"greyforest hood mod" how-to: $5 hood vents for 2gs

greyforestgst · 03-11-2004, 04:08 AM

this article will only cover the process of fabricating hood vents. any discussion of functionality, aesthetics, etc. should be discussed in these forum posts: post 1 & post 2.

I assume no responsibility for any damage caused by doing this mod. Do this at your own risk.

completed cars
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SpyderGuy97:

empyrials:

airbrat:

tarantula:

myself:

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if you have completed this mod and would like your car to be featured here, pm me.

greyforestgst · 03-11-2004, 04:26 AM

first thing you do is print this out. depending on your DPI, it will vary in size. if its a little bit small, its ok, you can still use it to find the shapes needed for the angles on the edges.

cut out this template. remove your hood (four 12mm bolts + washer nozzle line). prepare a place to cut your hood - remember, you need to be able to drill through and cut with tinsnips, so you are limited in your choices. i used a small workbench with a large block of foam on top; a pillow will work just as well.

line up the template on your hood. this shape will conform to both sides' slightly asymmetrical rib patterns. use sharpie marker or spraypaint to trace the outline.

here is a good picture to illustrate what will be cut.

plunge two holes in the middle of one of your vents, and start trimming it all out with your tinsnips.

it takes a good half hour or so to do each one. take your time, and make sure to not cut by pulling up or pushing down with the snips; this will bend the hood.

after you get both holes cut out, get a die grinder or dremel and take off the big burs around the edges of your cuts. after you are satisfied with the results, its time to go to work with the trim.

put one end on both under a rib on the hood. you'll have to use a screwdriver to pry the ribs apart from the sheetmetal, then slip in the trim. do this around the entire gap, firmly pressing in your trim beneath the ribs.

at the very end, make sure to have a good 1/8" of trim extra, then force-fit both ends together to make a loop. this will provide a slight interference fit.

during this entire time, dont fret about scratching up any parts around the holes on the bottom side. the top side should be immaculate; you shouldn't even be working on that side. do check every now and then though.

now cut your mesh.

this isnt too hard, just form fit it and have enough room on the sides to attach with the sheet metal screws we will use.

after you are satisfied with the shape of your mesh, go and paint it (or leave it bare aluminum, either way is fine).

now it is time to shoot the scratched up parts with some paint. you can take as much time on this part as you want, since its mostly for aesthetics. tony and i both opted for protection from rust, but its still the underside of your hood, so you dont have to worry that much about getting it absolutely perfect.

this is just repainting sheet metal, so take those steps accordingly. i just sanded a bit with some 300 grit, alcoholed off the grime, then shot some rattlecan black.

form follows function baby!

now it is time to attach the mesh to the hood. get some little sheet metal screws from your hardware store, maybe 3/8" length. drill some tiny pilot holes around the edge of the mesh in to the side of the ribbing. if you are scared of drilling through your entire hood, you are too close to the bottom of the ribs; move your mesh up.

if your sheetmetal screws are too small to catch an entire loop of the mesh, stick a little washer on it and you're good to go. after this, you are done!

greyforestgst · 04-28-2004, 02:25 PM

before:

after:

close ups:

greyforestgst · 10-19-2005, 08:40 AM

Forum member Tarantula just did this mod with excellent results, with a few alterations to the method. Here is his documentation:

Quote:

I did it a bit different. I did not use any screws to hold my screen in place. NONE. What I did was place the screen in between the hood and frame in two pieces. A left and a right. I did this first. Than I placed the rubber door molding in place. With the screen there, It was really difficult. But the rubber pressed up against the screen, therfore holding it in place. I painted the whole setup afterwards by masking the g=hood than using Mequirs to "polish" off the overspray. I also used a simple dremel for the entire procedure. I used 4 Reinforced cut off wheels and a carbide bit as you will see if you go to my gallery. The Carbide metal bit was a big help because I was able to "Sculpt" the hood with the contours without sacrificing the paint. And when I cut I did it in steps. Baby steps to ensure that the hood does not get hot.

here is the gallery of his car.

Zack had a slight alteration on the process as well:

Quote:

Instead of tin snips, we drilled 4 holes in each of the four corners and used a sawzall to do the straight lines. Took about 15 min for each side, it turned out pretty well.