(2005-2009) S197 Mustang V6 & V8 GT Tech

infamousjim · #1 05-07-2011, 04:22 PM

Hey, I thought I'd post my latest mod... I'm extremely happy with it.

I just had an "unfortunate event" lead to a refresh of my frontend, and what better time to start cutting some holes.

A few guys on other forums have done this, they say it has eliminated hood shake because it gives the air flowing into the engine compartment a place to escape. By giving the radiator heated air a place to escape, it lowers underhood and operating temps.

What led up to the work:
(Note: those skidmarks are not mine, they're from the guy who 100ft across an empty parking lot into the only car parked there, mine) He was nice enough to stick around though so his insurance made it right.

The previous owner of my car added foose-style stripes, and they made measuring and finding center very easy

I'm not a huge fan of exposed rivets/screws, so I planned on using all the mounting equipment on the extractor vent.

added SeamSealer between the bracing and hood to make up for how much I pulled out, I later painted it black and had it cleared over when the hood was painted.
I just cut the two plastic tabs on the back, and added doublestick tape to the sides.

I was amazed at how clean and easy install was. The front part clicks in to the ridge, and the rear just falls in, sticks with double-stick tape, and secures with the one bolt. I used a nice tall nut from an old Hyundai grille that fit perfect and looks clean.

You can see here how it's raised up about 1/8th" but it's consistent around the whole thing so I don't mind. If I did it again, I may use a small piece of black foam/rubber to make it look like a thick gasket instead of a raised edge.

I was painting the hood anyway, so I did the bottom (these hoods don't have much color underneath the insulation)

the moneyshots: (still haven't done an actual photoshoot, but I think these look good)

Haven't had much time to test... I did notice more intake growl immediately, and I like it. I'll post up when I can test/observe differences.

'Jim

**mustang585** · #2 05-07-2011, 04:58 PM

Looks good

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**Stangman Jonathan** · #3 05-07-2011, 10:18 PM

oh I really like it! Very unique

GearGambler · #4 05-08-2011, 08:07 AM

Very nicely done!

**Matticus91** · #5 05-08-2011, 10:29 AM

Nice job man and the car looks great, what was damaged in the accident? Did you have to get the stripes re-painted?

TommyF2011 · #6 05-08-2011, 10:51 AM

Cool

**Hotshot** · #7 05-08-2011, 04:47 PM

hey man that looks awesome! i know my gf's sister's bf wants to do this to his car. glad to see firsthand results from someone i know. So on a scale of 1-10 which 10 being the hardest, how hard of an install?

infamousjim · #8 05-08-2011, 08:49 PM

Thanks everyone, every time i go look at my car I like it more and more too!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matticus91

Nice job man and the car looks great, what was damaged in the accident? Did you have to get the stripes re-painted?

The damage was a bunch of the front right corner... replaced the bumper, bodywork on the fender, scratches on the hood, bumper bar, condenser, headlight, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hotshot

hey man that looks awesome! i know my gf's sister's bf wants to do this to his car. glad to see firsthand results from someone i know. So on a scale of 1-10 which 10 being the hardest, how hard of an install?

Full disclosure, I've been working in a custom/bodyshop (402 Motoring) part time for 5 years, so I'm pretty at ease with the fabrication/cutting a hole in a $1,000 hood. I'm not saying it made it much easier to do, but it made it less painful to make that first cut.

I'd say it was a 3, I took time to be meticulous about making the template for cutting and getting it in the right spot. I spent a couple hours on measuring/marking. Actual time with the cutoff wheel was only about 30 minutes. I was amazed it only took me about 10 minutes of trimming to get it to click in perfectly. Then about 45 more minutes to make my edges perfect, add the seamsealer, and sand the edges.
I did it very cleanly and the hood did not need to be painted because of the work I did. (though it was a comforting to know I had to repaint it anyway because of the previous damage to the front ) But that's a nice thing to keep in mind for anyone considering it, this can honestly be done for less than $100 + your time.

If he is going to do it and wants more tips, I can make a more in-depth writeup

There's a few write-ups at this link (and a few more across the boards). These guys chose to attach their own way that I wasn't too fond of, so I used the factory stuff
http://mustangforums.com/forum/2005-...hood-vent.html