Hood Problem... What Should I Do?

[kcpth]

As you guys may know, i (or my g/f) recently bought a 92ES300. One of the problems it has right now that is bothering me is the hood. I finally changed the hood struts... which was a great feeling of accomplishment.

When i bought the car, one of the hood's crumple zones already colapsed. <_< The other one is still in tact, but i think it may collapse too... due to the other one not being there... of course the weight of the hood being open, is when it gets stressed out. It kinda bends a little. So i kinda have a hump on my hood.

My question is, should i try to fill that crumple zone with some epoxy, or something strong so the hood doesn't bend down a bit. It's hard to explain, but there is a small gap between the crumple zone. I tried to stuff it with paper, to hopefully provide a few cm fill. How did only one side crumple? I know i should just buy another hood.... but for me $$$$ is a big issue, since i'm flat out broke now. :cries:

As always, all of you guys in LOC are great and Thanks for ur help.

Oh, and i will post more problems in the near future, if i cannot find any info in my searches.

**I hope the pictures i'm about to post will show up**

[mxl4729]

As you guys may know, i (or my g/f) recently bought a 92ES300.  One of the problems it has right now that is bothering me is the hood.  I finally changed the hood struts... which was a great feeling of accomplishment.

When i bought the car, one of the hood's crumple zones already colapsed. <_<  The other one is still in tact, but i think it may collapse too... due to the other one not being there... of course the weight of the hood being open, is when it gets stressed out.  It kinda bends a little.  So i kinda have a hump on my hood.

My question is, should i try to fill that crumple zone with some epoxy, or something strong so the hood doesn't bend down a bit.  It's hard to explain, but there is a small gap between the crumple zone.  I tried to stuff it with paper, to hopefully provide a few cm fill.  How did only one side crumple? I know i should just buy another hood.... but for me $$$$ is a big issue, since i'm flat out broke now.:cries:

As always, all of you guys in LOC are great and Thanks for ur help.

Oh, and i will post more problems in the near future, if i cannot find any info in my searches.

**I hope the pictures i'm about to post will show up**

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i do not think expoy will do anyting i think u neet to take the hood off flaten it a little and then screw some sort of brace to keep it straight.

[ArmyofOne]

that can only be caused by one thing...something hit that hood (be it a dog, bird, or another car, only you will know! :) )

[kcpth]

I guess i need to call the other owner before me to find out what happened to the car.

What type of brace do you think i can put on it? I just want to support it for now so whenever i open my hood, it wouldn't crumple in. It doesn't crumple that much... but you can see it bend a little. Perhaps there is something i can pump in there that can harden a bit to help hold close the gap a little. I like the brace idea mxl... but do u know how should i approach it?

[steviej]

its a long shot, but what about expanding flotation foam. The kind you use to foam the hull of a boat. We use the kind in a squirt can all the time. Fill it and trim off the stuff that comes out. It will give you rigidity for now.

The best way would be to take the hood off and turn it upside down. Squirt the foam in and let it expand into and under the braces. Then with a sheetrock knife carefully trim off the excess. Just a thought.

OR

GET A NEW HOOD. :chairshot:

They are as cheap as $150. here car-parts.com

steviej

[kcpth]

StevieJ that was the thing i was thinking about. I know its a foam. However... i didn't know there was one for a boat. The one i was thinking about was used for some sort of plumbing work right? **PLUMBERS VERTICAL SMILE <_< **

Do you know what the name of that foam is? Does it take a while to dry? Is it hard to detach the hood? I know the hood is pretty heavy so i'll probably need another person to hold it up... too bad it'll b my g/f. Doing the hood strut was a pain in the !Removed!... cause my g/f couldn't hold it up that long... nor that high... cause she isn't that tall. Hahahahaha.

Thanks for the website too... this will come in handy soon, since i have two cars that needs to be repaired.

[SKperformance]

I guess the foam might work

problem is all of the hoods rigidity is in the lower brace.

( i know from race cars trying to remove weight and then mig ing in new braces) it is just a floppy peice of sheet metal

The braces are designed to crumple very easily and not be repaired.

Sometimes they can be (barely) but any little stresses will cause it to collapse again and more.

So the long and short is buy a new hood from a local wrecker. Shipping a hood is alot of money( i know from carbon fibre hood,which supposedly wieght nothing)

It might not be that much for one i know i get them here for about 300 used with lots of colours already so no need to paint.

[kcpth]

SK...

No wreckers here in Plattsburgh though. Well at least not for Lexus's. There r barely any. Even the toyota dealer here said i was the only LS400 he's seen. I know from the past there r 2 including me... but now i think i'm the only one left.

But back to the ES300, i think including my g/f's there is a total of 6. There is only one new 03 or 04 model here. But all the others r older. But i think they r all acounted for... so no luck finding it in the junk yard. I suppose when i go back to NYC for Turkey day i can look @ the junk yard. Or perhaps i can make an excuse to go to Toronto... ROADTRIP! Since i'm probably 6 hrs away. I've been wanting to go to Toronto n e wayz. I wonder if Montreal has n e junk yards... but i don't speak french.

Thanks for the idea guys. Im still searching the site that StevieJ sent me. I'll give some of those wreckers a call tomorrow or monday. I'll also look into the foam... or brace... or maybe both for a low cost method... hehehe.

[ArmyofOne]

SK...

No wreckers here in Plattsburgh though.  Well at least not for Lexus's.  There r barely any.  Even the toyota dealer here said i was the only LS400 he's seen.  I know from the past there r 2 including me... but now i think i'm the only one left. 

But back to the ES300, i think including my g/f's there is a total of 6.  There is only one new 03 or 04 model here.  But all the others r older.  But i think they r all acounted for... so no luck finding it in the junk yard.  I suppose when i go back to NYC for Turkey day i can look @ the junk yard.  Or perhaps i can make an excuse to go to Toronto... ROADTRIP!  Since i'm probably 6 hrs away.  I've been wanting to go to Toronto n e wayz.  I wonder if Montreal has n e junk yards... but i don't speak french.

Thanks for the idea guys.  Im still searching the site that StevieJ sent me.  I'll give some of those wreckers a call tomorrow or monday.  I'll also look into the foam... or brace... or maybe both for a low cost method... hehehe.

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2 pieces of thin sheet metal, you can cut with a metal router bit or sawzall. make them about 1 inch by 8 inches. drille holes and use screws to fasten them to the brace ridge (crumple zone).

[kcpth]

Thanks Army, I will give that a try too. I'll let u know if i do anything. I might have to wait till next week to work on the hood. Thanks for the feedback guys.

[SKperformance]

It takes me 8 hours to get to queens speed limit ( sort of)

[steviej]

StevieJ that was the thing i was thinking about.   I know its a foam.  However... i didn't know there was one for a boat.  The one i was thinking about was used for some sort of plumbing work right? **PLUMBERS VERTICAL SMILE  <_< **

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the foams used to seal the gap of a pipe coming up through the floor is good for just that. They don't offer any rigidity except to keep air and rodents out of the gap.

The flotation foam used in boat hulls comes in varying densitites and is very strong once it hardens. Be careful, it hardens in less than a minute depending on the ambient temperature.

if you go this way, look at www.boatus.com or www.westmarine.com

search on "flotation foam"

steviej