Still ....

   

Well I worked on the hood for a few hours again today. I have to say I don't think I am going to get it right. I finally gave up and put a coat of filler on it. I got it pretty straight but it still has a low spot and a lot of bumps/dings from beating on it. It was a learning experience and I learned I should have left it alone in the first place LOL

    BTW I used several different dollies, files and a home made slapper as well as a ton of shrinking and stretching. The original damage looked like someone sat on the hood and bent it down ... this stretched the metal and it would not just pop out. Once I got it up where it should be it caused warping in other places on the hood. Every time I eliminated one it would create another! I was also getting the metal too hot at times causing it to shrink in too much leaving a depression like hail. Needless to say this side of the hood top is pretty much hosed.

    It will look fine in the end but I will be keeping an eye out for a hood top at a decent price! I may even just cut out the center and weld in a new piece of sheet metal. Hell if welding in the new piece causes shrinkage it will probably pull the stretched original metal back flat LOL

    So tomorrow I will sand it down and probably have to add another coat of two and call it done. I am disappointed that I have to go this route but we do what we have to do to move on ... I'm moving on! What's it been .. a week? Grrrrrr

    I will get some pictures on tomorrow night and hopefully I can start on the grill shell the following day.