I don't know much about body work, and I was looking at this hood a little closer.
Can any of you body buffs tell me what level of effort is needed to fix this damage?

 

IMO, it's repairable but a lot depends on your skill level and the tools you have. Bowing out of the side of the hood might be the most difficult repair. You might be better off finding a good used hood. They are fairly easy to find but they are big and very expensive to ship cross country.

The tear you have is very common, almost every truck I've ever had had the tears. On my F-2 the hood was like new and had the tears. I reinforced the area from behind by brazing a washer on to the inside of the hood.

 

If you don't feel comfortable doing it the take the hood down to bare metal and take it off and take it to reputable local body man. That type of repair would not be terribly expensive. Check your local chapter for recommendations.

 

Agreed. It's repairable and the stress cracks are on 99% of the hoods for 48-52 model years. The main thing is to get the curvature right.

 

Mine had them too.

If you don't have the $$ for a body shop to do it, you don't have anything to lose by trying to fix it yourself.

 

Good to know that it's common... i thought someone tried to pry the hood open.


I think sanding it down and sending it out for the repair is the best option. Thank you guys for the info.

 

Agreed, get the curvature right, and your in for a lifetime of bliss.



Otherwise, you'd better be up for the many late-night trips to Safeway for Ho-Ho's, Haagen Dazs and the latest National Enquirer.

 

I have to add hoods are probably the hardest part of the vehicle to work on for two reasons.

First, the hood takes a beating from the vibration of the truck going down the road. Unlike most other pieces of sheet metal, the hood isn't fastened as firmly to the truck as other pieces of sheet metal. Also, they experience more severe slamming action than most pieces other than door. They are also long, flimsy pieces of sheet metal that doesn't flex a lot. If filler is used it has to be strongly bonded to the metal or you will experience cracking.

Second, the hood is the most viewed piece of sheet metal and flaws are more noticeable because they sit up high, closer to normal line of view. Also, you're constantly looking at while driving down the road.

If you do reinforce the corner,s like I suggested, I suggest you braze the washers in. The metal is very thin in this area and if you try to weld it you will be chasing the crack up the side of the hood.

 

ya, I don't think I'm skilled enough to make it right. I can certainly prep it tho.

Any other reinforced areas I should consider?

Is there a treatment I can apply to make it rattle less? Maybe a vinyl trim, or something?

 

Check for rot on both sides at the rear brace.

 

Fixable. Mine started out way worse than that.

 

Awesome, I was afraid I'd have to start hunting for yet another piece..

Can someone post up pics here of the extra support they've added to their hood?

 

I fixed mine and if I could do it damn near anybody can. I am a woodworker and can do lots with wood, but metal is slightly foreign to me. I have a mig and managed to repair the stress cracks and keep the shape. There were four places that had stress cracks, two back near the hinges and two towards the front where the cross brace is. I am guessing that many F1 hoods have this problem. Try fixing it first, and if you can't then either take it somewhere or find another. I tried to fix my fenders that had lots of rust under almost a half inch of bondo and fiberglass by the PO. I gave up and bought fiberglass fenders from Bebops. Good luck!

 

I am a big fan of structural adhesives and for this job they would really help to reinforce that section of the hood to prevent further cracking. Have it welded first, then cut some steel to fit the area behind the damaged section, use the adhesive to apply the steel support to the hood and you're good to go. I use 3M 8115 or 8116. Adhesives are as strong as the steel and require no heat and therefore no warping of the metal.

Another thought after reading topmoo's post...if you are going to weld a crack be sure to drill a hole (1/8 inch is enough) at the end of the crack to keep the crack from running.

 

Check the center support toward the back of the hood, it's spot welded and tend to break loose. I had a perfect hood and the spot welds pulled out leaving two small holes.

As Ilya stated, many of the hoods on trucks I've had were nice hoods but the back corners were rotted out.