Thread: How The *&$@" Do You Trim The Hood?

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We got the grill shell on and I told my son lets set the hood on and see what it looks like. I did not realize the hood would need triming. The hood is 33 inches and I measure about 32 inches between the shell and cowl.

HOW DO YOU TRIM THE HOOD????????????? I can cut it but not straight enough.

Danny,adjusting the hood to the shell and cowl is touchy.It can be be done with a little patience.It took me about 2 days to get mine right.Mine is a 3 piece glass hood.I had to move the radiator and shell to make it fit.

What type hood (steel,glass,1,3,0r 4 piece)are you trying to fit?

As far as trimming the glass hood pieces to match the body and shell,I had to measure twice (caution)and cut.I used tape to lay out the profile on the hood and jig sawed w/n 1/16 in,I then hand worked to the tape line.

CAUTION ::nce the material is cut away it's hard to replace.

I spent more hours on fitting the hood than any other part of the car. As Don said, I used a jig saw for the large cuts. Then, I used my small Makita grinder with an 80 grit disc to fine tune the fit. Using masking tape as an edge marker works very well. I was paranoid about taking too much off, so I proceeded slowly and remeasured numerous times before making any cuts.

Right now I am wishing I had a glass hood. It is some brand of steel hood with the side panels stationary and a hood that will open from either side.

I spent 40 hours trying to get a 3 piece hood to fit on a 32 3W for a friend.

40 hours ...
and never was satisfied.

He took it to a PROFESSIONAL body man ... 20 hours ( and almost a thousand dollars $$$ ) it was no better. He quit and went and bought a stock Ford 4 piece hood.

Fitting the hood can be very frustrating! I have found that using a compass (the kind for drawing circles ) is the best way to mark the hood for cutting. Drag the pointed end along the cowl and use the marker end to mark the hood for trimming. It takes some practice but it works real good once you get the hang of it. On a steel hood I use a high speed pneumatic cutter (3" disc type) to carefully trim the hood and grind or file to finish. Try not to trim any more than necessary because the hood will get narrower the more you trim. Go to www.rootlieb.com and click on "Ford measurements".

I spent weeks geting the hood and hinge system fitted just right on my 32. The biggest help fo me was a video available from Hagan Street Rods
888-464-2426 which goes step by step through the process of fitting the hood and installing the hinges. You may not be using their hinges but the basic idea is still there.
Good Luck.... And Be VERY PATIENT!!! the hood on a 32 will make or brake the entire car.

If your grille shell is at the incorrect height the hood will look like it requires trimming.

Get the grille shell down where it belongs and the initial fitup will be very close to right on the money and more than likely no trimming required.

hi guys. hase anyone put roofing paper on and then used a compus to out line the cowl? tape it on, use the compus and then transfer the line to the hood . make sure you put a couple of lines on the paper and the hood for referance points. tryed it and it gives you a perfect edge to go by for alinment and trim

Guilld, where did you get the hood?

The radiator and shell both can be adjusted independently. I got those close then stretched masking tape from shell to cowl to make sure that I had the right slope. The deuce radiator is tilted forward at the top toward the front and is not perpendicular. Through trial error I finally got mine to a point that I used a 4 1/2"-5" grinder to get it to the final fitment. I didn't have too much trouble with the tree piece Rootlieb hood but fitting the windshield and top irons sure made up the difference.

I spent over 3 weeks trying to fit my 3 piece hood, it still looked like crap. I sent the car to a body shop, they've been working on the hood almost 2 weeks, and it's still not done. If I knew it was going to be this much work, I wouldn't have used a hood at all.

Ah yes - I have that to look forward to again since the body was removed from the frame for paint. And since I've done it twice, saving the shims and replacing them in the same place as before, know that that is a study in frustration and will just do it over - One More Time.