Correct Color for Inserts on '73 '74 Roadrunner Hood

[rt-man]

What was the factory color on the inserts? The orange-y paint has faded on the inserts in the hood I'm going to restore.

Also, I remember seeing a thread somewhere on some board from someone who put chicken wire in place of the inserts, to let cool air in and/or hot underhood air out. Anyone have a link to that?

Thanks.

 

[PurpleBeeper]

Don't know the insert color, but that "chicken wire" idea sounds great if you can figure a way to seal it to the air cleaner.....extend a sheet metal piece on the bottom of a cheap aftermarket air cleaner with some foam rubber to seal to the hood?

 

[rt-man]

What was the factory color on the inserts? The orange-y paint has faded on the inserts in the hood I'm going to restore.

Also, I remember seeing a thread somewhere on some board from someone who put chicken wire in place of the inserts, to let cool air in and/or hot underhood air out. Anyone have a link to that?

Thanks.

 

[idrivemopar]

The elongated tear drop part of the insert is black, all cars were black, never seen them any other color from the factory. I restored mine and powder coated with 20% gloss. I believe originals were either flat or satin, you can do a low gloss, which makes them easier to clean, flats are not fun to clean.

 

[YY1]

Agree.......and it's a LOT of work for a little air flow to try to make them functional.

It's even a pain to simply get more clearance for a taller air cleaner, because they used the flat hood frame with taller bracing. On a Challenger sport hood the frame is different and the bracing has more clearance.

On mine, I cut out the brace that's furthest to the rear.

I did gain a lot of clearance, but the hood shakes noticeably now.

 

[dieseldazzle]

Bruzilla is the man to ask

 

[bm02tj]

rebootej was trying to open them for air on his build site

 

[rt-man]

Black is correct, but orange/red looks wicked

 

[Bruzilla]

What was the factory color on the inserts? The orange-y paint has faded on the inserts in the hood I'm going to restore.

Also, I remember seeing a thread somewhere on some board from someone who put chicken wire in place of the inserts, to let cool air in and/or hot underhood air out. Anyone have a link to that?

Thanks.

That was my car. I removed the small inserts, cut the rear section out of the back of the larger insert, and then put heavy-gauge mesh that was painted orange (the hood was black) into the cut out area. Then I mounted two amber lights just above the mesh so when I turned them on at night the inserts would glow like they were on fire.

I then made a sheet metal plate (made from the side of a surplus Navy desk) with hole in the center for the carb horn and a rubber seal around the outside that sealed against the hood when it came down. The plate had the air cleaner filter on top of it and was held together by the top of the air cleaner. This meant all the air being pulled into the engine came through the hood vents.

 

[Bruzilla]

Don't know the insert color, but that "chicken wire" idea sounds great if you can figure a way to seal it to the air cleaner.....extend a sheet metal piece on the bottom of a cheap aftermarket air cleaner with some foam rubber to seal to the hood?

That's basically how I did it, except foam rubber won't work. I can't remember where I got the rubber from. It was from some piece of equipment aboard the USS Saratoga that was getting tossed and I snagged it.

 

[Bruzilla]

I was just thinking... anyone seen that new pourable Flex Seal rubber? I would bet you can make a baseplate, make a mold around the outside, pour that rubber into the mold, and have a perfect seal once it sets.

 

[PurpleBeeper]

I was just thinking... anyone seen that new pourable Flex Seal rubber? I would bet you can make a baseplate, make a mold around the outside, pour that rubber into the mold, and have a perfect seal once it sets.

That is a very good idea bruzilla. I believe Flex Seal is a polyurethane (good), but I'm not sure if it has any "blowing-agent" in it to make it "foamy". If you had some & sprayed out a little dab, you could check. After it sets up, slice into it with a very sharp (new) razor blade & look for holes inside (like swiss cheese holes, but smaller).

I can't really "recommend" this because I don't know the Flex Seal formula, but you "might" be able to add just a couple drops of distilled water & stir it very quickly before it sets up. Water can act as a "blowing agent" in polyurethanes.

It make sense that regular old "seat cushion" foam wouldn't take the heat/oil/etc. under the hood. However, there are other "foams" which don't really look like what most people think of as "foam". One example is "slightly-blown polyurethane"....like is used on soft conveyor belts. There are a wide variety of "foams" with different amount of durability & "compressibility".

 

[Bruzilla]

It make sense that regular old "seat cushion" foam wouldn't take the heat/oil/etc. under the hood.

It's not heat/oil/etc., that's the problem. The problem is air. Most foams allow air to pass through, some a little, some a lot, and any air that is drawn in through the foam and down the carb defeats the purpose of the set up. You need a barrier that is not permeable by air. That's why I used a strip of heavy sealing rubber for a crate that was used to ship something to the Saratoga. The sides need to be non-air permeable and flexible enough that it can compress against the hood and seal the base to the hood.

I swiped a lot of my daughter's Play-Doh and made pillars out of it and set them all around the edge of the base, then lowered the hood. That showed me how high the rubber needed to be all around the base. I added a 1/4" or so to the "squish" height so it would mash against the hood.