TGP hood vent repair.

[rich_e777]

I found one of the hood vents on the rescued TGP was broken in a few places and decided to attempt a repair rather than scour up some. 

Using the Bondo flexible bumper repair kit found at any auto part stores or WalMart I was able to re attach the provisions for the bolts and where it had been cracked all the way through. Now I`m ready for paint but I went to prime it and the can went bad. I found a few small knicks in it after that I went ahead and filled so maybe a good thing. 

Before I get into repainting should I strip off the existing clear coat and paint on the good areas or just scuff it up with sandpaper? Or rather how would you guys that know what you`re doing fix a damaged hood vent?

 

Edited January 2 by rich_e777

[rich_e777]

Turned out as a high B+ job, there is still a small spot only someone anal would notice. Rattle can Dupli-color matched up pretty good over several coats of a new to me primer and filler. Here's a comparison pic after the paint dried but before the clear coat

[rich_e777]

Do not use the flexible bumper repair stuff, it doesnt hold at all. As soon as I screwed the vent back down it all seperated and I could peel the urethane off clean. So now I`m going to strip it and try again, might do the other just to be sure they match.

I used Gorilla glue gel to re-attach the unobtanium and ran a mounting screw down the glued on provision and it all held very nice. Let it cure for 24 hours.

[55trucker]

33 minutes ago, rich_e777 said:

Do not use the flexible bumper repair stuff, it doesnt hold at all. As soon as I screwed the vent back down it all seperated and I could peel the urethane off clean. So now I`m going to strip it and try again, might do the other just to be sure they match.

I used Gorilla glue gel to re-attach the unobtanium and ran a mounting screw down the glued on provision and it all held very nice. Let it cure for 24 hours.

My personal choice for cracked urethane plastic repairs or the like is Norton's Speedgrip Structural urethane adhesive, it's on the expensive side but it works well.

[Amanita]

I need to fix the hood vents on my Grand Prix but one of the problems is a couple posts have broken and I'm not entirely sure how to fix that.

[94 olds vert]

On 3/5/2024 at 8:00 PM, rich_e777 said:

Do not use the flexible bumper repair stuff, it doesnt hold at all. As soon as I screwed the vent back down it all seperated and I could peel the urethane off clean. So now I`m going to strip it and try again, might do the other just to be sure they match.

I used Gorilla glue gel to re-attach the unobtanium and ran a mounting screw down the glued on provision and it all held very nice. Let it cure for 24 hours.

I have a very similar issues on my jet ski, with metal screws and plastic mounts. I slammed into a wave pretty hard and broke the tabs. Luckily I was able to get the hood vent cover out of the lake. Looks like I know what to use for the repair now. 

[rich_e777]

On 3/21/2024 at 10:19 AM, Amanita said:

I need to fix the hood vents on my Grand Prix but one of the problems is a couple posts have broken and I'm not entirely sure how to fix that.

Can you still match the posts up from where they were broken from? The one post I reglued held the screw ok so far but Ive not put the vent back on yet.

I think I`m going to need a media blaster to strip the vent from what I did the first time. I used several coats of clear coat that even when scuffed up didnt like the new primer and it left lightning bolt patterns all over it.  

Is there any sort of chemical that could be used without damaging the plastic?

[94 olds vert]

2 hours ago, rich_e777 said:

Can you still match the posts up from where they were broken from? The one post I reglued held the screw ok so far but Ive not put the vent back on yet.

I think I`m going to need a media blaster to strip the vent from what I did the first time. I used several coats of clear coat that even when scuffed up didnt like the new primer and it left lightning bolt patterns all over it.  

Is there any sort of chemical that could be used without damaging the plastic?

I don't know if I would use a media blaster on those vents. That could damage them. When I had my 1st gen GP and I added some vents. I took them to a shop that specializes in corvettes. They were able to repair them. I had a few broken mount points and a cracks. Plastics can be tricky to paint. 

I would try a product like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Testor-Corp-Lift-Off-TESF542143-Plastics/dp/B000BQSKQE/ref=sr_1_5?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.D26tQF1wV1qdtPU_fCc6S1cn9VBRfVsiKvTkIvtLwO9Xj7KES-1xXQxJ47Qq9lgH1ugikOWGfMueBW5LLxjLesyeN_NSvIv7HVASJKH7TeneFQvPTkj1Xc_Kce2XXeGcm59pzmpIDTG6SzAY6cy2gwWUDI5E3v6v3644kHnJiOR8TK7U8zbG5TwaNg_efrjf9nQocukymTJAwYQnMmLw9yzk1V0c6XBz0e4w9LdMYIHpS-FXEf3ERYySGoZ2Vc5M7rTt9zgP_uWqfwzXC_vpF0ttHWBVNKVtMINh4rRZl4U.xETHwFlqmrxsYAfmsAfwXOaFbWvaTM5EgMQJmR4OmAU&dib_tag=se&keywords=paint+remover+for+plastic&qid=1711146143&sr=8-5

Try a test spot and hopefully it's not too aggressive with the vent. 

The clear coat left a lightning bolt pattern? Could have just been the clear coat reacting weird to the base layers of paint. I've had it happen and it sucks. 

[rich_e777]

I knew I read about the Corvette people and hood vents from somewhere. 

The clear coat didnt make the pattern it was the new coat of primer on top of the scuffed up clear coat. I was thinking a media blaster using some "softer" stuff like baking soda would be enough to remove it evenly. Or just make a week long project out of doing it by hand a few square inches a night with sand paper.

While their off I had the idea to see if CS vents fit, I`ll dig them out and see. I also have a set of Daytona vents I forgot I had, only have one drip pan for it though. 

[rich_e777]

Spending some more time on this project and Ive noticed something. Are the 6 screws holding the pan/screen to the plastic vent the points of support? If so has anyone come up with a way to support the 3 parts to the vent to take the stress of those plastic screw tabs?

Ive got an idea to run some hanger strap from one bolt of the hood support bracket to the opposite side (in theory) would press up against the pans yet hide above the insulation pad. Another option I thought of would be to drill out those tabs all the way through and use 6 long decorative bolts to hold it all in place.

I`m working on getting some pics up, new phone, new number, lots of resetting passwords. F google.

Edited October 20 by rich_e777

[94 olds vert]

1 hour ago, rich_e777 said:

Spending some more time on this project and Ive noticed something. Are the 6 screws holding the pan/screen to the plastic vent the points of support? If so has anyone come up with a way to support the 3 parts to the vent to take the stress of those plastic screw tabs?

Ive got an idea to run some hanger strap from one bolt of the hood support bracket to the opposite side (in theory) would press up against the pans yet hide above the insulation pad. Another option I thought of would be to drill out those tabs all the way through and use 6 long decorative bolts to hold it all in place.

I`m working on getting some pics up, new phone, new number, lots of resetting passwords. F google.

That's an interesting idea, but I'm not sure how it would look with it being bolted down from the top if I under stand you correctly. 

From what I recall, there are only 6 screws that secure the vent to the pan/screen that's mounted under the hood. When I had my long louvers repaired at a corvette body shop for my 91, they repaired several of those tabs for the screws with fiberglass and just drilled and tapped. 

[rich_e777]

Do you recall if you could secure the pan to the hood with the screen without the plastic vent? Thats the general idea I`m shooting for, then the plastic can attach to something stable rather that be a contributing factor. It seems too brittle to be at either end of a clamping force and better off in between if that makes any sense.

[rich_e777]

The strap idea could work if it were more rigid or if I could drill my own holes through it. Its too thin and I`m limited to hand tools when it comes to working metal for anything substantially thicker. I`m also thinking about a few pieces of rubber hose split on one side might work to wedge the pan in place like the shims in some of these pics. 

Here is what I`m working with if anyone has some ideas to bounce around.

This is how the pan sat in the hood sort of wedged in with some old stiff weatherstripping material. I dont know if this is how these looked when new as the holes cut are really jagged like a body shop made them in a pinch.

Temporary shims in place to get the right position. Led me to think some thick rubber hose split on one side might be used instead to really wedge in there to hold the pan securely to the hood to reduce stress on the plastic tabs on the vent itself.