I had a few hours this weekend to do a little work on the truck so I pulled the hood out from the corner to start working on it. It had been blasted and epoxy primered by the previous owner but he did not disassemble it so I needed to get it broken down to treat the unseen rust. I was able to remove the corner braces (rods) in the front by grinding the screw heads off and I was able to get the front cross-brace removed as well using similar methods. The front cross-brace had some “field repairs” on the latch bolt but I was able to cut that out. I will have to repair the base of the cup once I get the new bolt in my possession.
After I got the front cross-braces and such out then I placed it all in a vinegar bath to try and clean up some of the rust prior to starting the repairs. Luckily it fit perfectly into one of my plastic containers.
Next I focused on separating the two halves of the hood. The hood still had a partial section of the trim installed down the middle so I had to remove it. I then used an impact screwdriver to remove the center splice plate so I could drop it in the vinegar bath. Then I took a flapper wheel and ground off the tubular rivet holding the two side together. With the two sides separated I was out of time so I had to stop work but I need to try and get the rear cross-brace removed as well. It looks like the outside is held with rivets but I didn't bother to look at the inside/center fastening on it but I would assume that it was riveted at the factory so I'm hoping it has not been “field repaired” as well.
1949 Chevy Panel Truck A Project Journal I'm old but I make up for it by being immature.
