76olds

I would really like to remove the hood insulation and not replace it with anything after paint . The underside will be flat black. Will this be a bad idea given the paint will be new?
I removed the hood insulation from our lite blue 76 probably about 5 years or so after it was painted without showing any problems, However, I would hate to do this with our other car before the paint sets up well enough to eliminate any problems with heat transfer.
What do you guys think? Would I be safe to leave it off, or buy new insulation until the paint sets up really good for a certain amount of time?

Thanks
Eric

oldcutlass

In the past most of my old cars it was removed or had no insulation. I removed the insulation and painted satin black on the Cutlass when I got it painted around 2009/10. The hood paint has endured well 10 years/ish later

jaunty75

The purpose of the hood insulation is to deaden sound, not to protect the hood from engine heat. Generally the higher-end models back in those days had hood insulation. I had a '75 Chevy Nova that had no hood insulation, and the paint on the hood didn't deteriorate any more quickly than the rest of the car. I don't think you'll have any problems if you don't replace the insulation.

Fun71

I repainted the 71 convertible in 1998 and didn't install hood insulation and haven't had any issues with the paint.

76olds

I appreciate the comments guys. The body shop mentioned, they only spray water based paints, that had me thinking about longevity with heat transfer on the hood surface with headers.
I much prefer the flat black look, the insulation just collects dust and dirt anyway.
Thanks again, to all, for your input.
Put-r-ther!

Eric

Inline

When i reveived my AZ car, it havent had hood insulation for god knows how long. Just a remnants of it. Paint is perfect on hood. Tho later i installed hood insulation, and definitetly noticed less noise in cabin. Since noise is power, maybe -15hp?

coppercutlass

Water based paint will endure just as much as solvent the only difference is the fact its not solvent based and does not dry through process of evaporation it dries through forced air to dry the paint out. Its hard to explain but your underhood temps are not enough to hurt anything paint wise. UV rays will get the top surfaces much hotter specially on dark cars. I would have the shop spray the under side so it has a nice quality paint on it then just scuff the clear and spray your flat black over it with cans . The paint will be much durable unless you will be spraying a satin or flat black from a gun.

76olds

I know you have many years experience in the trade Copper.
Almost talked myself into buying new insulation to install for the first year or two over the weekend just in case haha. Good thing I didn't get a chance to order it. I can save that $$ since it won't be necessary now.
As difficult as it is to explain the differences to someone without experience in this trade, Your explanation between the solvent based vs water based endurance really does help. Especially, for a guy like myself with no experience in Auto Body Trade.
I truly appreciate your input. It may not be a question of concern to others, however, this kind of input really helps when spending a few more bucks on a nice paint job, then take into consideration what type of insulation to install if any, for paint longevity to keep the hood looking nice and uniform to the top of the fenders.
Also,
For the additional cost, I'd rather have better paint durability under the hood. So, I will take your advice and have the body shop do the paint on the underside of the hood as well.
This will save me time and $$ yet again, trying to do it myself, then having to pay to have it done properly at a later date .
I value and appreciate your technical trade experience and advice Copper!

Cheer's
Eric

76olds

Good to know buddy,
I'm confident now and will go with the underside flat black look. Plus, I really need the extra noise power in our heavy 76 cutlass haha.