91mongoose

Do most carbon fiber hoods have surface irregularities? Is that something that can safely be sanded out to make a smooth surface to paint on? The used hood I just bought has several high and low places in it. The low places can be filled with body putty, but I am a little worried about sanding out the high spots. Anyone have experience with this?

PS - It's a "street" sytle hood with factory style bracing. And the sucker is light :)

W i l l

91Mongoose,

The carbon fiber hoods that I have seen (two Corvettes and a factory Ferrari) have surface irregularities. In fact you can see the checkered pattern of the fiber mat through the paint in places. I suppose you could fill in the low spots, but the whole idea is to have light weight so I guess most people just paint them and go. I don't know how the material reacts to sanding down the high spots.

Will

91mongoose

That's what I figured. I don't mind seeing the checker pattern, but there are a few places that really bug me. I want light weight but I'm willing to give a little of that up to have it look decent.

I guess it's just poor quality control at the place that makes the hoods. I can't imagine a mclaren F1 looking like that...

BiZ

How was the hood packaged and shipped? That can play a big part in how the hood looks in the end. If it there was unnecessary pressure in places that would create low spots. A friend of mine has been shipping some carbon fiber hoods. The person he had packing them did a not so good job. The hoods would get to the customer warped and not fit correctly. Just a FYI.

Could you post any pictures of the hood? I would like to see the street style you refer to. I too would like to put my Z on a diet someday. Of course after I put myself on one that is. :D


[Modified by BiZ, 3:49 PM 7/19/2002]

91mongoose

I'm not sure how the hood was originally shipped. When I picked it up it was in a cardboard box with wooden reinforcements. I put it in the back of a pickup and used ratchet ties to hold it in place.

I'll get some pictures later today or tomorrow after I get it cleaned up a little. It's so dirty now I don't think you'd be able to tell any imperfections just from a picture.

BiZ

Not really looking for the imperfections. I would just like to see the hood itself. Does it work just like the factory hood? Or does it need to be pinned on? I have heard that those CF hoods vibrate around quite a bit. At least the pinned ones do.

91mongoose

No, it's not pinned. It works just like the factory hood and has all of the bracing and screw holes / studs. i haven't had it "up there" yet but at normal speeds it doesn't shake.

Here are the pics

The corners were ground off from being stored on concrete. Shouldn't be too had to fix. I don't have the wheel-well tops on yet since the previous owner used rivets instead of speed-nuts. I've got a couple more rivets to drill out and then its off to autozone. The slots for the speed nuts are there. I'd say the hood weighs about 35-40 pounds vs. 75 for the factory hood. All of the bracing adds weight but makes the hood usable on the street.

PS - 2068 is the one you'll be interested in Biz.


[Modified by 91mongoose, 5:14 PM 7/19/2002]

BiZ

In pic # P0002064 I see what I think is one of the imperfections you are talking about on the drivers side hump. Is that correct? Looks like it could be clouds. But it seems to lift off the hood.

And it looks like it is smaller than the factory hood judging by where it meets the door. Or have you not spent much time lining it up?


[Modified by BiZ, 6:21 PM 7/19/2002]

USAZR1

Who manufactured the hood,Andy?

91mongoose

I have no idea who made it, Clint. I bought it from a guy who did the work for another guy. it was originally on a rippied ZR-1. I got it pretty cheap because the guy thought it would only fit ZR-1s. If someone knows where to look for a manufacturer's mark I'd be glad to look for it.

Biz, Yep, that's one of the spots. They don't show up very well on film. It's just a little 1/8" or so rise in various places. I think they will sand out easily enough. I bet the previous guy just wanted weight off and didn't care about looks at all. I have not spent much time lining it up yet, but if I move it closer to the door the door hits it. The side is a little narrower than the stock hood, on both sides, but it is not too bad. I'll probably end up living with the slightly larger gap. I might trim the gill panel a little to make the gap even all the way down. On the passenger side the gap isn't even so I will have to build it up a little when I fix the corner.

{edit - we need a forum spelling / grammar checker :)}



[Modified by 91mongoose, 5:36 PM 7/19/2002]

BiZ

That spot inparticular looks like either a case of blistering or a bad spot in the mold. If it is a bad spot in the mold, whoever makes the hood needs to call me so I can fix it. I can't stand to see a screwed up mold. A screwed up mold makes screwed up parts.

91mongoose

That means the whole part is thicker in that spot, correct? So if I sand it down I shouldn't make a hole in the hood?

BiZ

First off, find a spot on the hood where there is no back framing and try to see how thick the hood is. I don't know how many laminates are used in the hood. If it feels at least 3/16 you should be ok with sanding it.

Press on the spot with your finger and see if there is any air underneath it. Also check the spot from the backside. See if it is flush or not. By looking at it in the picture I would think that it could be sanded out, then filled and feathered.


[Modified by BiZ, 11:17 PM 7/19/2002]