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Homemade fiberglass hood?

Discussion in '1st Gen. Tacomas (1995-2004)' started by Leadgolem, Nov 18, 2010.

  1. Nov 18, 2010 at 1:39 AM
    #1
    Leadgolem

    Leadgolem [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Herculiner bed liner, White LED instrument lights, Custom painted hood, Homemade leather steering wheel wrap, Avic u310bt gps stereo, 1.5" bushwacker fender flares, 1.25" bilstein lift front, 1" shackle lift rear, rear bilstein 5100 shocks, ridiculous helper spring lift rear, wet okole seat covers, mutilated exhaust, boom mat under hood
    Has anybody made a fiberglass hood for a first gen? I'm thinking about giving it a shot, but somehow I think it's a lot harder then the guys on powerblock made it look. :)

    I'm adding a nice sturdy brushguard for some front end protection, and I'd like to save some weight up front. I can't see spending the money for a carbon fiber hood, and the only fiberglass one I've seen has a scoop. I would rather not have a scoop, water and debris tend to find there way into your engine bay that way.
     
  2. Nov 18, 2010 at 2:07 AM
    #2
    cjm

    cjm Member

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    There are a few companies that already make a fiberglass hood, though I don't think you will get the weight savings you are considering by doing that. The fiberglass hood (a decently fabricated unit) and the stock hood really do not have a significant weight difference in my opinion.

    A couple of places to check though:

    http://www.showdowncustoms.com
    http://www.glassworksunlimited.com/toyotahoods.html
     
  3. Nov 18, 2010 at 2:38 AM
    #3
    Leadgolem

    Leadgolem [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Herculiner bed liner, White LED instrument lights, Custom painted hood, Homemade leather steering wheel wrap, Avic u310bt gps stereo, 1.5" bushwacker fender flares, 1.25" bilstein lift front, 1" shackle lift rear, rear bilstein 5100 shocks, ridiculous helper spring lift rear, wet okole seat covers, mutilated exhaust, boom mat under hood
    I've actually looked at those. Hmm.. You may be right about the weight. I think I'll want to unbolt and weigh my hood before I spend to much time/money on this.
     
  4. Nov 18, 2010 at 3:12 PM
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    cjm

    cjm Member

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    I'll save you some time on that one...from the "feel" comparison when I changed over to a scooped fiberglass hood. It isn't but a few pounds if you have a stout fiberglass hood, compared to the stock sheet-metal hood. Now if you compared to a carbon-fiber hood, then I say hands down there is a noticeable difference. Would I say the investment be worth it in your case, I would lean towards no, because you won't notice a significant difference at all.
     
  5. Nov 18, 2010 at 3:15 PM
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    cummins6speed

    cummins6speed Well-Known Member

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    What happens when you drive through a puddle or something? Just sayin:D
     
  6. Nov 18, 2010 at 3:17 PM
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    Toyota Truck

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  7. Nov 18, 2010 at 3:18 PM
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    DTFtacoma

    DTFtacoma Dezert Toy Fabrication Vendor

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  8. Nov 18, 2010 at 3:27 PM
    #8
    Pugga

    Pugga Pasti-Dip Free 1983 - 2015... It was a good run

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    Are you looking to shed overall weight, or weight at the front end of the truc? Even if you do manage to save some weight, it won't do much to offset the bumper. The bumper is a large chunk of weight at the very front of the truck. The hood is directly over the front tires. In short extra weight cantilevering over your front tires will put more compression on your front suspension than weight directly over it because of leverage.
     
  9. Nov 19, 2010 at 12:23 AM
    #9
    Leadgolem

    Leadgolem [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Herculiner bed liner, White LED instrument lights, Custom painted hood, Homemade leather steering wheel wrap, Avic u310bt gps stereo, 1.5" bushwacker fender flares, 1.25" bilstein lift front, 1" shackle lift rear, rear bilstein 5100 shocks, ridiculous helper spring lift rear, wet okole seat covers, mutilated exhaust, boom mat under hood
    Usually that's splash and done. With a hood scoop, if your driving through a nasty rain storm or blizzard, it's more of a steady stream.

    Nice find. :)

    True. I'm looking more at the front end weight. I know adding the brush guard will add weight to the very front and make my rake + weight distribution worse. I also know removing weight from the hood or front fenders won't correct the problem.

    The added weight is, IMO, worth the front end protection. Trimming weight off the hood/fenders won't fix it of course. It should lessen the problem though. So, it's more about mitigating the effect of another change I want to make to my truck. Depending on how it sits I may end up with new front springs too.
     
  10. Nov 19, 2010 at 2:21 AM
    #10
    cjm

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    How heavy of a brush guard are we talking about? 150lbs, 250lbs, 350lbs...etc?
     
  11. Nov 19, 2010 at 5:37 AM
    #11
    Pugga

    Pugga Pasti-Dip Free 1983 - 2015... It was a good run

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    I agree, I'm still biding my time before I go with a plate bumper instead of the cow catcher. I just wanted to make sure you were thinking along the right lines, some people think if you add 10 lbs and delete 10 lbs your even. Technically you're netting 0 but depending on where you add/delete from your suspension might not think so. I see some OME coils in your future!:D
     
  12. Nov 20, 2010 at 1:00 AM
    #12
    Leadgolem

    Leadgolem [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Herculiner bed liner, White LED instrument lights, Custom painted hood, Homemade leather steering wheel wrap, Avic u310bt gps stereo, 1.5" bushwacker fender flares, 1.25" bilstein lift front, 1" shackle lift rear, rear bilstein 5100 shocks, ridiculous helper spring lift rear, wet okole seat covers, mutilated exhaust, boom mat under hood
    This is a good question. So I went out and weighed it, using the bathroom scale method.

    It only came out to 35lbs. That's without the mounting brackets though, which I still need to build. Figure a max of another 10 lbs for the mounting brackets. So, 45lbs max.

    That isn't all that much weight, but the lever action with it right out in front will exaggerate it. I'm planning on mounting it connected to the frame sections that stick out on the front. The ones under the bumper. I'll be cutting the bumper a great deal to allow the brush guard to be mounted.

    EDIT: Here it is.
    [​IMG]
    Mounting would be on the frame points just above where the existing brackets hang down to.
    [​IMG]
     
  13. Nov 20, 2010 at 4:20 AM
    #13
    Pugga

    Pugga Pasti-Dip Free 1983 - 2015... It was a good run

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    OP, don't waste your time shedding weight. I thought you were adding an ARB or something in which case you need to do something about the weight. I have something very similar on mine and you don't even notice it's there. Check out my pics, I've got a SS wrap around grill/push bar very similar to what you're looking to put on. So far I've had it for almost 3 years.
     

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