I have an aftermarket 1970 OAI hood that got damaged in shipping and now trying to do some straightening of the metal frame. (I got the hood cheap because of the damage - I'm not the original purchaser and don't know where it was bought so a replacement from the shipper or supplier is not an option)

There are a couple cracks in the fibreglass which I don't think I'll have any problem patching up, but my main issue is the nose of the hood where the hood tooth bolts onto the hood. The metal frame is bent inwards about 3/8" and separated from the fibreglass. I can't really get at it with the body hammer to massage the metal back in place to at least close enough where I can re-bond it to the fibreglass. I can flex them together with C Clamps, but I'm not sure how effective the repair would be given the tension on it all.

Any suggestions on effective routes to make this repair? (I'm not a body guy, but I can kludge through and McGyver it at least!)

One option I've considered (and hoping to avoid) is cutting a section of the fibreglass right out to expose the metal, then graft it back in place once things are straightened out...but hoping for something a little less invasive!





The other area is one of the back corners, the metal frame is bent out of shape a bit and the fibreglass is flapping loosely. This area might get the peel back, straighten and glue treatment.





Doesn't have to be perfect, right now I'm just aiming for functional with a plan of painting it satin black instead of trying to match a 30 year old paint colour I have no clue what it is! This will get me on the road for the summer and I can spend more time on better repairs later (once I've recovered from this 4 year build a bit!)

 

IMO - you'll need to cut a piece off the nose to gain good access w/a hammer, dolly, etc to straighten the nose metal out correctly.

Looks like the metal is well distorted where the nose metal goes from vertical to horizontal.....that's what you are "fighting against" when you are trying to just bend it back into place. That area that is distorted needs to be relieved/"flattened"/reshaped to allow the nose metal to go back into the right position and not remain under stress.

Said another way - the vertical nose piece doesn't appear bent....it's bent ABOVE that and that bend can't be relieved or bent back to it's proper shape w/out first gaining plenty of access.

 

That's the conclusion I've reached about the location of the damage as well, and the challenge to straighten the metal out. Good to get that second opinion on it at any rate! I'm not holding my breathe for a silver bullet cure but I do have a few days of working on other things before I need to get serious about it.

 

Instead of cutting the fiberglass, I would cut out the metal section. Once cut out, re-work the metal to fit, or cut that section out of a non OAI hood and weld it back in.

 

I'd be concerned about the heat from the welding adversely affecting the fibreglass and/or bonding material. If the heat wasn't a concern, my first attempt would probably be to just use a torch on the metal and bend it when it's red hot...but I really don't think that's a good option.

 

The right way to fix this is to separate the fiberglass from the metal, work both of them independently, then reattach using panel bonding adhesive.

 

Correct. Somewhere in the ether are pics of separating, repairing, and rebonding both pieces back together.