phantomzer0
09-14-2008, 07:12 PM
Here we are going to illustrate the correct way to align an aftermarket hood. There are many different acceptable methods to do so, and each will work well. We are going to use the method that was shown to us by VFN (http://vfnfiberglass.com/). You may choose to take your hood to a body shop to have it aligned, which is totally acceptable. You may also choose to save a few bucks and do it yourself. If so, this is just the walkthrough for you. Let’s get started!
The only requirements to doing this is to have a drill with a decent drill bit. We are going to be enlarging the hole on the factory arms that support the hood. As long as your bit doesn’t break, which it really shouldn’t, you will be in business.
This is the hinge we will be attacking:
http://armorysound.com/images/hood/notched1.jpg
http://armorysound.com/images/hood/notched2.jpg
As you can pretty clearly see, I’ve circled the two holes we are going after first. You will need to unbolt the hood to do this, so please do so before getting started.
Once you’ve gotten the hood unbolted, you will need to take out the two bolts that are circled. Once they are out you will have access to the first two holes.
Grab your drill bit and start to enlarge the holes. Make sure to open them up pretty reasonably. Doing this will allow us to pivot the way the hood sits near the windshield.
Once you’ve got both hinges done you can put the bolts back in. You don’t want to tighten them up completely just yet.
Now that you have both sets of bolts re-assembled you can move onto the hood bolts.
http://armorysound.com/images/hood/notched3.jpg
I’ve circled all 4 holes in this picture, just in case you’ve read ahead and are curious what we’ll be opening up.
Now that the original two holes are out of the way, we can begin working on the next set. The holes are going to allow us to pivot the hood left and right, which is crucial in getting and absolutely perfect alignment. Again, do this to both hinges. Once you have completed this step you can reattach the hood.
You may need to get another person to help you out here. It’s possible to do it by yourself, but it’s much faster and easier with a friends help.
You must now align the hood. There are 4 rubber stoppers that prevent the hood from going to far down over the engine. These suckers must be adjusted to get a perfect height for the hood. Here you can see how low one is and how high the other is.
NOTE: It’s easy to figure the height of the hood if you remove the latch and hinge. This way, you can set the hood down and it will go down all the way.
http://armorysound.com/images/hood/notched6.jpg
http://armorysound.com/images/hood/notched5.jpg
Keep playing with the stoppers until you have the height set near perfect. You may or may not get good results, depending of course on the brand of hood you have. In the case of our VFN hood, the height is perfect.
After you have achieved good results with the stoppers, you can go back and make final adjustments and tighten down the bolts on the hinges. You will need to shimmy the hood around to get the gaps perfect, then while you hold it in position, have your friend ( or your other arm ) tighten up the bolts.
Don’t be surprised if it takes you a few hours to get everything nice and square. It took us over 3 hours with the help of VFN to get ours perfect. It’s a real pain but it’s well worth it. Here are some pics of the gaps after everything was aligned.
The only requirements to doing this is to have a drill with a decent drill bit. We are going to be enlarging the hole on the factory arms that support the hood. As long as your bit doesn’t break, which it really shouldn’t, you will be in business.
This is the hinge we will be attacking:
http://armorysound.com/images/hood/notched1.jpg
http://armorysound.com/images/hood/notched2.jpg
As you can pretty clearly see, I’ve circled the two holes we are going after first. You will need to unbolt the hood to do this, so please do so before getting started.
Once you’ve gotten the hood unbolted, you will need to take out the two bolts that are circled. Once they are out you will have access to the first two holes.
Grab your drill bit and start to enlarge the holes. Make sure to open them up pretty reasonably. Doing this will allow us to pivot the way the hood sits near the windshield.
Once you’ve got both hinges done you can put the bolts back in. You don’t want to tighten them up completely just yet.
Now that you have both sets of bolts re-assembled you can move onto the hood bolts.
http://armorysound.com/images/hood/notched3.jpg
I’ve circled all 4 holes in this picture, just in case you’ve read ahead and are curious what we’ll be opening up.
Now that the original two holes are out of the way, we can begin working on the next set. The holes are going to allow us to pivot the hood left and right, which is crucial in getting and absolutely perfect alignment. Again, do this to both hinges. Once you have completed this step you can reattach the hood.
You may need to get another person to help you out here. It’s possible to do it by yourself, but it’s much faster and easier with a friends help.
You must now align the hood. There are 4 rubber stoppers that prevent the hood from going to far down over the engine. These suckers must be adjusted to get a perfect height for the hood. Here you can see how low one is and how high the other is.
NOTE: It’s easy to figure the height of the hood if you remove the latch and hinge. This way, you can set the hood down and it will go down all the way.
http://armorysound.com/images/hood/notched6.jpg
http://armorysound.com/images/hood/notched5.jpg
Keep playing with the stoppers until you have the height set near perfect. You may or may not get good results, depending of course on the brand of hood you have. In the case of our VFN hood, the height is perfect.
After you have achieved good results with the stoppers, you can go back and make final adjustments and tighten down the bolts on the hinges. You will need to shimmy the hood around to get the gaps perfect, then while you hold it in position, have your friend ( or your other arm ) tighten up the bolts.
Don’t be surprised if it takes you a few hours to get everything nice and square. It took us over 3 hours with the help of VFN to get ours perfect. It’s a real pain but it’s well worth it. Here are some pics of the gaps after everything was aligned.