When it comes to customizing your minitruck, ease of the modification always plays a roll.
With all of the aftermarket parts out there, we've all had the horror story of parts not fitting right, having holes drilled in the wrong spot, etc. That's one of the things that makes building a custom truck so stressful. Well, we came across a company that makes adding a custom touch to the front end of any truck easy and painless. There are a wide variety of aftermarket fiberglass hoods on the market, but these hand-laid units also come complete with both a smooth top and underside. Having the hood smooth both top AND bottom not only looks cleaner, but also adds much needed strength. This installation is a snap using a basic socket set and the helping hand of a buddy. For more information on these custom hoods available with many ram-air options for different models of vehicles, check out the source box.
 1.This is the mold for the...  1.This is the mold for the hood. Fiberglass matte and resin is hand-laid then trimmed once dried. The metal inserts and bolt holes, are then inserted and the top mold is added. |  2.Here's a look at the top...  2.Here's a look at the top half of the mold. The top mold is joined and clamped to the bottom half and allowed to dry. |  3.Once removed from the molds,...  3.Once removed from the molds, the finished hood is ready to sand, paint, and install on our 2005-2009 Nissan Frontier. |
4. |  5.The metal for the bolt holes...  5.The metal for the bolt holes is actually molded into the hood and then tapped. |  6.The hood latch is also molded...  6.The hood latch is also molded into the finished hood, which allows for a stronger latching point and matching fitment every time. |
 7.Here's the boring factory...  7.Here's the boring factory hood that we will be upgrading. |  8.The four factory nuts holding...  8.The four factory nuts holding the hood on are removed. This is best done with someone holding the front of the hood for support. |  9.Once all four bolts are...  9.Once all four bolts are removed, two people can easily remove the factory hood. For this particular hood, the factory bumpstops will need to be removed and installed onto the new hood. These will help keep the hood level and allow for adjustments. |
 10.This particular truck's...  10.This particular truck's factory hood was bolted to the hinges with studs in the hood and nuts on the backside. The new hood came with bolts that go through the same hinge holes and bolt to the tapped holes pre-molded in place. |  11.The new hood is lifted...  11.The new hood is lifted on. It makes it a little easier to line up if you can borrow a third set of hands, but can be done with two people. |  12.Once the bolts are started...  12.Once the bolts are started and the hood is centered, simply tighten up the four supplied bolts. It might take a couple times of loosening them just enough to shift the hood from side to side, but when you have all the gaps matched up, retighten the bolts. |
 13.We bolted up our new hood...  13.We bolted up our new hood for a test fitment. Now we just have to get it painted to match and then reinstall it. This hood is a little more aggressive yet simple enough of a modification for a nice front- end update. Call today and see what other model hoods they carry for your project. | 
14. | |