miked16

It turns out that my 63 roadster's hood is from a 64. I would really like to use cookie sheet grills as they are one of the unique features for my year. I am learning now that one difference between the years is the indent for the grill. The car will never be a show car but I am trying to make it nice. I am close to the end of my rope budget-wise, so the thought of shelling out an additional $1500 for a new hood has me thinking about "plan-b" I can either:

1) Abandon the idea of the grills
2) Install the grills anyway without the "indent"
3) Buy an new hood and go "more" overbudget
4) Rework the hood to "add" an indent

Has anyone tried to rework a 64 hood into a 63? I am thinking it is some cuttoff wheel work, then fiberglass and VPA?

DUB

IF the cost of a new hood is going to throw you into a tailspin....AND the time you will spend on modify the hood is something that you can afford to do....then...modifying the hood may be the way for you to go.

My thought would be this....instead of cutting the hood....why not use VPA and build it up to make ti look like it is recessed. And hen feather the VPA back toward the rear of the hood.

The areas down in the recess areas that you already have in the hood can also be done to 'trick' the eye. I can not remember what the underside of an original 63 hood looks like ...meaning is the recess seen and can be felt or is it flat. Knowing that you are not worried about judges...this may actually me a faster option to get the cookie sheets to fit in and be flush like YOU want them.

IF I were doing this....I would either wrap the cookie sheet in a protective film....like I use when cars come in with broken door glass and such (making sure it will NOT pull the black pain off the cookie sheet)....and also by adding some tape or sheet wax to the cookie sheet. What it will do is make it so when I am adding the VPA...and take the cookie sheet out....when I am done and remove the film and sheet wax I applied to add more length and width to it....it will now be narrower and thus fit in the recess I just made....TAKING INTO ACCOUNT primer, paint and clear also.

One thing you would HATE to have happen..and it has happened to me in the past. I modify something so perfectly...that when I paint it...now it will not go into the area I modified due to film thickness of what I applied on my bare work with nothing on it.

OR...make your own cookie sheet and make it wider and longer and use it so the new cookie sheets do not get damaged,

DUB

miked16

Hi Dub,

Great advice, I think VPA will do the trick. Looking under the hood the super-structure is fabricated in such a way that cuts would be very difficult because you would have to also cut into the hood frame. Another advantage to your approach is later the VPA could be ground out if someone revert the hood back so I don't have to feel too guilty about modifying an original hood.

Thanks for your help!

DUB

I am glad that my advice helped...but NOW...the FUN begins.

DUB

porchdog

i would leave it be . lot of work for nothing . it wont be right or help on resale. keep looking for a trade on a hood .

miked16

Hi Porchdog,

Thanks for the advice, I KNOW that you are correct. I have struggled with keeping the car right and an eye on resale the whole process. I am nearing the end of a long rehabilitation and am near under water. Each time I am at a junction of right/ resale, I struggle. DUB had a good point when wrote “if the thought of a new hood would put me in a tailspin.” I know another $1000 won’t matter in the long run.

Used cookie sheets are supposed to arrive from ebay today, I will set them in place and decide what my next move.

Thanks again!

DUB

YEP...this is a crossroad that many of my customers have to deal with. BUT..the thing with them is more than likely they are not doing the modification...and having to pay me to do it which changes 'things'.

I am sure that you know that even if you modify the hood and not buy one....and you are not worried about the car being perfect and repaired so everybody who looks at it can not pick it to death on those 'things' that are not right. GO FOR IT! .....OR.....

If the hood is now an issue for whatever reason... I would then see if you can sell the hood you have currently....and apply that money towards a new hood....so it is not such a hard financial hit.

I can tell you ...and you more than likely know this also....that there are a lot of different markets when you sell a Corvette like yours....you have the people who have to have it be prefect as like it came off the assembly line...and those people will not drive it and sit at home and look at it....and you have the other side of the spectrum where the people will drive the heck out of it and do not care if it is factory perfect because if it was factory perfect...they would be too paranoid in putting it out on the street. And as long as the car is clean and not overly 'flubbed-up' with a bunch of aftermarket stuff that just does not look good...I am sure the car will sell. SO...if you are thinking of the future and which market you are going after...that might be where the choice of the hood repair can possibly make a difference....because some people would not care....because you can not tell the hood is not factory when the car is sittign at a stop light or going down the road....and other people would tell you the car is worthless because the hood is not correct....so it has to do with a persons perspective and what is important to them.

I deal with both ends of this spectrum and everything in between. And what is 'funny' sometimes is when I get two people at the shop and they are complete opposites of each other....I end up having to be a moderator.

Just 'saying'.

It is your choice...and whatever you choose do what make YOU happy.

DUB