Please need advice on rusted up front lip of hood.

[qwik219d9]

Please need advice on rusted up front lip of hood. Car is a saab 97x 5.3iAWD

From what I understand the car maker here decided to not glue/seel the inside lip of hood so condensation collected result rusted from inside out.

I have some fiberglassing skills here’s the stuff I have mat and bondo fiberglass resin and hardener.https://www.idealtruevalue.com/store...yABEgKN7fD_BwE
Can I just lay thick mat directly over the rust front then add more to thicken up the lip?
The rust is very bad the little good news is the latch and surrounding say18” is unrusted.

My plan that’s if you Guy’s think it would work strengthen the front then sand smooth then vinyl wrap carbon fiber ricer style.
1.duck tape the inside so the rust will hold it's shape as a lip of a hood.
2.clean w/ acetone
3.cut 5" stripes of mat
4.mixup resin/hardener cake on matting thick.
5.repeat step 3/4

edit:if I paid a sheet metal man about how much do they usually charge for a hood?
Thanks for any advice

[SMWS6TA]

Unless you clean/cut that rust out it's going to continue to eat the metal in the hood. By the look of the paint the rust is working it's way much further up then you think. You can see the paint bubbling and further up.

Also the plan to use tape to hold the rust won't work. It's just a failure point for later on to happen.


IMHO you have 2 options.

1 - get another hood and fixed that crack issue before installing it.

2 - find a good body shop and have them graph in new metal


Otherwise you your wasting $$$$ and time IMHO.

[qwik219d9]

yeah you'r right as usale the complete front is rusted under the bubbled paint. however I think if I cake on the fiberglass matting to good part of hood just behind the lip it mite be good enought to cake on the glass then flip it over and scoop out the rotten rust and the glass from underneth then wrape it ricer style.

Scott I still waiting on advice w/ the day light run lights sockets mine are completely rusted.are the rear DRL sockets the same as fronts?

heres the bulbs I got for the front.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[SMWS6TA]

Are you talking about the side markers on the rear or the rear lights?

I believe I said in your thread that those came out after I did my stuff and that those should work because they just added the resistor to the bulb instead of like before where you needed to add it.

[Whamhammer]

yeah you'r right as usale the complete front is rusted under the bubbled paint. however I think if I cake on the fiberglass matting to good part of hood just behind the lip it mite be good enought to cake on the glass then flip it over and scoop out the rotten rust and the glass from underneth then wrape it ricer style.

Scott I still waiting on advice w/ the day light run lights sockets mine are completely rusted.are the rear DRL sockets the same as fronts?

heres the bulbs I got for the front.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You are best off with a new hood. I just did a short search on the web and saw several advertised between $333.00 to the mid $500s. Strip and soak it with POR15 if you are really going to drive this forever.

Cutting out the rust and grating in new metal will be more costly than its worth, and youll probably end up wjth it rustning again, a used hood, same result unless the machine gods smile on you.

[qwik219d9]

Are you talking about the side markers on the rear or the rear lights?

I believe I said in your thread that those came out after I did my stuff and that those should work because they just added the resistor to the bulb instead of like before where you needed to add it.

no the side marker sockects are fine it's the front Day time running lights that need replacing I was curious if the rear (rear Day time running lights or taillight socket) are the same type sockect as the fronts?
Thanks

You are best off with a new hood. I just did a short search on the web and saw several advertised between $333.00 to the mid $500s. Strip and soak it with POR15 if you are really going to drive this forever.

Cutting out the rust and grating in new metal will be more costly than its worth, and youll probably end up wjth it rustning again, a used hood, same result unless the machine gods smile on you.

the the machine gods hate me. yes I have sean used hoods available just to riskie would proballey be rusted, I have sean brand new for $500 from Saab however the shipping was expensive.

the 97x is a decent vehicle but I don't plan to "to drive this forever" it's basicaly a tow vehicle that is left at a public boat ramp for 3-4 days at a time so I don't want it to look to good.

my main concern is being able to open,close hood and to keep rain out of engine compartment.
thanks

[SMWS6TA]

no the side marker sockects are fine it's the front Day time running lights that need replacing I was curious if the rear (rear Day time running lights or taillight socket) are the same type sockect as the fronts?
Thanks

No they are different. I got my replacements form O'Reillys for under $10 each.

[qwik219d9]

hood is a little stronger however it's peeling at the corner