 Here we have a stock ’56 Ford hood with the chrome trim piece. Change is coming in the form of a raised painted script.
Some truck owners go all out when redoing their vehicles. Some take it way out and some like to build theirs with subtle changes that require a second or even a third look to figure out what has been changed. Joe Lopez is one of those who likes to change things and make them reflect his own vision had he been the original designer. On his current project, a 1956 Ford pickup, he is doing just that. He took the raised Ford script from a 1942-47 Ford hood and grafted it into his ’56 F-100 hood. The ’56 hood uses chrome trim pieces to adorn the sides. Joe did a switch job and wants to know just how many will spot the change. This job and a number of different changes to the truck are being made at Concepts Rods and Customs in Lake Elsinore, California. Owner Roger Plante is the talented metal man making those changes for Joe. This job is relatively easy for anyone with any amount of welding skills, or you could take the two hoods to nearly any body shop in your area and have them do it for you. The main difficult is placing the script straight without warping the hood or the transplanted script section. Caution is advised when grinding down the welds to protect the raised letters. Also, be careful when cutting out the hole in the ’56 hood; the inner hood support and hinge mounting framework is right behind where you will be cutting. Hold the cutting wheel in a way that only cuts the hood skin. Follow along as we redefine a ’56 F-100 bonnet.  This donor ’46 hood was picked up at the Pomona swap meet, which provides the two pieces needed. |  Roger cuts out the script making sure to leave plenty of flat metal with which to work. Be sure to work carefully so that the cutoff wheel doesn’t slip and cut into the script. |  After cutting out the hood pieces clean off the paint down to bare metal. |  To square up the piece give it about a 1 1/4-inch flat area around the lettering. Mark it off and then cut it out with a cutoff wheel or a plasma cutter. |  Our patch is now ready to go so it can be set aside for now. |  Roger uses the stock trim piece as a guideline for positioning the script. That is a good reference point since the hood has been removed from the truck. |  The patch piece must be bent slightly to match the contour of the new hood. That will require a little work but it must fit to the hood before the area is cut away. |  After the piece has been bent to fit, align it with the line on the hood and mark it off. |  When cutting out the hole in the ’56 hood work carefully so the cutoff wheel does not extended beyond the metal you are cutting. Do not cut into the support structure behind. |  The area around the opening must be cleaned down to bare metal. |  Place the patch into the opening and check that the horizontal guidelines on the hood and the patch line up. Check to see if the patch needs any trimming. |  Make sure that the edge of the patch is flush with the hood surface and give it a tack. Check the other side of the top edge and add a tack. Work around the piece in the same manner. |  Roger checks the two edges to make sure that they remained even. He needs to work the patch out a little bit using a long screwdriver. He gives the spot a tack before removing the screwdriver. |  Work all around the patch the same way. Work slowly and keep the heat to a minimum. You are working on a small piece and the heat will build up quickly. |  As you work around the piece keep checking the two edges before adding another tack. Repeat the tacks moving around the area until you have a solid weld. Be sure to work slowly to keep the heat down. |  Now that all of the welding is finished grind the welds down and watch for heat buildup. The metal can warp as easily here as when you were welding it. Be sure not to hit the raised letters when grinding. |  Use a DA sander to feather back the paint area before applying a coat of body filler. |  Only a light coat will be needed to finish off the welded area. Keep the filler to a minimum and be sure to keep it off of the lettering. |  After the filler sets up sand it down and this job is about finished. |  Everything is looking good. We kept the script clean and it looks like the hood came this way. |  Before laying primer the air setting on the gun is used to remove any dust or impurities from the surface. |  A coat of primer and this one needs only a paint job. |  This job is finished, and after it is reinstalled it looks like a factory job. Probably only staunch Ford F-100 people will spot this change. | Show comments (0) - Add comments to this article: |
