After popping up a headlight cover and feeling the light front end of my car on the german autobahn at high speeds I knew it was finally time to start my hood vent.
I had already seen lots of great examples of both vents and scoops on the forum and from that it was time to start myself
So first a big thanks to all the other hood vent/scoop creators here youve been a big help and inspiration!
I have never worked with polyester before so its possible i havent done some things the right way, any comments are welcome

First thing i did was to take good measurements about where to cut. Its easy to draw the lines on the hood, just as important tho is to look under the hood.
I thought there would be plenty of space for a vent but there is really little room under the hood and before you know you start to hit all kinds of things.
Especially the rubber of the spare tire compartment and the coolant reservoir.
Cutting the hood is really easy with a dremel tool, and with a bigger wheel its easier to cut long lines.



After cutting the hood put a piece of wood in between and fit it on the car to make sure it fits, there is really little room under the hood so test it alot.



For the way i made mine it was needed to cut a bit away, i plan to make it so that the rubber can be placed back on to seal the spare tire compartment again.
Its possible to make a vent without cutting tho. I decided to cut it cause i wanted the hood to drop more even instead of a "sharp" bent towards the opening.

On the bottom of the hood i cut the red parts. I cut the hood pretty far open because i wanted it to drop even and didnt want much stress on it bending the hood down.
Now that the polyester is hard i doubt the stress part matters much, this stuff is strong!



Cutting the middle part gives the hood room to drop, i kept the middle part intact for strenght. I also thought the rubber would rest on this but it actually rests on the piece in front of that.
Make sure you dont make it much thicker here this is one place where there is very little room.

Well time to start with the polyester!
I've read there are different types of this, being a big noob with this stuff i used what the shop recommend.
The stuff/brands mentioned on other threats were not known here in the Netherlands.
I used a type where one part is the hars and one part is the hardener. Only 3% hardener is needed, i used a bit more to make sure it mix good, the other part are the fiber mats.
Some small tips although im a beginner myself ,
*make sure you get plenty of these parts.
*keep a good scissor close to cut the fiber mats.
*dont mix too much in one go.
*get some cheap brushes. The brushes wont last long and cheap ones are fine.

Since im just starting with this i started at the bottom of the hood. Less important how it looks here.
Also dont worry to much, with the dremel its easy to cut away stuff when its hard.



I sanded the hood a little where i wanted to place the fiber and cleaned it after to get the dust away.
Then i put on some hars first so that the fiber mat holds easier.
Use the brushes to dip on the mats, this helps getting the air out and to make sure hars is everywhere on the fiber mat.
The fiber mat will turn yellow/transparent when u got hars everywhere.



I also placed some fiber mats between the hood vent opening and the headlights to add some strength there.



One side done, i did a few layers, i think about 4/6 layers, im not sure it got pretty thick atleast
Then the rest of the bottom of the hood, i think i did around 2 to 3 layers here. It really dries fast, especially with a bit of sun on it.



Time to start at the top side of the hood. I was a bit more precise here. Using smaller fiber mats at a time.
Also i didnt use too much layers of fiber mats, i didnt want to add much height to this side of the hood.
Also a good tip is to "glue" one part on, let is sit for a few minutes and then do the rest of the fiber mat. It wont move around so much then.



I also filled the vent, i will cut this open again later. I added a bit more in the middle, ill leave a small part there i think so there will be two openings.



Then again a bit more on the other side of the hood. Some touching up, some for strength and some to make it look a bit better.

Very nice work. That is going to look pretty good.

I noticed you left the gasket seal surface on the bottom of the decklid, but you trimmed the metal. You shouldn't have needed to do that.

Is there a reason you did?

Thanks, it was a bit scary cutting my hood but it goes nicely now.
I also thought that part touches the gasket but the part on the hood that I left on isn’t the gasket part for the spare tire compartment. It is actually the part that fits inside the gasket. Also the part that I left on is thin, the top plastic layer of the hood is actually touching the gasket now, well that and some polyester.
The way I cut the hood it didn’t fit without cutting a bit iron away.
If I made the vent a bit less deep it could have stayed or if I made the angle of the hood bent deeper at the last part it would have been possible. There was a lot of tension that way tho, I think it would have to be cut then.
Its amazing how little room there actually is, the bottom of the vent just hits the coolant reservoir cap a little so I have to drop that a bit aswell or cut a small part of the cap.
I guess it depends a bit on how deep you want the hood vent to be, or at what angle you want it.

Edwin,

Nice work and write up. I agree the scary part was making the first cut. I too, am in the middle of building/frabricating a hood vent on my '86 GT. However, unlike you, for the project I'm using a hood I removed in a Pull-A-Part yard several months ago. I figured using this approach there would be minimal or no concequences for mistakes.

Anyway, good job...............keep up the photo trail.

Mike

Thanks Cajun, post a pic of your hood if you got any, i'd like to see.
Well today we had a sunny afternoon here so it was nice to do a bit more work on my hood.
Not that much new to show, did some touching up, more sanding and it was time to start cutting.
Used a black marker to draw lines and then used the dremel again to start cutting.
Its not that easy getting it all cut out even because of the small differents on both sides in the fiber mats etc.
Its easy to remove more with the dremel or by manual sanding tho, think ill make a paper template tomorrow to see were i need to cut some more.

[This message has been edited by Edwin (edited 03-17-2009).]

Looking good, I'll be following this closely. Thanks for sharing, and for good pics. Are you gonna follow this with a functional airdam and splitter? Even the GT's "aero" nose needs to be lower at the front edge.
I have an '84, so I don't have the aero nose, but this summer I'll be building an aluminum airdam that drops down from the farthest-forward edge of the front bumper pads. I got tired of the nose getting light above 80 mph.

Yes i know what you mean, mine is a Formula so no aero nose either
I have tried a aero but i liked the Formula nose more, to me the notchback and formula front are more special i guess..
I dont want to go too far away from a "stock" look but im thinking about adding a airdam or splitter aswell, aluminium might be a good way to go!
My idea is to replace the bottom black band at the bottom of the front nose for one going more outward to the front and a bit lower.
Im also lowering my car so i dont want to have anything in the front too low either, too many speed bumps here for that

[This message has been edited by Edwin (edited 03-17-2009).]

I have been watching too. Great looking vent. I have bought another hood from a friend in hopes of cutting it this spring. I have always liked the design that you are doing. I can't wait to see the finished product. Good luck.

On the aluminum splitter idea, I too like that idea. As a matter of fact, I did this a few months back. Got some stock from a local place. Bent and pounded it into shape. Welded on some tabs. Then polished, polished, and polished it into a mirror. This is my design, but I would love to see what you guys come up with.

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Yes its a good idea to have a spare hood around, i got one aswell but since one of my headlight covers almost got blown off its not a complete set anymore
The aluminium looks good, i especially like how you left the middle part open.
The polished aluminium goes wel with your rims.
Whats that thing on the roof tho? I would rethink satelite tv in your fiero :P

Thanks for making me laugh! That is my driver door skin. I had some issues with it. So it sat for a few days on a towel until the parts came in. Thanks for the compliments also. I'll be watching to see how your hood comes out.

How do I state this without too many words?
Okay, look at the nose of any '85-'90 Trans Am. See how at the top of the airdam and bumper there's a tiny overhang of about an inch? Just that negates about 100 pounds of downforce. The IROC Camaros are far worse. You can't have anything farther forward than anything below it. Better to have it perfectly vertical, aerodynamics-wise.
For mine: I plan to run the aluminum down to 1" higher (from the garage floor) than the bottom of the crossmember between the front suspension, then run urethane the remaining inch, then run a bellypan back to said crossmember.
Then, in the vertical aluminum, move the stock turn signals forward to mount them flush in that, then start experimenting with how to get enough fresh air through the radiator and out the hood.
But I'm still eager to see what you guys try.

That little extra length going outward like that gives so much downforce?
Would a little thing like that already improve handling, 100 pounds is quite something.
Sounds like quite a project you got planned Isolde, if little things like that can already improve things i might start looking for an old bumper to try some things out with

My hood is about ready, repaired some small damage the headlight covers made over time, going to try and fit it this weekend to see if it still fits the car after all the work
Then i think ill drive it for a short while to see if it all holds up without cracks before painting it (sure hope not!)

I think we had a miscommunication. That little 1" lip is a bad thing. It hurts downforce. We want more downforce.
I have a trick from the world of circle track racing, I intend to try, also from sheet aluminum. It's called a "Gurney lip"
Around the leading edges of the front wheelwells, you curve the body outward, by as much as 45 degrees, and this helps downforce. I'm still foggy on the details, but anything that helps, I'll try. I believe the wind tunnel testing of others.
Besides, adding the gurney lip might help reduce the gap between there and the tire. Also, a Gurney lip can be taken advantage of, somehow, to help with brake cooling. I'm researching.