I am in the process of prepping/block sanding the hood on my F-1. I had stripped it to bare metal, did a bit of filling on the top and shot 1st prime. I decided that I should install the radiator dam with new rubber that is installed in the forward part of the hood since it would have the potential to push the hood up where the rubber on top of the air dam contacts the hood.
The short answer is that it will push the hood up just a little such that I recommend installing it for the final blocking of the hood. Waves in the hood will haunt you forever!

 

That is good advice, Bill. It's no different than using a torque plate when boring or honing cylinder walls in your engine. Having the bracing in place makes all the difference in the world for working with the correct shape. Sitting in the drivers seat, flaws in the hood will catch your eye every time you drive the truck.

 

Bill I have one of those waves in the hood that your talking about. Most people can't see it but I can. It didn't show up until I put on color. I resanded, glazed, primed, guide coated, reshot the hood and clear and in the right light there it is again.
Sometimes it is just not fun being the guy that did all the paint and body work because we know were all the bad spots are.

 

Are they the same for 48-50 and 51-52? I have one from a 52 truck. If anyone needs one let me know.

On another thread about this piece it was brought up that they are important for forcing air into the radiator and not around it.

 

The deflector plate that fits in the hood is the same for 48-52. But they are different for 6 or 8 cylinder, as the radiator position is different and it requires a different sized deflector to match.

 

Oh, that is good to know! Mine is from a 6 cylinder. Thanks.

 

Chuck,
I ended up rebending the tabs at the outer ends of the air dam such that I eased the pressure where the rubber gasket pushes up on the hood. It helped considerably.
I agree with your last sentence!

 

It's probably too late if you have paint on the hood, but another thing to check is the fit to the cowl. They seem to get "flattened" on the underhood brace that connects the hinge points on the hood. That makes it hard to get the hood to sit down properly.

 

That's a great tip on the Bonus Built hoods.


I'm not running a deflector in my truck. I have a custom radiator and shrouding so I don't need the hood deflector. But, I'm wondering if it might be necessary to add something in there to create a little stiffness in the hood. Hmm, just something else to fabricate.


Bobby