780 hood Repair. (Hinge mount area)

JC and Angie · July 3, 2017

I have a 09 780.

Opened the hood and the drivers side fiberglass where the hinge bolts on is cracking and the hood is staying open about 1.5 inches.

Has anyone had this repaired ??? What was involved found a shop in south bend that can do it, just want guidance on how to repair it has anyone made it stronger somehow??

Really don't want to have a white hood till I can get To precision paint to repaint it.

Thanks.

JC

SuiteSuccess · July 3, 2017

J.C.

Was a recent discussion on this on the forum but can't remember who started it or title. Search Ms Chrissi, she gave a step by step description of how to re-fiberglass the area for hood mirrors so I assume it would apply to the hood hinge area also. She is an expert on fiberglass and composite repairs.

Try this thread.

http://www.rvnetwork.com/index.php?/topic/126959-volvo-newer-front-fender-mirrors/&

SuiteSuccess · July 3, 2017

J.C.

Found what I was looking for. Vegas Flyer has a similar problem with his strut. Here is MsChrissi's solution.

"So let me get this straight, the tab for the stud is on the inside of the hood and has cracked and is ready to break off?

I'm guessing you are trying to avoid doing something like through bolting a replacement tab made out of angle aluminum?

If I were to do this I would first clean the inside of the hood with solvent about 18" all around. Then I'd take a sharpie and mark a giant X that represents the centerline of the hole for the stud and perpendicular to that the plane where the stud is bolted up to. Now you have a target to get back to.

Grind the existing tab off and grind smoothly into the glass all around I am going to guess about 8" out. Clean with vacuum and solvent. Use a straight edge to reconnect your lines to a big X again. Make a second line parallel to the plane line about 1/8" away.

Get a piece of 2x2 x 1/16" aluminum angle about 4" long, cover it all over with packing tape except one outside flat. Mix up a -little- bondo or a -little- 5 min epoxy and temporarily bond the angle bare side down so that the apex of the angle lays parallel to the offset plane line and centered on where the lines cross. This aluminum will be your temporary mold or crutch while you lay up one side of the new tab.

Cover your workbench top with butcher paper or wide cling wrap and tape it down.

roll out some 18" wide HD foil dull side up.

You are going to need bi-directional cloth http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cmpages/rutan.php

You cut this at a 45 degree angle so the threads in a strip are both at 45 degrees opposite each other, it gets a bit weird to handle but this makes all the difference in the world.

You need strips about 4" wide by a length that will go the 2" up the aluminum mold (yes go oversize what you actually need!) and the first two layers 2" onto the hood. Each successive two layers go an inch further out on the glass of the hood until you have 10-12 layers on that side = 1/8" thick.

Just before you begin the layup you want to fill in and put about an 1/8" radius of "wet flox" http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cmpages/flockedcotton.php?clickkey=10409

You mix these fibers up with a small amount of epoxy into a thick paste and use it to build a fillet on the inside corner, because this is fibrous it is a structural fillet. You mix it up, you only need a small amount then wait 5 minutes then using your popsicle stick you whip it up and it will saturate better and spread better. You need this because the glass cloth does not like sharp corners and without it you would have bubbles and voids in the corners.

The way you do this is cut the two layers, lay it on the foil, I usually mark it out on the foil with a sharpie, mix warmed epoxy (flows and saturates better) and spread on cloth with a 3: rubber squeegee http://www.aircraftspruce.com/search/search.php?s=RUBBER+SQUEEGEE&x=0&y=0 (cut to size) don't overwork it, it takes a minute to begin to soak in, then spread it working from center out. Cut around the wad including the foil and apply. Smooth it into place with foil intact working from the center out. Remove foil. Do the same for each successive layer pair until you have the 10-12 layers done for that side. Do all of this in one go without letting it set up. When the last layer is on and the foil removed, cut a piece of Dacron peel ply about 2" oversized all around and smooth into place, it will soak up resin, keep smoothing it into place, work out bubbles from center out, do not apply too much pressure where the flox is or you will push it all out. Let this cure until it is fairly hard (feel the saturated edge of the peel ply) when the saturated part of the peel ply is fairly hard, test pull on the flat part against the hood to remove the peel ply, it should be difficult but not gummy..hard to describe. You can wait overnight but then it gets harder to remove but must come off. This will leave the glass structure very smoothly blended into the surrounding glass under the hood.

Once you are to this point you knock the aluminum angle loose ... whack with a hammer an chisel. Sand away the bondo or 5 minute epoxy, make sure none of the packing tape stayed on the glass, sand everything and repeat exactly the same on this side using the previous layup as the mold as if it were the aluminum.

When all set overnight, re mark your lines, measure up to where the ball stud goes and drill a hole, use it as a guide to mark out a new tab, I'd angle the sides down to give as much support as possible, then grind and dremel it to shape. Use fairly wide area washers with the ball stud.

This is just an overview of the process. Same layup techniques for the mirror base reinforcements

The resin we use is expensive structural stuff for building high performance gliders, it has a hefty hazmat fee as well http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cmpages/mgsresin.php?clickkey=4717 Locally try West System structural epoxy resin. You can get it in quart cans with pump tops for measuring."

MrSeas · July 3, 2017

http://www.hhrvresource.com/search/node/Hood hinge

Brad & Jacolyn · July 3, 2017

If you use my method of repair (from the Resource guide) I would advise making sure the bolts are long enough and the nut you use has nylon locking. Mine came loose after a couple of years and I had to redo the repair. All is well now.

Brad