30blutudor
Senior Member
Anyone put a repro hood on their 30-31? I am contemplating purchasing one I have all but given up trying to straighten out my old one. Please try and talk me out of it.
Repro Hood Advice
- Thread starter 30blutudor
- Start date
1930artdeco
Well-known member
Why not look on ebay or craigslist for used one? The metal will be better along with the fit.
Mike
Mike
Tom from Drippin'
Senior Member
Check Bert's in Denver for a used one, or perhaps only the individual sections you need, if you don't need all four. Steve & Phil are Model A guys and will discuss accurate condition.
Bert's 800-321-1931.
Bert's 800-321-1931.
30blutudor
Senior Member
I have been looking and have seen alot of them that are as bad or worse looking than mine. The add usually reads(good condition only one or two cracks in the hinge area easily repaired.) Not by me!!! The center hinge area takes the most abuse and alot of them are cracked or distorted really bad. If I could find a hood top with the hinge area in very good condition I would buy it. I just do not want to spend more money on something like I already have.
Kevin in NJ
Well-known member
The major difference between repro and original hoods are the side panels. The original side panels are curved to match the front and rear curves on the shell and the cowl. The repros are flat front to rear so the louvers and front and back edges are flat. The bottoms of the panels will not lay up against the shell or the cowl.
I believe some have reported the tops needed to be reshaped to match the cowl.
You can quickly spot a repro hood side by the louvers being straight. An original will have the louvers curved.
Fixing the original hood is not as bad as it looks with the right tools and knowledge. The cracks can be TIG welded up to the edge quite easily by an inexperienced TIG welder and a welder that was not working right. I say this cause I did it myself.
The side panels have a curve inward at the hinge. This is caused by the step edge being stretched over time. That makes the edge a bit longer than the panel making it bow inward. I did lots of little heat shrinks just on the edge to fix mine.
The rolled edge at the bottom of the side panels was pretty easy to fix with the TIG too. I inserted a copper wire into the roll. I made up a curved piece to fix the worn away area and welded it in place.
The handles and hold down hardware come off easy. Where the hooks go is worn and needs some build up some times. The repro rivets are not quite right. They heads are larger and come down too thin. I chuck them up in my battery drill and fix the head shape with a file and then sandpaper. Keep in mind 320 grit is good for paint adhesion.
The knowledge you must understand is how metal expands and shrinks with working and heat. I suggest watching a video on metal shrinking available from smartflix.com.
Some background. I had finished up most of my body work/ learning before I tackled the hood. I just got a big old tig welder cheap and was learning that as I moved along. I scratched my head for several weeks figuring out how I was going to tackle my hood parts. It went easier than I tried to make it out. I do suggest having 2 sets of stainless solid hood hinge rods. As a rule you never work on the hood without the hinge rod in place!!! They add stability.
This is another subject I should document one day.
I believe some have reported the tops needed to be reshaped to match the cowl.
You can quickly spot a repro hood side by the louvers being straight. An original will have the louvers curved.
Fixing the original hood is not as bad as it looks with the right tools and knowledge. The cracks can be TIG welded up to the edge quite easily by an inexperienced TIG welder and a welder that was not working right. I say this cause I did it myself.
The side panels have a curve inward at the hinge. This is caused by the step edge being stretched over time. That makes the edge a bit longer than the panel making it bow inward. I did lots of little heat shrinks just on the edge to fix mine.
The rolled edge at the bottom of the side panels was pretty easy to fix with the TIG too. I inserted a copper wire into the roll. I made up a curved piece to fix the worn away area and welded it in place.
The handles and hold down hardware come off easy. Where the hooks go is worn and needs some build up some times. The repro rivets are not quite right. They heads are larger and come down too thin. I chuck them up in my battery drill and fix the head shape with a file and then sandpaper. Keep in mind 320 grit is good for paint adhesion.
The knowledge you must understand is how metal expands and shrinks with working and heat. I suggest watching a video on metal shrinking available from smartflix.com.
Some background. I had finished up most of my body work/ learning before I tackled the hood. I just got a big old tig welder cheap and was learning that as I moved along. I scratched my head for several weeks figuring out how I was going to tackle my hood parts. It went easier than I tried to make it out. I do suggest having 2 sets of stainless solid hood hinge rods. As a rule you never work on the hood without the hinge rod in place!!! They add stability.
This is another subject I should document one day.
glenn33
Member
Check out this one in the classifieds...May still be available
http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2885
http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2885
Tom Wesenberg
Well-known member
I know of a very nice original hood from a 30 Tudor that's being rodded.
It's located in southern MN.