Project Tractor Hood requires extensive repair to the hood of an old construction tractor.
The hood is from the 1960’s, and has lived a rough life.
It is in for a refurbishment and redesign.
The original hood was too large and unwieldy, so it was cut down to just a front nose.
The lower front lip below the grille was severely damaged.

Prepped and ready for New Epoxy and Fiberglass


There had been previous repair attempts that I removed.
I was left with a damaged corner that was hanging by a thread, and the other side was completely missing a section of structure.
This could be repaired with new fiberglass reinforcement and epoxy resin.

I wanted to tackle the structural repair of this area first, to get it back into one solid piece.
My first action was to grind out all of the old material.
Due to poor adhesion, that part was relatively simple.
I was left with very poor structure that was out of shape. (and a large gap)
My solution was to fashion a couple of pieces of wood to form some structure, alignment, and a surface for the new material to follow.

Ready for Repair


I made a temporary mold by screwing wood pieces to the fiberglass after covering them with cling wrap.

Wood Supports to Align the Hood In The New Shape


The cling wrap keeps the epoxy from bonding to the wood.
Masking tape works too, and I filled a few gaps with that. (in green)
Once I had everything set, I got to work.

Prepped and Ready for Fiberglass Repair


The new fiberglass and epoxy would bond to the old fiberglass and fill the gaps and cracks that were requiring repair.

New Fiberglass Epoxy to Hold the Corner Together

Once it was cured, the wood was removed, leaving a solid structure to hold everything together.


Now the outside can be refinished along with everything else to create a smooth surface.

Pieced Back Together And Wood is Removed