Hood Soft Spot

I have searched and looked at hundreds of pictures, without finding a suitable remedy. I have seen many hoods with the same problem. The soft spot where the hood latches to window frame. I am thinking about finding some hat channel, and running it between the front & rear hood bows, inside. This CJ is not going to evolve into a show rig, but I don’t want it to look like crap either. Not being a sheet-metal whizz, looking for some advice.

If am posted in the wrong spot, please move, learning curve.
Thanks, Paul


With a slight pressure it pops down or up. The major stress point being at the front bow, cracking, or popping the paint.

 

I haven't heard of this being a particular problem. I think your main problem is that the hood has been straightened with bondo, and the bondo is breaking free from the steel.

If you strip the hood and grind out all the bondo, you may be able to straighten the metal enough so that you don't need a lot of filler. If the hood is too wavy to fix without fill, then it may be better to look for a replacement.

The paint cracking problem is becasue the metal is rusting under the filler. That's what it looks like in your pictures. If the metal rusts, the filler will separate from the metal.

From what little I know about this, I think you're going to have to bring the whole hood down to bare metal to fix this problem. Have you considered how you're going to strip the hood?

 

The sheet metal on your hood has been stretched from a previous accident. A good body man might be able to shrink it back and re-do the old body work that is cracking out, but I think your cheapest solution is to find a better hood.

 

I have to agree with what these guys said. Really sucks too, I just sold a real nice Tuxedo Park hood with emblems and I'm right across the river from you....