I am curious if Gen 3 folks have any good ideas on how to treat the underside of the hood. Previous generation hoods appear to be one piece and smooth making it easy and clean to just coat with bedliner. The Gen 3 underside is comprised of several different pieces/panels and is not smooth at all. The portions of my hood underside that are laid-up fiberglass are already painted with something black. The smooth panels in the hood are black as well. So, it is all black, but doesn't look clean at all. In addition, there is extra adhesive clumps and gaps in some of the panels that don't affect the function, but look sloppy. I have a feeling I don't have much choice here to make it look clean. I hesitate to say that I want show car quality, but if one wanted show car quality, what could one do?
This is much cleaner then the previous generations where, however if you want a really smooth finish talk to your painter about it. They can sand and fill the imperfections just like any other bodywork.
Yea, the Gen 3 Coupe has a inner shell that wasn't on previous versions. Still undecided how I'm going to treat mine...
Last edited by edwardb; 05-21-2019 at 12:04 PM.
Build 1: Mk3 Roadster #5125. Sold 11/08/2014. Build 2: Mk4 Roadster #7750. Sold 04/10/2017. Build Thread Build 3: Mk4 Roadster 20th Anniversary #8674. Sold 09/07/2020. Build Thread and Video. Build 4: Gen 3 Type 65 Coupe #59. Gen 3 Coyote. Legal 03/04/2020. Build Thread and Video Build 5: 35 Hot Rod Truck #138. LS3 and 4L65E auto. Rcvd 01/05/2021. Legal 04/20/2023. Build Thread. Sold 11/9/2023.
I've been considering using a reflective hood-liner— something like this http://www.dynamat.com/automotive-an...ion/hoodliner/. Might not be the look you're going after, but it seems like a good way to apply a relatively uniform look to a large surface without a lot prep-work. Plus it provides some heat protection for the paint and decals in the hood area. Thoughts?
Not a bad idea. If a large enough piece is available, fastener posts could be glued to fiberglass, and a fastener button of sorts on top to keep it in position. For me, it would be all about the finished look. Think I would prefer black. The bulk hood insulation is a little pillowy for my taste. OEM stuff is thinner, but seems to be precut and molded per model. Maybe there are more options.
Crazy thought— what about landscaping fabric? It's black, it's not pillowy, it's cheap, you can get it in big sections, and it's made of polypropylene (which I think would withstand the heat??). You could probably attach it with contact adhesive. It reminds me a lot of the stuff they use in OEM hood liners already.
Here's a picture of some stuff you can buy at home depot. Doesn't look half bad IMHO.