Just curious if anyone has split a 47-53 hood into the two separate halves and if so, what did you use to rejoin those halves? rivets? small nuts/bolts?
I have a 1954. I "split " the hood during my restoration process and rejoined it using flathead screws.
Ron - - Dusty53 1954 Chevy 3604 In the Gallery Forum "You can't dance with the Devil and then wonder why you're still in Hell." "They will forget what you've said, and they will forget what you have done but they will never forget the way you made them feel."
Welded the two halves together and ditched the centre dividing strip. I like the smooth hood, but am not entirely happy with the fit. The fit issue was mainly caused by a previous repair. Welding can overheat the hood and cause it to warp and "oil can". You have to go slow.
My hood had a few of the rivets popped loose in the front where it had taken a hit on the driver's side. After persuading it back into the right shape, I replace those rivets with semi-tubular rivets. Machine screws and nuts would have worked just fine but being a bit AR, I went with the rivets to match the originals. I used machine screws and nuts temporarily.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
20 plus years ago I split my hood so I could clean up the rust in the seam before bodywork and paint. Looks like I used 1/4” machine screws and nylocs to put it back together. Unless you’re AR or a purist I’d say just use screws to put it back together. Good luck, Dave
I have a SS dividing strip and want to keep it as "original" as practical!
Just for the record, center strip was originally body colored on AD trucks, but you see more and more stainless these days. Maybe because they're only selling stainless nowadays, I dunno. By all means, make it the way YOU want it!
Matthew 6:33
1952 Chevy 1/2-ton 3100 Late '55 235/SM420/torque tube 3.55 Dalton Highway survivor (using original 216) www.truckwithaheart.com
I bought a plain primered center strip a few years ago. I think they're still available.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
I recall that #10 machine screws fit the existing holes.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
We used to do a lot of "smoothie" hoods but it has kind of died out. We welded the rear cross member to the underside of hood and fabricated a center cross member. Allowed a full week for welding and cooling. About a 1/4 to 3/8 bead maximum with cool to room temp between beads. Very little warp and good hood fit. Picture is of a 49 that was taken to show one piece windshield but hood shown also.
