While giving my hood a working over, I became curious as to how I could improve its rigidity, as it seemed unsupported by the frame in some areas. I also didnt like the look (or the functionality) of the putty that was used as a cushion/filler between the two. So I decided to clean the putty out, clamp them together in a few areas, and spotweld them underneath the lip of the frame. I have a few questions though...

Is this a lame idea? If so, why?

How much of yalls hoods, on average, are touching the frame (counting the putty too)?

Are there any particular areas where the skin tends to vary further from the frame? Pics would be welcomed

How else could it be stiffened?

Thanky in advance and have a great day!!! CDJr

Charlie, as much (or as little) as I know, I would leave it as GM did it.... spotwelding on the hood , I think can cause dimples, warping....the putty /filler they used was probably used for a reason.... Charlie ,just leave it alone.... go work on something else....

just my 0.02

CDJr, post a picture of what you are referring to.

LOL Bjorn...I tried but it kept preying on my mind so I just HAD to do something

I tried takin pics but its still hard to tell, Jim. Between my poor photography skills and the fact that Ive already corrected the worst areas, ya cant really see what I mean, but these may give an idea.....

This is one spot where it has a small gap


This is where there was a big gap but no longer does


Heres another spot where theres a long unsupported span...you can kinda tell where the putty was and it caused it to be wavy


And heres another area Ive already fixed

You could use Durabond.
It's a 2 part expoxy that comes in a dual tube dispenser. Should buy a dispenser gun and auto mixing tubes, but you can force it out with a screw driver and manually mix it.
You'll find all kinds of use's for it.
Works on plastic and metal.

Bjorn is right! Once you break that bond it's a terrible job trying to straighten out a hood.

Now I see what you are referring to. Mine has been covered by the pad so I don't see the gaps. I would think the design compensates for the extreme temperature changes on a very large continious sheet metal area. Perhaps differences of extreme winter cold with a hot engine on one side and sub-zero temps on the outside and extreme summer + engine heat would warp the hood with a more rigid design.

That was the original reason I was working it over, Jim...the bond HAD been broken in most areas and so it was totally unsupported by the frame in places. I guess it was due to 40 years of drying out lol. (And I dont think were EVER supposed to tell Bjorn he was right!)
Poncho, I thought about replacing the putty with some sort of adhesive/putty, but thats when the idea of spot-welding it struck me as being more permanent and more easily hidden.
Jim, that makes sense and Id figured the putty allowed it to expand and contract somewhat without binding it up, but I also figure thats why it eventually broke loose from the frame. It was pretty bad in some spots...there were different-sized gaps, some were at least 1/4".

Charlie , not to worry , I`m always wrong (at least acc to my wife!), but I think some kind of similar putty would be best , something adhesive , and not continous


and THANKS! (not telling Bjorn he`s right!...LOL)

DuraMix panel adhesive. Made for exactly that. Available at the paint stores. The biggest expense is buying the gun that mixes it.

charlie is strong ,he can just squeeze it out of the tube, squish it , mix it ....

how `bout "liquid nails"?

Does anyone without the insulation in have any pics of these areas that they can post for me? Thanks

That stuff is called anti-flutter foam, but it is a 2-part material like what Jim posted. You can get a mini-gun for about $40 I think and the mini-tubes are available from an autobody supply. The OEMs used it between a lot of braces and sheetmetal. I would be careful not to use or do anything that would draw the sheetmetal down to the frame.