Hood hook needed to be replaced

Hey yall,

Mine is all rusted out and about on its last leg. Any ideas how to take off and put a used one on?

See pics on which part I am talking about

 

Note: I forgot to mention that the pics are NOT the one on my truck

 

Unfortunately that's not a bolt on affair.

 

Yeahhhhh

If it failed on my clunker I'd probably cut it off an install a hood pin kit

 

Excuse to get carbon fibre hood...... and w/ hood scoop!

 

Just get aerolatches.

Failing stock stuff is the best reason to go another route!

 

The hood hook is sandwiched between the outer skin and inner hood structure so there’s no direct way to replace it. This is what I’ve done in the past to repair one. Hood pins would be a much easier repair or just replace the hood if you can find one

Before:



after welding:



After paint:

 

Wow- that thing is NEVER gonna go anywhere.

 

It had to be plates in steps. The base metal is somewhere like 20-22 ga and the repair is 16 ga. Had I just welded one layer, it would have tore the sheet metal along the weld and failed again. The two layers helps disperse the load to a wider area so it should last.

 

Wow even herein the great rust belt I have never seen that part rusted any where near failure.

Impact crash damage is another story.

Great repair job @GHOST SHIP

 

Thanks. coming from you, that means something.

I’m my case the latch broke from the rubber bumpers being loose which allowed the hood to flutter with wind and washboard road vibrations. It just shook itself to death in the desert- there was no rust present. These trucks are made of tin foil.

 

That does indeed make sense .

I can relate kinda put off fixing things to OOPS to late. I have been there enough myself.

 

Yeah, I totally understand the repair. It wasn't a dig at all. Probably just looks overkill.

I bet other hood latches wouldn't want to get in a fight with it

 

Didn’t take it as a dig. Just trying to explain why I did what I did for anyone that wants to attempt the repair or thinks they can get away with less. I’m no engineer but I’ve broken and built enough things to have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn’t.

 

Cheapest route may be to find a replacement hood at a salvage yard in your region. If you're lucky you might find a hood with the same color. Check car-part.com

 

GHOST SHIP, that is quite a git-up. I'll figure something out. haven't had time today to think about it.

 

Mine looked similar to that a few years ago. I bet it will clean up nicely if you hit it with a wire wheel attachment for a drill and then give it a new coat of paint. Rustoleum has a self etching automotive primer that I like to start with on items like that.

 

So is yours similar or worse than the photo you posted?

 

Man, if OP ever comes out to my area I'll have to do what Sergio did.

Thinking since it's super thin, best way about it would be to TIG weld it (while still using multiple layers).

 

Would you remove the hood ??
OR

Tig weld out of position using the thumb control you have mastered ??