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Prelude Fit XT6?


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not sure about xt6 hood as I've never taken one off, but even the XT Turbo hoods with the integrated hood scoop and ducting are pretty light.

 

I can lift one up and carry it around by myself.

 

I'd start by removing other stuff if you have an issue with weight.

 

lots of weight in the air suspension lines/pump/tank/struts if you haven't already removed that stuff.

 

A/C weighs a bit

 

plenty of sound deadening you can take out from under the carpet :eek:

 

and the xt6 has more doo-hickies than you could imagine, so if you are down for removing weight you might as well switch to non cybrid power steering, remove the trip computer/equilizer/radio, remove the passenger and rear seats, ditch your spare tire, and all sorts of other crazy stuff

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Judging by the body kit, he's probably more concerned with the look of the carbon fiber hood than the weight savings... Making one isn't all that hard. One of the really simple ways I've seen people do, won't be as light as making it totally out of CF, but I've seen people make a carbon fiber or fiberglass "skin" and bond that onto the stock hood frame. (it's not SUPER simple as it does require grinding the old metal skin off).

 

If you are going to make one, make sure you get ALL the dents filled in the hood, because you'd be using your hood to make a mold, and any imperfection in the hood will be in the mold, which will be in the finished hood.

 

BASIC instructions:

 

Coat hood with mold release agent

 

Lay fiberglass matting over hood, brush on resin. Allow to cure (I don't know how long to let it cure, read the directions!) Apply another mat and resin. If you are only going to make one hood, you don't need more than two maybe three layers for the mold, however you will need to support it somehow so it doesn't warp. If you plan on mass-producing hoods, you will want to make it with four or five layers of cloth, or consider using another material to make the mold.

 

Once the mold is fully cured, you pop it off the hood. Now, inspect the inside of the mold for any imperfections. Divots, etc.. can be corrected by filling with resin and sanding smooth. Mold needs to be smooth inside! For the first layer in the mold, you might want to use a fiberglass mat as opposed to cloth, as it will make a smoother surface. As for the hood itself, you'd want the cloth (be it fiberglass or carbon fiber) as that's probably the look you're going for.

 

Once you are satisfied with the mold, coat it with release agent and lay in the first layer of cloth and saturate with resin. The rest of the process goes as the mold did, and if you are going to stick your skin over the old hod frame, two layers should be sufficient, otherwise you'll need to put some wood or aluminum bracing inside to stiffen it, these can be fiberglassed over. You'll also need to fabricate a place for the hood latch to go, if you aren't going to use hood pins. If you are, you'll want to apply resin around the holes after you cut them. (Best to use a fine-toothed hole saw and don't go too fast!) to keep it from cracking. Be careful! Might be better to mold the holes in..

 

 

Keep in mind that this is from memory from what I learned in street rod class at Wyotech almost two years ago, so I probably left something out! I think there is an article on Legacy Central on making a fiberglass hood...

(Fiberglass and CF are pretty much the same thing, with the exception of the material that the cloth is made of. I think the resin is different but I am not 100% sure on this!)

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Prelude side skirts might fit, but you will have to right them to work... the cars have the same WB... Front and rear. NO. they will not. No other parts from a Prelude will work... the cars look the same, mostly at night, but the body panels are completely different. BTW I have a carbon fibber hood, it was cheap and easy to make:lol:

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