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Old Apr 11, 2015 | 06:13 PM
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Default hood paint blistering

I bring my Corvette for 2 years without hood insulation and never had a problem. today I went toy car show and left the hood open for about 4 hours indirect sunlight when I shut the hood I walked around the car and noticed a line above the distributor shielding where the paint was blistering. anyone else run into the same problem
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Old Apr 11, 2015 | 06:39 PM
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Do you have any shiny chrome pieces in your engine bay? Direct sunlight onto that and reflecting onto the underside of the hood can do some damage.
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Old Apr 11, 2015 | 07:47 PM
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Originally Posted by atp1234
I bring my Corvette for 2 years without hood insulation and never had a problem. today I went toy car show and left the hood open for about 4 hours indirect sunlight when I shut the hood I walked around the car and noticed a line above the distributor shielding where the paint was blistering. anyone else run into the same problem
If you've got a chrome top on your breather, the sun will focus a spot and burn a line of blisters across the hood on the outside. Look at my thread from last year in C2 on my 65. Cost over $3,000 to get it all back right. I now use a 15" place mat I bought at Big Lots when I leave the hood up. I bought a woven straw one at Dollar Tree (for $!) for my 72. Here are a couple of pictures. And here's a link to my event. Don't let anyone tell you it doesn't happen. Cover your breather.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ling-hood.html






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Old Apr 11, 2015 | 09:15 PM
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Originally Posted by 65GGvert
If you've got a chrome top on your breather, the sun will focus a spot and burn a line of blisters across the hood on the outside. Look at my thread from last year in C2 on my 65. Cost over $3,000 to get it all back right. I now use a 15" place mat I bought at Big Lots when I leave the hood up. I bought a woven straw one at Dollar Tree (for $!) for my 72. Here are a couple of pictures. And here's a link to my event. Don't let anyone tell you it doesn't happen. Cover your breather.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ling-hood.html






the air cleaner was ok it looks like the shielding over the distributor did the damage. a small 1/2 inch line.
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Old Apr 11, 2015 | 09:16 PM
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Originally Posted by GRipp 73
Do you have any shiny chrome pieces in your engine bay? Direct sunlight onto that and reflecting onto the underside of the hood can do some damage.
yes
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Old Apr 12, 2015 | 04:18 AM
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I doubt seriously the ignition shielding did it. It's curved the opposite way it needs to be to focus the sun to a point. The large dip around the outside of the chrome breather works like a mirror and focuses the beam to a spot. Then as the sun moves, it moves across the hood and burns a streak. I did a study with the breather top in the sun in my driveway and tried covering the indentation where the hold down nut goes, and that didn't do it. It was the large ring just near the outer edge. Here's a picture of what reflected on a building 8 feet away, so imagine it 3 feet from your hood. You can trust me or learn the hard way. Cover the chrome breather top or leave the hood closed. I considered painting the breather top black, but can't make myself do it yet.

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Old Apr 12, 2015 | 05:57 PM
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Default see the line

Originally Posted by 65GGvert
I doubt seriously the ignition shielding did it. It's curved the opposite way it needs to be to focus the sun to a point. The large dip around the outside of the chrome breather works like a mirror and focuses the beam to a spot. Then as the sun moves, it moves across the hood and burns a streak. I did a study with the breather top in the sun in my driveway and tried covering the indentation where the hold down nut goes, and that didn't do it. It was the large ring just near the outer edge. Here's a picture of what reflected on a building 8 feet away, so imagine it 3 feet from your hood. You can trust me or learn the hard way. Cover the chrome breather top or leave the hood closed. I considered painting the breather top black, but can't make myself do it yet.

Attachment 47877748
its hard to see because of the color. look hard and you can see the line. it happened soon as I shut the hood
Attached Images  

Last edited by atp1234; Apr 12, 2015 at 05:58 PM. Reason: spelling
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Old Apr 12, 2015 | 09:13 PM
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I stick by my theory. It happened when the hood was up, you didn't see it until it was down. It really does happen all the time, but there are a lot of deny-ers.
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Old Apr 13, 2015 | 08:40 AM
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Originally Posted by 65GGvert
I stick by my theory. It happened when the hood was up, you didn't see it until it was down. It really does happen all the time, but there are a lot of deny-ers.
I have seen it many times. It's tough to see a beautiful paint job destroyed by this, but it happens alot.
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Old Apr 13, 2015 | 09:20 AM
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Black is the best color for absorbing sun beams.
A reflective shield on the backside of the hood would prevent this.
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Old Apr 13, 2015 | 11:34 AM
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it might not matter too much (well kinda because intensity of light is equal to power over area), but you guys should realize his aircleaner top is like a little 8in one, I wouldn't doubt the air cleaner can do it but what are the chances the line of the burn is exactly on top of the edge of the distributor cover and runs parallel with that cover, to me that's just too many of assumtions, the cover getting really hot and burning the paint from beneath makes more sense to me, but that's just my opinon
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Old Apr 13, 2015 | 01:41 PM
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Originally Posted by marc1973
it might not matter too much (well kinda because intensity of light is equal to power over area), but you guys should realize his aircleaner top is like a little 8in one, I wouldn't doubt the air cleaner can do it but what are the chances the line of the burn is exactly on top of the edge of the distributor cover and runs parallel with that cover, to me that's just too many of assumtions, the cover getting really hot and burning the paint from beneath makes more sense to me, but that's just my opinon
Unless his motor is positioned farther forward than mine, that streak is forward of the ignition cover. And it's at a slight angle. And if that caused the problem, why don't all the others do it.
OP, test it out. Pull the breather cover set it out in the sun like I did in my picture of the reflection on the building. You'll see how it focuses the beam and moves with the sun movement.
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Old Apr 13, 2015 | 01:59 PM
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It has to do with the time of day, the position of the car, etc. etc.

It's not a common occurence, but it does happen...and it is due to the concave ring around the chrome air cleaner cover on some models. If you don't believe it, take a bright LED flashlight and aim it at the air cleaner cover. Move the flashlight around, shining it in that trough until you get a reflection onto the hood. You'll get the picture.

Just putting a heavy cloth on top of the air cleaner will prevent that from having any possibility of happening.
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Old Apr 13, 2015 | 10:28 PM
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Originally Posted by 65GGvert
Unless his motor is positioned farther forward than mine, that streak is forward of the ignition cover. And it's at a slight angle. And if that caused the problem, why don't all the others do it.
OP, test it out. Pull the breather cover set it out in the sun like I did in my picture of the reflection on the building. You'll see how it focuses the beam and moves with the sun movement.
https://youtu.be/LSTTN-fb0bk
made a video show where the line is with respect to the cover

I know this topics pretty much done but I just can't belive this cleaner reflected in a peferct line above the cover.
Ps not tring to sound like a dick in the video it's just the way I talk sorry lol,
also I'm not creepy and go to ppl garages the op is my dad

Last edited by marc1973; Apr 13, 2015 at 10:35 PM.
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Old Apr 13, 2015 | 11:06 PM
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Originally Posted by marc1973
https://youtu.be/LSTTN-fb0bk
made a video show where the line is with respect to the cover

I know this topics pretty much done but I just can't belive this cleaner reflected in a peferct line above the cover.
Ps not tring to sound like a dick in the video it's just the way I talk sorry lol,
also I'm not creepy and go to ppl garages the op is my dad
The reason it makes a straight line is because the earth is moving around the sun, so the spot moves slowly across the hood burning a line. I'm sorry you don't believe me, but you can prove it next time you raise the hood with the sun at an angle that clears the hood but hits the breather.
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Old Apr 13, 2015 | 11:16 PM
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Originally Posted by 65GGvert
The reason it makes a straight line is because the earth is moving around the sun, so the spot moves slowly across the hood burning a line. I'm sorry you don't believe me, but you can prove it next time you raise the hood with the sun at an angle that clears the hood but hits the breather.
The straight line is not my I can't believe this...it's the fact that it's parallel with the cover, and how long the line is, it just seems like an undeniably large chance that a parallel line that's as long as the cover and above the cover is drawn from the small circle on the air cleaners while only sitting in the sun for 2 hours(the sun doesn't go across the sky that fast), anyway there's really no more to say about this topic unless someone else has had a different experiance other than the reflecting light off of the air cleaner or the distributor cover getting really hot, so I'm out
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Old Apr 14, 2015 | 01:23 AM
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It is merely an odd coincidence. The dist. cover will not focus the sun's heat on anything; it will merely reflect the heat and that is no different than the sun shining on any surface.
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Old Apr 14, 2015 | 08:02 AM
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Originally Posted by marc1973
The straight line is not my I can't believe this...it's the fact that it's parallel with the cover, and how long the line is, it just seems like an undeniably large chance that a parallel line that's as long as the cover and above the cover is drawn from the small circle on the air cleaners while only sitting in the sun for 2 hours(the sun doesn't go across the sky that fast), anyway there's really no more to say about this topic unless someone else has had a different experiance other than the reflecting light off of the air cleaner or the distributor cover getting really hot, so I'm out
You're wrong on two counts there, but I've explained more than once, so I'll give up. That shape on the distributor cover won't focus light, it will scatter it. I had my hood up for about 20 minutes after the wind blew the towel off I had on the breather, and the sun burned an 8 inch long streak of blistered paint, mine actually bubbled up off the hood.
I've done all I could to help, but I can't force you to believe. I'll just have to know that I tried. As I said earlier, next time you raise the hood in the sun, keep an eye on the angle of the sun, and when it hits right look at the bottom side of your hood. When you see the spot, touch it. But touch it like you're testing a stove eye, cause it will blister your skin on your fingers too. Good luck with your remaining paint.
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Old Apr 14, 2015 | 09:16 AM
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There is only one way to settle this. Leave the hood open with the car facing the same direction as it was on that fateful day with the same weather conditions and see if you can get the hood to catch fire.

On a more serious note. A beautifully chromed engine compartment can act like a mirror. Bet you know where I'm going with this one.
I can also remember taking a mirror and cooking ants with it when I was a child.

I can also remember seeing this same effect on hood paint because of the above, as well as the four letter words that accompanied the event.
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Old Apr 14, 2015 | 12:10 PM
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You can't cook ants with a flat mirror. If you have a concave mirror, that will focus the suns rays; otherwise it will just re-direct normal sunlight.

Most of us 'pesky little boys' used a lens of some type to fry ants....
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