Hood Flew Up

Dude i just fixed the same thing on my son's car. Went to oreilly and bought a cheap slide hammer. Drilled holes, ran in the screw on the slide hammer, beat it out, spot welded the holes with my little mig, and slicked it off with filler. Cost about 30 bucks.
Edit: have a look at the hinges. Ours needed to be replaced.

Boosted92LX said:

Dude i just fixed the same thing on my son's car. Went to oreilly and bought a cheap slide hammer. Drilled holes, ran in the screw on the slide hammer, beat it out, spot welded the holes with my little mig, and slicked it off with filler. Cost about 30 bucks.
Edit: have a look at the hinges. Ours needed to be replaced.

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With all due respect I don't recommend this method nor mine if you can't paint the hood and the cowl when your finished. I think for this guy, depending on how nice his car was/is, he either does it the right way or he pays a pro. Honestly I did mine with the welded studs, hammer, and dolly and it took only an hour to get it evened out and ready to be smoothed out with bondo. For a pro the body work part of this isn't much time. It's going to be paint that is the most expensive which most people don't do well on their own. I think if this guy isn't confident to do it right he should pay a reputable body shop. Buy a good used hood on Craigslist and have the body shop install and shoot it while their painting your cowl. This way the work should be guaranteed. Your car, if it was nice to begin with, will look great after all is done. If you go half ass, you'll get the same in the end result.

Regardless if this guy attempts his own body work and then takes it to a shop to be painted the shop is still going to do more body work to fix your half ass work and still charge you money. May as well just take it to them and let them do it right.

FoxMustangLvr said:

With all due respect I don't recommend this method nor mine if you can't paint the hood and the cowl when your finished. I think for this guy, depending on how nice his car was/is, he either does it the right way or he pays a pro. Honestly I did mine with the welded studs, hammer, and dolly and it took only an hour to get it evened out and ready to be smoothed out with bondo. For a pro the body work part of this isn't much time. It's going to be paint that is the most expensive which most people don't do well on their own. I think if this guy isn't confident to do it right he should pay a reputable body shop. Buy a good used hood on Craigslist and have the body shop install and shoot it while their painting your cowl. This way the work should be guaranteed. Your car, if it was nice to begin with, will look great after all is done. If you go half ass, you'll get the same in the end result.

Regardless if this guy attempts his own body work and then takes it to a shop to be painted the shop is still going to do more body work to fix your half ass work and still charge you money. May as well just take it to them and let them do it right.

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Yeah you have a point. I keep forgetting other people pay people to do things for them. Lol.

I have a good Lx hood but I'm in maryland. I'd give it to you and support the cause. Shipping would be too expensive.

I'm actually going to need to do this soon as well. Thanks for posting this thread. Previous owner had this happen to him. Hopefully i can fix mine just as good.

I just bought a 91 that this happened to. I was able to straighten out the metal underneath the plastic grille. At least enough to make it flush with the plastic grille, so that part you cant tell. I dont know how bad yours is, but its fixable. I still have to figure out the roof line.

I also wouldnt recommend filling it full of holes and bondo to get it straight.

I work in a body shop, have for quite some time.
And yet, there is something about doing it yourself that is immensely satisfying.
I agree with others saying to take it to a shop to have it fixed to a point.
You won't be able to use your insurance on this, they'll just total your car and send you on your way.
Now the point I think to do it yourself is if you have the gumption to do it all.
First, drilling holes and welding isn't worse than using a spitznagel gun that will weld on little metal studs to pull out the dent. Depends on what your resources are really.
Second, using bondo to straighten after you have the dent pulled is no magical trick, it just takes patience.
Third. Painting (my area) it yourself can turn out tremendous results (huh @Boosted92LX ?).
You just have to be willing to take the time to learn the steps.
So what are you wanting to do? Do you just want to have it fixed so you can move on to other mods?
If you want to learn this set of skills for later use (and there will be a later), You CAN do it. I have taught so many helpers to learn how to paint over the years that I'm forgetting there names. Some of them were absolute bricks that frustrated the living crap out of me, but teaching takes patience too.
Pick one way or the other, neither one makes you better or worse.
For me, there's just nothing like taking an ugly problem and turning it into a beautiful fix. Very self satisfying (@madmike1157 ?).
That's what I've got, if you want to fix it, let me know. I'll help out.

Davedacarpainter said:

I work in a body shop, have for quite some time.
And yet, there is something about doing it yourself that is immensely satisfying.
I agree with others saying to take it to a shop to have it fixed to a point.
You won't be able to use your insurance on this, they'll just total your car and send you on your way.
Now the point I think to do it yourself is if you have the gumption to do it all.
First, drilling holes and welding isn't worse than using a spitznagel gun that will weld on little metal studs to pull out the dent. Depends on what your resources are really.
Second, using bondo to straighten after you have the dent pulled is no magical trick, it just takes patience.
Third. Painting (my area) it yourself can turn out tremendous results (huh @Boosted92LX ?).
You just have to be willing to take the time to learn the steps.
So what are you wanting to do? Do you just want to have it fixed so you can move on to other mods?
If you want to learn this set of skills for later use (and there will be a later), You CAN do it. I have taught so many helpers to learn how to paint over the years that I'm forgetting there names. Some of them were absolute bricks that frustrated the living crap out of me, but teaching takes patience too.
Pick one way or the other, neither one makes you better or worse.
For me, there's just nothing like taking an ugly problem and turning it into a beautiful fix. Very self satisfying (@madmike1157 ?).
That's what I've got, if you want to fix it, let me know. I'll help out.

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I like how you flagged me after writing the " taking an "ugly problem"
** cough, cough fairmont, cough, and turning it into a beautiful fix" line.

Max1416 said:

If your willing to guide me through the steps required to fix the damage and what tools I will require. Then I'm game I'm more than happy to take on projects just certain things are harder to tackle with no experience. Also how hard would it be to paint my whole care myself? Do I have to pull the engine if I want to change colors? I need to paint the car at some point and have the space and want to but no knowledge on how and i don't want it to turn out bad....

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I'll get back with you this afternoon, I'm working on my car this morning, I'll tell you what it takes, you see if you got the resources.

Max1416 said:

If your willing to guide me through the steps required to fix the damage and what tools I will require. Then I'm game I'm more than happy to take on projects just certain things are harder to tackle with no experience. Also how hard would it be to paint my whole care myself? Do I have to pull the engine if I want to change colors? I need to paint the car at some point and have the space and want to but no knowledge on how and i don't want it to turn out bad....

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Seems this is turning into a slippery slope. If you're like some of us then doing it yourself (even if it end up costing as much as paying someone else to do it) is very rewarding because you are learning a skill. Also, there is no better feeling than looking at your car you worked on and saying "I did that".

You will need special tools to do this yourself, a stud welder, a puller, special hammer and dolly, cleaners, two paint guns is best but you could use only one and change out tips, a decent compressor with about 7-8 cfm @ 40 psi minimum to run an HVLP gun, water traps because moisture is your enemy in your air lines, various sanding paper and sanding blocks, etch primer, bondo, & paint. This can add up quickly and there's probably a few more consumables that I'm forgetting.

I know @Davedacarpainter said drilling holes for a slide hammer is no worse than welding studs but I disagree a little. You may have to drill a dozen holes or more to get it right which can turn your cowl into swiss cheese real quick. Then you need a welder and some welding skills to fill those holes in. Being careful to not over heat the cowl and warp it or weaken the metal and making it flimsy. It's more expensive for the stud welder but it's the "right" way in my opinion.

FYI, My Father was a body man for a Ford collision shop for 35 years. I learned a lot working on side jobs with him and working on my own project cars.

Some tools,
Stupid sideways iphone pictures!!
Paint guns, this one is a DeVilbiss HVLP (high volume low pressure) and produces much less overspray than a high pressure siphon type convention gun. Works great so far for me.

These are my DeVilbiss siphon guns, these require high pressure (low cfm) from your compressor but your typical compressor will have a hard time keeping up while spraying a car and these produce a lot of overspray which makes ventilation a key factor or you won't be able to see what your shooting. If you know how to use these and I'm sure @Davedacarpainter does, these can have brilliant results.

This is my black iron air piping, this helps cool the air and reduces moisture with multiple vertical runs. I have about 35' total, I will be adding another 20' or so soon but so far this is working well for me.

These are good hammers and dollies for evening out metal after pulling most of the dents.

This is my MAC stud welder, studs, & puller. There are less expensive ones out there. This was expensive back in the day! I think my Dad got this back in 98', I forget.

These are, in my opinion, the right tools for the job. People will have varying opinions. Iwata, Sata, and other expensive guns are for professionals or DIY guys with deeper pockets. The FLG4 you can get for about $200 and will come with various sized tips for shooting filler primer, clear and base. It also comes with a pressure gauge that connects to the inlet of your gun where your filter attaches.

Either way, good luck!

I read on another forum that a guy used a stock car jack and 2 x 4 to putt under to raise it up slowly. The he used a rubber mallet to smooth it out. He said he was successful. Anyone else heard of this?

Benz510 said:

I read on another forum that a guy used a stock car jack and 2 x 4 to putt under to raise it up slowly. The he used a rubber mallet to smooth it out. He said he was successful. Anyone else heard of this?

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If it's a scissor type jack it won't reach in there far enough to get to the crease in the cowl near the fender line. There is more than one way to do something right. If you can get that scissor jack in there you'll need to remove the wiper motor and linkage to access that area.

FoxMustangLvr said:

If it's a scissor type jack it won't reach in there far enough to get to the crease in the cowl near the fender line. There is more than one way to do something right. If you can get that scissor jack in there you'll need to remove the wiper motor and linkage to access that area.

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Yes i was planning on that. U can probably put another 2x4 Under the jack also. Just my 2 cents. I think i will try.

Benz510 said:

Yes i was planning on that. U can probably put another 2x4 Under the jack also. Just my 2 cents. I think i will try.

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There's not a lot of room in there but it doesn't hurt to try. I've seen some really unconventional ways of pulling out dents and straightening door posts.

@Benz510. I've heard of people doing that. These body repairs are a case by case basis. A kinda pushed in dent is way different than a creased dent. The repair has to be smooth enough to only require a minimal amount of filler. Its kinda like bending a can...if you dent it the sides poke out...and then a crease forms. The dent needs to be repaired and often the surrounding material too.

Harbor Freight sells a cheap hydraulic ram set that works well enough for a few diy projects. It would be easier to get the hydraulic ram under the cowl. That and a piece of wood might get the job done for you. Please, post as you do the repair so we can see how it comes along. @Max1416

+1 to @FoxMustangLvr . It does add up.
The stud welding gun is more or less the way it's done in a body shop now. We have another machine that has a slide hammer attached to an electrode that is very fast for popping out small dents.
I think the drilled holes and welder routine is still fine, it depends on what you have.
If you have easy(read: cheap) access to either way, that's the way to go. If you need to buy a welder or a nail gun....it starts to get expensive enough to think about dropping it off with a body shop.
The hammers and dollies you would need really don't have to cost much. Eastwood and other companies sell sets for fairly low money outlay.
It's like the paint guns, you can buy a $700 paint gun, but the $200 will give you a quality paint job as well. I use Iwatas myself, they're the expensive kind, but it's what I do for a living. The big difference between the expensive and more cost effective guns is the long term durability. If you won't be painting 1000+ jobs of varying sizes per year, the $200 gun will surprise you with it's results. My current set of guns are ten years old this year and I think I'm finally going to need to replace the packing in my color gun. In short, get the $200 guns.
I agree with having at least two guns. I keep a gun strictly for spraying clear so I don't accidentally have a cross contamination with dried base coat. I use 1.3 tips in all three of my guns. I do have a fourth that I use strictly for primer. It has a 1.5 tip, it's a little small for primer, but it lays it out smoother with less orange peal so when I go to block it I don't waste time blocking out the peal first. You don't really even need a $200 gun for that. Harbor freight sells lots of paint guns I would spray primer through.
If you want to do this at home the air compressor is a big thing to think about. Getting a compressor that will provide the consistent volume needed for the guns won't be the cheap one at the store.
There are some places that rent out booth time to paint personal cars, look around where you live to see if you can find one of those places. A paint booth is a very good thing. If you have the luck to find one of these places, it'll save you money in the end.
Water is the enemy when you paint, but you can buy cheap pre filters for your gun that will take this out. You will need several if you do this at home. At work we have a dedicated air dryer to keep the humidity down in the air lines.
Don't know where you are starting with all of this, See if you have friends that have stuff first off. You can buy all of this new, but a friend with a welder, paint guns, place to paint, etc.... is a very nice thing. I usually offer beer as a trade for letting me borrow their stuff. See what help you have first, these resources will save you a very big dime. Plus you may get some local hands on help as well.
This is what I mean when I say if you have resources, do it yourself. If you don't, it gets real pricey and you might go back to the taking it to a body shop idea.
Anyhow, see what you have. Let me know specifically you might need help on and I'll try to do what I can. There's lots of seriously good help on this forum for anything you want to do to your car.
BTW, color change? All panels off and having the engine out is a big plus. Were you planning on doing anything to the motor that would require you to pull it? The motor can be masked up and painted around though. Do it in sections if you can't afford to have the car down long.
Loooong post, sorry man.:shutup:

90sickfox said:

@Benz510. I've heard of people doing that. These body repairs are a case by case basis. A kinda pushed in dent is way different than a creased dent. The repair has to be smooth enough to only require a minimal amount of filler. Its kinda like bending a can...if you dent it the sides poke out...and then a crease forms. The dent needs to be repaired and often the surrounding material too.

Harbor Freight sells a cheap hydraulic ram set that works well enough for a few diy projects. It would be easier to get the hydraulic ram under the cowl. That and a piece of wood might get the job done for you. Please, post as you do the repair so we can see how it comes along. @Max1416

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Will do bud. The damage isn't too bad. I will post pics next week after i get it out of storage. Ty For the suggestion.

Benz510 said:

Will do bud. The damage isn't too bad. I will post pics next week after i get it out of storage. Ty For the suggestion.

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See...a short answer can be so much better. I agree with him totally though. Push it out somehow, do the metal work to get it as straight as possible. Then use filler to finish the straightening process.