First 818 COUPE build

[lance corsi]

How did you add the support to the hood?

I simply went to my local auto parts store and bought a siamesed tube of panel adhesive(2 part epoxy) to glue the balsa wood to the hood bottom. 50 grit sandpaper to prep, then fit the wood. I sawed grooves in the planks 4/5 of the way through, allowing the wood to conform to the contour of the hood. After gluing the wood to the hood, I filled the saw grooves with the same panel adhesive, effectively locking in the contours. After all that, another round of 50 grit in prep for the fiberglass. 3 layers of glass cloth & resin completed the job. It's so stiff now, it's unbelievable.

[bzoli]

as you did the hood reinforcement how did you make sure you reinforced the hood is in the proper position? So you don't end up with a reinforced hood which is twisted or bent?

I simply went to my local auto parts store and bought a siamesed tube of panel adhesive(2 part epoxy) to glue the balsa wood to the hood bottom. 50 grit sandpaper to prep, then fit the wood. I sawed grooves in the planks 4/5 of the way through, allowing the wood to conform to the contour of the hood. After gluing the wood to the hood, I filled the saw grooves with the same panel adhesive, effectively locking in the contours. After all that, another round of 50 grit in prep for the fiberglass. 3 layers of glass cloth & resin completed the job. It's so stiff now, it's unbelievable.

[lance corsi]

as you did the hood reinforcement how did you make sure you reinforced the hood is in the proper position? So you don't end up with a reinforced hood which is twisted or bent?

When you cut the grooves in the wood, this will allow them to conform to the hood curvature. Before filling saw cuts with epoxy, find a large cardboard box and lay it on its side. Push on the large flat until it has a slight dish. This will cradle the hood when you lay it on top of the box. Once the epoxy is put in the saw cuts, this will lock the hood into its natural contours. After the saw cut epoxy cures, it should have enough torsional rigidity to resist warping until the glass work is finished.