Crazy idea....

[sharpe351]

Thought of an idea for the hood for my Maverick. Keep in mind I don't really have alot of money, so I figured I'd do this on the cheap. That, and there aren't really alot of options for hoods, unless you own a Mustang. I used 3/16" steel round bar for most of the fabbing. I will attempt to cover the structure in fiberglass. I've used this process before for smaller items. Let me know what you think....



Thanks.

[asifnyc]

very cool, can't wait to see how it turns out!

[Bryce]

looks cool!! the maverickman has a carbon fiber hood. But yours would be awesome, I hope it turns out the way you want it to. Cant wait to see some updates. Lots of pics of the build process would be cool.

[sharpe351]

Maverickman's CF hood is totally legit, but funds are not available for that. His hoods also fit perfect. I never did ask him if the hoods warp in the sun like most others do. Its just one of those "things" with CF hoods I suppose. I'm also not too sure if I should use an underlayment, like aluminum foil or something to keep the form flat and level. Just something to figure out.

[sebtarta]

That looks great!

DO IT! once you are done, you never know what could happen next. Customers requesting for the same. *hint hint*

[GrabberGT]

Awesome. I cant wait to see how it turns out. Please document everything so I can copy your process. What size cowl is that?

I've been trying to get one of MaverickMans Cowl hoods from him for a couple years now. He'll sell me one but I have no way to get it to Texas.

[DynoDon]

Boy, i gotta think there is a bunch of work to go to make that in glass and stay flat!

Looks a little more Pro Street than P-T to me. Are you planning a taller induction that requires the height, or just the look that you are going for?

[GRNOVA]

Dude that looks cool. This is definitively thinking out of the box. Now get back and the garage and finish.

[sharpe351]

Awesome. I cant wait to see how it turns out. Please document everything so I can copy your process. What size cowl is that?

The cowl is 5.5" tall. Needed for hood clearance for future plans. No power adders, but fuel infection based on a 5-Liter. Engine is built to turn 7K+ and FI intakes that flow well are tall. Also, I considered my options with purchasing a fiberglass cowl hood, and I really didn't like what is available. When I got to looking at the 4"+ hoods, they look strange. Kind of like a Chevy cowl on top of a Ford hood. I'm not knocking the look, it just wasn't what I wanted. So goes the "idea" to build my own (my style, my design, and MY fault if I f-it up! LOL).

DynoDon, As far as the "pro-tour" look, I'm working on it. I have a wheel in mind (the 17" variety) and handling to come from various sources. Going to attempt to keep the basic suspension design, but with better components. I want to keep the "old school" look. I think I may have a way to lay the glass to prevent rippling. I am also taking some tips from the Boss 302 chassis manual to improve body structure/stability.

[fbody_mike]

Looks like a cool idea. Are you going to pin it down or use the factory latch?

[sharpe351]

Looks like a cool idea. Are you going to pin it down or use the factory latch?

Dzus fasteners around the perimeter. Should be a little more stable.

[showme]

Looks like a great hood.I built a few vette tilt fronts out of glass.One was shaped out of foam.(Like a surf board).If you have trouble with the glass sagging you could overlay the frame with foam board.(Like 1/4 poster board, it will keep it from sagging and follow the shape of the frame.)Oh, keep the pics commin! Looks great!

[wellis77]

sub'n to this. I may have to build a custom glass hood for my project so I'm interested in how you are building this...

[sharpe351]

sub'n to this. I may have to build a custom glass hood for my project so I'm interested in how you are building this...

Basically, its a handful of measurements, calibrated eyeball and just plain luck. 3/16" diameter rod to make all the "framework". I think I can lay the glass flat using clips all the way around and some cleverly placed small guage wire to get the curves to come out right.

My goal is a lightweight, inexpensive 'glass hood on the cheap. I used the car to make sure the outer frame of the hood came out perfect with spacing provided by the way of paint sticks on the perimeter. 3/16" rod is easy to form by hand, and welds together relatively simple. The overall structure is quite stable, even without the glass on it. I wanted it to be sturdy 'cause I know how this stuff likes to crack.

I need to find a place local (Orlando area) that sells woven 'glass sheets. I need two 4'x6' sheets to lay the basic form. The base sheet will get clipped and wired into place, then the 2nd sheet will cover all that up. Once its cured, I'll use some more on the under pinnings to make sure the framework stays in place. I'm thinking of painting the framework white to "hide it" a little. Then off to my body guy to see how much work its going to be to get it flat. Hopefully it's not going to be too much work to get it dialed. I will certainly keep you guys posted on any progress that I make. My phone camera lens is broken, so I have to remember to use the "good" camera in the house.

[sharpe351]

By the way, any of the Maverick guys out there had difficulty finding sway bars that are "big" enough. Most of the ones I find are "small" to say the least. I'm looking in the range of 1"+ for front and I have a 7/8" rear already. All the ones I find are 7/8" for front.... not big enough.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

shoot just leave it like that!

ahha

[srh3trinity]

A metal screen attached to the form may give you more form as you are laying the glass to keep it from getting wavy in between the rod.

[GRNOVA]

shoot just leave it like that!

ahha

When I was young I used to get this stuff that was like shrink wrap that we put around the wings and fuselage on our remote control planes. just an idea!

[sharpe351]

all great ideas... I considered the screen thing. It may work. I farted around today and ran some tape over it to see where problems may develop. pics....




I know it looks ridiculous, but it did the job....

[GRNOVA]

I think it was called Monocote and we used a hair dryer to shrink it. would give a good base for the fiberglass. I like the tape idea probably a lot cheaper