DIY: Hood Pins Install
This DIY was done on a 1999 Honda Accord Sedan EX-L
After a few weeks of A TON of stress I finally got my hood pins installed and buttoned up! I started working on them Jan 22nd and kept having problems lining the hood pin up with the stud that was on the frame. It turned out that I needed to get the studs that were adjustable. So after making a trip out to the closest AutoZone at 9pm I get back to the house only to have more troubles with the studs being to high and not allowing the hood to close. a few days goes by and i run to Home Depot to get a few washers to see if that would help. In the mean time I had and appointment at an audio shop to get my car looked at. so I wasn't able to complete the one side I was working on. To top if off the next day I headed out of town for the weekend and wanted to drive the accord. SO i swapped out the cf hood for the factory hood and it has been that way for over 3 weeks until tonight.
Tonight I swapped out the stock hood for the cf one by myself...no easy task and then went to work on the hood locks telling myself I wasn't going to give up till I finished the install! There were times that I got everything lined and when i went to tighten the bolts for the final time i would move a part just a hair and the lock wouldn't line up! I almost called it quits again but knew I wanted to finish the install so I pushed on...hours later I am here typing this up to show you a little DIY of my install...
Tools:
- Basic tool set (wrenches, pliers, allen keys)
- Drill & drill bit set
- Dremel with sanding and grinding bits
Materials:
- Painter's tape
- SAR's mask (or something to block the crazy fiberglass & cf dust)
- Some rags and towels to cover work area and clean up area
- Something to mark the hood pin and leave a mark for drilling (vaseline, hi-liter, etc)
- Sharpee or equivalent to stencil out hood latch location
- Silicone/RTV sealant (recommended, but not required)
- Baby powder (for your arms, helps keep fiberglass off)
- Install Stud
I found a stock hole in my frame to put the stud. from there i temporarily tightened it down to make a initial mark. I took tape and placed it on top of the stud so when i closed the hood it would stick to where i needed to start drilling.
- Installing Hood Lock
Once I got the area for where I was to be drilling I taped off the outside of the cf hood to protect it and i slowly made my hole big enough to fit the lock into and then tested closed the hood to see if the lock was lined up.. For there i opened the hold more to fine tune the alignment of the lock.
- Finishing
Once I got the one hood lock working I went to the next side and did the same work to get my final results .
Thinking back on this project, I would NEVER do it again. There was a point in time that I thought I had ruined a $650 CF hood and was so stressed out about what I had done. After stepping away from it for some time and allowing myself to think about it I had no other option other then to fix/finish my project. Had I had it to do over again I probably would have taken it to a shop and had them do it, after all if they mess up the hood they would have to replace it...had I mess up the hood I would have had to buy a new one myself if i wanted a CF hood
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