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Is there anything i can do at home to prep a fire damaged hood?
Since I have a 64.5, the cost of a replacement is 2-1/2 to 3 times the cost of most other hoods, so I would like to keep the original for now. It look like the carburetor had been on fire at one time since there is smoke and fire damage right above it and spreads upward and out (interior only). nothing horribly wrong and appears there is no damage to the metal. but the existing paint is cracked and pealing.
Since it is an intricate area, I really don't want to have to sand it in the tiny areas. Will paint stripper work on the burnt paint? Or jut try to wire brush and sand it all? I know that sand blasting is the correct way, but I only have a tiny detail blaster (takes days to remove a layer of paint with a 3 gallon compressor) and can't afford to hire out the work right now. (who can?...)
Then what type of paint/primer do I use... is it a lacquer or enamel that I should look for. I would prefer to use a spray gun instead of a can... Is the interior the same chassis black as the underhood paint (that is what it looks like now, but the entire car was black originally) or the color I am going to be painting the car.
Thanks all!
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Ed - 64 Coupe I6 170ci
20 years late getting my dream car, but my son driving it to his high school is just as wonderful!
You only need to prep the hood well if you want your paint to look good and stay on. The heat-damaged paint needs to be removed. If the paint shows no sign of damage around the edges, it can stay on if it is in good condition.
Sanding works well for most areas. Stripper can also be useful, but if the paint is totally b burned, it won't work. A drill with a sanding disk can make pretty fast work of paint removal if you don't own a sander of any kind. Some wire brishes for the drill will get into the small areas.
A cheap solution is to get a cheap 4" grinder (Harbor Freight appx. $15) and get a 24 grit flap flat sanding wheel. Get a coarse wire brush for non-flat areas and go to town.
The original paint was probably some kind of enamel, but I would recommend using something modern considering the trouble and expense you are going to.
I prefer basecoat/clearcoat for the sake of longevity and the ability to buff out scratches, etc. Unfortunately, Clearcoat won't look just like the rest of the paint even with a perfect color match.
To get a perfect match, you will have to work with a local source who can tweak the factory match until it is just right.
The local paint shop can seem to be expensive and they will probably recommend a lot of other expensive sounding add-ons like provgessional-level primer, reducer, thinner, etc. I willingly pay for these products because they know what works well together and as a pro, my customers expect a great color-match and that the paint will go on smoothly and stay that way for decades. They also stand behind me if anything goes wrong.
Another way to go is http://www.restorationshop.com/
They sell matching factory paint online. I have used their single stage urethane, though you could also use the acrylic enamel with hardener. They have good prices on sprayers and supplies as well.
Confirm the interior color with experts in your car. My 72 Mach1 had matching body color paint under the hood, despite the black panel that covered most of the top.
Good Luck!
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Life is too short to drive boring cars!
a fella with a dodge charger here in cork once made crap out of his hood. carb backfire, no aircleaner ... i don't know what prepping work he had done, but be aware that the sheet metal might be bent so if you're not doing the painting yourself but a body shop i wouldn't prime it as they probably will have to give it a once over ...
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1964 1/2
302ci, Edelbrock RPM heads and cam, 650 speed demon, Long Tube headers and Flowmaster 40s
Quick Performance Racing 9" rear, Moser axles, 3.5:1 trac-loc from FRPP and T5 transmission.
CSRP disc brakes front and FRPP discs back. http://www.gascc.ie
Since I have a 64.5, the cost of a replacement is 2-1/2 to 3 times the cost of most other hoods, so I would like to keep the original for now.
Since it is an intricate area, I really don't want to have to sand it in the tiny areas. Will paint stripper work on the burnt paint? Or jut try to wire brush and sand it all? I know that sand blasting is the correct way, but I only have a tiny detail blaster (takes days to remove a layer of paint with a 3 gallon compressor) and can't afford to hire out the work right now. (who can?...)
Then what type of paint/primer do I use... is it a lacquer or enamel that I should look for. I would prefer to use a spray gun instead of a can... Is the interior the same chassis black as the underhood paint (that is what it looks like now, but the entire car was black originally) or the color I am going to be painting the car.
1) Not so. The OEM 65-66 hood is $425, and the OEM 64 1/2 hood is $485.
2) You should paint strip all that is possible, if the hood is not warped, top and bottom. Then DA sand the top and bottom.
3) Unless you are expert/professional, sandblasting can very easily destroy sheet metal panels. The friction/heat causes ripples that would require a lot of filler to smooth out.
4) You'll be using enamel, most likely. Lacquer is getting hard to find, and is actually illegal in many places, such as, I believe, CA.
5) Use a professional spray gun, even if you have to rent one.
6) The underside of the hood was always body color, if the car was black, then of course it was the same gloss black as the body. This is a well-known, one-owner champion 64 1/2:
1) Not so. The OEM 65-66 hood is $425, and the OEM 64 1/2 hood is $485.
2) You should paint strip all that is possible, if the hood is not warped, top and bottom. Then DA sand the top and bottom.
3) Unless you are expert/professional, sandblasting can very easily destroy sheet metal panels. The friction/heat causes ripples that would require a lot of filler to smooth out.
4) You'll be using enamel, most likely. Lacquer is getting hard to find, and is actually illegal in many places, such as, I believe, CA.
5) Use a professional spray gun, even if you have to rent one.
6) The underside of the hood was always body color, if the car was black, then of course it was the same gloss black as the body. This is a well-known, one-owner champion 64 1/2:
I guess I didn't express it correctly, you can easily get any other hood for much less than a 64 hood. If you get an OE tooling hood only, then it can be as much, but you can easily find a new 65-66 Repro for well $170 and there is even fiberglass for all the other years, at very low cost.
That was my point, that option is not available for the 64 1/2, it's pay $490, no low cost alternative is available (even a dented up, used hood costs almost $500. One salvaged one was quoted at $700!).
I'm glad you mentioned the sandblaster, that is what I was going to try for the cracked, burnt paint. I was going straight to the heavy bead blasting. I may still try it since the burns are only inside the hood. Chemical strippers probably won't work for the burnt and wire strippers/sanders aren't going to do much under the support ribs of the hood which is were it is burnt. I have a couple spot sandblaster (also from Harbor Freight), I may try softer crushed walnut shells and work my way through the grits to see what will work without pitting/damaging the metal.
I've seen a lot of hoods painted black inside, and since my car was originally black (now black, burnt paint under the hood), I was not sure which way to go. So that really helps.
I agree with the paint equipment and supplies. I purchased a gun (first of many) several years ago for a motorcycle, tried cheap paint, several months later I ended up getting the correct paint, bases, clear coat, adhesion promoters for plastic/metal... That paint is still wonderful after 6 years, the other paint lasted months!
About the shaping, I have been having a bit of trouble aligning the hood. I was wondering if the metal could be warped because of the fire. If it is, it is some body work that I wouldn't know were to begin with because of the dual layers of metal and support beams across the underside of the hood. Not something you can just hammer out.
I ordered all the rubber for the hood, going to try and align it right, but if it still looks "bent in", then I may spring for a new hood. It might just be cheaper (body shop costs and my time) than trying to fix this one. I
I'm glad every answered so in depth, this one is hard to do with so many choices (and problems), some of which could be costly or make it worse. Thanks!
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Ed - 64 Coupe I6 170ci
20 years late getting my dream car, but my son driving it to his high school is just as wonderful!
Unfortunately, you are probably correct about the warping. Enough heat to totally fry the paint can be enough to warp the metal. Usually, the center of the hood is either expanded or shrunk, depending on the fire and how it was extinguished. The underside structure can be distorted as well.
If a well-fitting hood changes shape after the fire, usually it has been overheated. Look for warping, twisting, bowing up or down or the center of the hood raising up or dropping.
I've not fixed one of these, but I would think you'd want to get it straightened before you put a lot of time into cleaning it up. That said, I don't think you have much to worry about using hobbyist level sand blasting equipment. Those big industrial jobs can blow a hle right through a fender, but test yours on a tin can and if it is like mine, it'll clean the surface nicely but not damage it.
You can always split the top and bottom by separating the spot welds to make it easier to release the stress so the hood can go flat again.
Good Luck!
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Life is too short to drive boring cars!
Contact Sue at Mustangs and More. She has found me many affordable hard to find parts through the years.
Its in Ventura County down the street from NPD
(I would go with a new hood)
Thanks, that means they are down the street from me as well (down the freeway). never knew about them, I'll check it out. I think I will have to start looking for a new one. I can align the front and rear, but it dips in the center, kinda like it is bowed in.
I may try to heat shrink the metal back into shape, but only after I am sure I can get a new one especially since I have never tried it before.
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Ed - 64 Coupe I6 170ci
20 years late getting my dream car, but my son driving it to his high school is just as wonderful!
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Prep & paint Fire Damaged Hood?
