LeBaron Hood Vents Installed

[UKJeepThang]

I've been meaning to do this for sometime but I finally got my LeBaron hood vents installed today.

I'd prepped them a couple of weeks ago in a matt black finish and spent the last couple of days telling myself that a could cut two big holes in my clean hood and there would be no problem!!:eek::eek:

To cut the holes I used a 4 1/2" angle grinder, a jig saw with a 25 tooth blade and a dremmel

Here's the clean and shiny hood this morning:-
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s91/UKJeepThang/Jeep/IMG_3070.jpg

All measured up, I must have rechecked this 10 times!!:smiley-laughing021:
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s91/UKJeepThang/Jeep/jeep006-1.jpg

Settled the nerves and started to drill some reference holes at the corners of where the vents would go
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s91/UKJeepThang/Jeep/jeep007.jpg

And then just went for it!!!! Here's the hood with the two holes cut
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s91/UKJeepThang/Jeep/jeep008-1.jpg

And with the vents installed:thumbsup::thumbsup:
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s91/UKJeepThang/Jeep/jeep012.jpg

The whole job took me about 4 hours (I was taking my time with the cutting) and I'm really pleased with the way it's turned out. LeBaron hood vents are pretty rare in the UK.

Now I need a well earned beer!!!:thumbsup:

[Mudderoy]

Those were some nice clean cuts. Great pictures, thanks.

Man I bet that was hard cutting into that pretty hood. :smiley-gen165:

[Voldemort]

Looks good man! You did a hell of a job

[xjjeepthing]

Nice job i want a set of Grand Prix vents or a cowl hood

[firehawk]

Looks great!:thumbsup: Those vents are hard to find here too, at least I haven't had any luck yet.:(

[Melissa]

Nice pictures!!

Can you fly on over to my house and cut some vent holes in my hood? :D

[firehawk]

Hey...UK, couple of questions! I FINALLY found a set of LeBaron hoods vents. I should have them next week sometime.:thumbsup:

First did you remove the hood to cut the holes? I'm wondering if the jig saw blade will hit anything under the hood if I cut it while it is on the Jeep.:confused: I also assume a 32 tpi blade will cut the sheet metal ok? I'm worried about heat buildup f**king up the paint.:confused:

BTW, did you line the vents up with the back edge of the hood, or with the line of the stamping in the center of the hood? From your pic it look like you went with the center lines/stamping of the hood, but can't tell for sure since the pic is from the side.

[Melissa]

Hey...UK, couple of questions! I FINALLY found a set of LeBaron hoods vents. I should have them next week sometime.:thumbsup:

First did you remove the hood to cut the holes? I'm wondering if the jig saw blade will hit anything under the hood if I cut it while it is on the Jeep.:confused: I also assume a 32 tpi blade will cut the sheet metal ok? I'm worried about heat buildup f**king up the paint.:confused:

I hate you!, lol, just kidding, where did you find the LeBaron hood vents??

PS.......... Good questions, I'm interested in the answers as well :thumbsup:

[Dirt Dogg Rydas]

looks good.
i'm gonna hit up the JY's around here to see if i find a set for myself.

[firehawk]

I hate you!, lol, just kidding, where did you find the LeBaron hood vents??

PS.......... Good questions, I'm interested in the answers as well :thumbsup:

Someone in Michigan over on GLXJ had a set.:smiley-taunt013:

[Melissa]

Someone in Michigan over on GLXJ had a set.:smiley-taunt013:

:tongue0013:

What are the dimensions, do you know yet??

[firehawk]

:tongue0013:

What are the dimensions, do you know yet??

Sorry Mel, an auction I bid on on eBay awhile back for a set had dimensions, but I don't remember what they were.:(

[Melissa]

Sorry Mel, an auction I bid on on eBay awhile back for a set had dimensions, but I don't remember what they were.:(

If you remember when you recieve them, will you let me know, please :love0007:

[Dirt Dogg Rydas]

i read somewhere they are about 8"x14"
don't quote me on it though i might be wrong

[UKJeepThang]

Excellent news! Good that you got some.

I didn't remove my hood before cutting. I think this is a personal preference, you have obviously just got to be more careful if you are cutting with the hood in place. I drilled four large holes in the corners of where the vents were going to go and then used a small angle grinder with a cut off disc for the straight cuts and then used a 25tpi jigsaw and a dremmel finish the job.

I taped the area off completely where the vents were going to go to reduce the amount of paint flaking. I did get a small amount of paint flaking around the edges of the holes, but when you get the vents you will see that they are recessed and the outer lip covers the flaked edge fine so you don't notice it when the vents are installed. When cutting with a jigsaw, be careful you don't get any jigsaw "bounce" as that might distort the hood.

Cover the engine (and the windscreen) with damp towels, take a deep breath and cut :smiley-gen165:. Just don't rush it.

As far as positioning is concerned, I made two templates out of card and placed them on the taped hood to find the best place. I lined mine up with the center lines. The vents are not 100% a rectangle. They are 14.25" long. The back of the vent is 9.25" but they narrow down to about 8.25" at the front. Make sure that you position the vents between the hood supports as you don't really want to cut into those.

Just measure, measure , measure, measure and then sit down and have a beer. Then measure again and then once more before cutting. I honestly think I measured about 10 times before starting to cut!! You only get one chance to get it right!!

Good luck and post some pics when done!! :thumbsup:

[kmanxj]

thanks for the GLXJ post firehawk. Never even heard of it before. Thanks

[AJ99]

Well here is what i did... Take a permanent marker and make an outline of the vents. Make sure you have them where you want them. I think used blue masking tape and taped around the marker. I cut it on the inside of the marker line. I needed to do a little more trimming but i figured a little more trimming is better than the hole being bigger than needed.

I covered the motor also with a towel. I didnt want any debris from cutting them to be able to get into the motor. I cut mine with the hood on also. Its not too difficult. If you can trace a line then you can do this. I used a cut off wheel on a die grinder. I kept the piece i cut out so i can put bolts through them and put them on during the winter.

I also sealed mine with Blue RTV. Dont know if it makes a difference but i did.