take out the hood liner to reinforce the hood from the inside and you cannot take out the stock hood liner without destroying it. So before I destroyed the hood liner I made a mold so I can just make new ones.
Notice how since the front air intake is blocked off, there is no need for those air passages in the new hood liner...

The first 3 pictures are of the hood liner. And the last picture is how I reinforced the hood. I used two layers of bi-axel on the walls and didn't bother reinforcing the middle section. I have now used over a gallon of resin re-reinforcing my ski, and I still ain't done!!!

 

[MikeB/Mako Mike]

I got a couple hoods to do too.Never done one but going to give it a shot.How did you keep the glass from sticking to the linner when you were making a mold?

 

[Mike Serlin]

That was the biggest problem. Since the part doesn't have to be pretty, I lined the baffle with plastic cling wrap. It doesn't exactly lay down smoothly, but it doesn't stick to the liner. It does however stick to the inside of the mold, but nobody ever sees that.

 

[MikeB/Mako Mike]

Sounds good.What do you think about making the linner out of carbon insted of glass?

 

[Mike Serlin]

I think it doesn't matter. There is no stress on the part. The only reason I would think to do it is for looks and i don't really care what the underside of my hood looks like, as long as it keeps water out.

 

[MADMAT]

Serious props for this post! I am about to do this.

So you cut all of the old air passages out and then made your mold. So now you mold a new liner on the underside of your mold?

Where are you gonna put the air in?

 

[jetskier79]

i'm about to not only steal someones idea...but I'm about to steal someones mold :sneaky:

 

[Phill]

How did you keep the glass from sticking to the linner when you were making a mold?

I have used crisco and pam before and both seem to work well. I also used plastic cling wrap and found it was hard to use. Foil works good too.

 

[Mike Serlin]

I only cut out the front air passages since the front holes are blocked off anyways. It just made the new liner a little smoother up front. The back of the hood is mostly open space.

The cling wrap was kinda hard to work with, but it did work.

 

[unclehulka13]

why dont you try some mold releasing wax :arms:

 

[Mike Serlin]

I have mold release wax, but there was way to many inconsistences in the original hood liner and rivets and holes and cracks, not to mention I cut half of it away (as shown in picture). I had to line it in duct tape to give it shape and the tape was too wrinkly

 

[sicki]

Fiberglass Mike is your new name. looking good. i was over at Mikes house yesterday, and hes is becoming quite the fiberglass expert

 

[MikeB/Mako Mike]

Thanks for the info.Should be a breeze now.

 

[Frosty]

That's a great idea Mike. Looks good.