So here's the deal. I have been looking around for a hood with a scoop for my 02 4runner for a while and I was finally able to find one. I just picked it up today for $100. The only bad thing is that it is in pretty rough shape. The guy I bought it from tried to rattle can it and apparently didn't know the proper way to go about doing it so he just ended up making a mess. There are runs, drips, and a number of other issues with the paint and he also decided to use a clearcoat on top of the crappy paint job, making it even worse...So I have a couple of questions...How should I remove the old clearcoat and paint? Is sanding the way to go or should I try a paint stripper?

Also, how should I paint it after I have all the old paint off? unfortunately I don't have the funds to get it done professionally so I will have to do it myself...Rattle can? Roll on? Hurculiner? What color should I go with? (I have a white 4Runner with black accents) Let me know what you guys think!

Here are some pics of the hood. It is a lot worse in person...




Here is a pic of my truck to use as a reference...

 

First issue I notice is the Steelers plate on the front , other that it looks like it can be powder blasted to bare metal and then repainting is a a non issue. Next I would bondo the seams and fill it to get rid of the nasty looking beads down the sides then flat black the whole hood

 

haha.. I was tipped off about that hood lastnight, it's the one from san antonio right? Called this mornin but he didnt wanna ship. Nice find though, can def be sanded down and takin care of the right way! Hell, i say just sand it down, little bondo, little buffing, then primer it and be done! I also agree about the steelers plate, seems like it's the only real big issue here.. haha

 

lmfao at the steelers thing



yep...have it sandblasted (or just be prepared for a lot of paint stripper, scraping paint off...sanding...stripping more paint...scrapping...sanding again..getting it perfect.)then pain it flat black...


honestly color is up to you....you could paint it hot pink for all i care .

or you could just ship it to me i'll cut the scoop out and weld it into my 2nd gen 4runner hood

 

Hate to piss on your parade, but have you sat in a 4Runner with a hoodscoop? My buddy's Taco has a scoop and its a PITA as it obstructs the view of the ground right in front of the truck. He wishes his truck never had a scoop.

 

Oh, let me be the first, Matt16. What's your friends number and I'll do him the favor of taking that PITA off his hands. No seriously.

 

Yep it sure is. I had the day off yesterday for Columbus day so I drove down and picked it up. he was selling for $150 but I talked him down since the paint was in such bad shape.

Oh come on guys lay off the STEELERS. They are only one of the best teams in football and not to mention the fact that they have won more championships than any other team in the league. SIXBURGH!! enough said

 

So after reading some of the advice from guys on here I was going to try to get the hood sandblasted so I can repaint it. Unfortunately all of the local places I have called are commercial only and would charge me like $250-$300 just for the hood!! Since I don't want to spend that kind of money, what are my other options for getting the paint off? Just paint stripper and a lot of sanding? Could I take a wire cup brush to it or would it damage the metal underneath? Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!

 

i wire-wheeled my whole skid plate before i rattle-canned it. it worked well. just make sure to use a 120v drill with a locking triger to save your hand from cramping

edit: as for damaging the metal, any type of abrasion will take a small layer off. with my wire-wheel, i didn't see much (if any) abrasion, let alone deformation

 

you should sell it to me for really cheap... would look great on my taco, lol

 

If it's steel you can strip it with aircraft stripper, big mess, very toxic, it works, let it sit but not dry, scrape then wash (over a tarp). if it's composite i'd sand it. either way i prefer sanding. first use 80, then 100 or 120, then 320. you have to sand it even after you strip it, so why sand a little more and skip the stripper? All spray can primer/paint is lacquer. ok for under carriage parts junk for body parts. too small spray pattern, too much over spray to ever get it even. sounds weird but the store bought bed liner "paint" would come out even, durable and match your black accents. Bad deal to ever get off though, but it's cheap and easy and won't look blotchy and uneven. I used it on my xr400 frame, came out cool. I went over the bed liner stuff with 3M rocker panel spray (spray can). It dries semi-shiny and very hard. Hold it closer for less texture-farther for more. It's crazy tough. You sure you can't find someone to spray it for under 250? I'm an ex body man and 250 is normal but maaco and such should do it for way less. junk paint but it'll last a couple years. tell them you'll pay 50 bucks to just hang it and spray it, you'll sand it. They paint whole cars for 250. Problem is they don't sand them, they just scrub them with thinner and a scratch pad! it peels right off.

 

Sorry but I think it will look better on my 4Runner


J/K. Even if I was selling, I think someone already beat you to it...

So based on what you and saveapit suggested I'm thinking that I will combine your ideas to get the best possible result. First I will use a wire-wheel to get most of the paint and clearcoat off because it is a metal hood so I don't have to worry about damaging it with the wire wheel. Then will follow up with different grades of sandpaper (80, 100, 120, 320) to get the remaining paint off and to make sure the surface is smooth and ready for new paint.

Where can I get the bed liner paint that you are referring to? Is is a roll-on or rattle can paint? Is it textured like Herculiner and most other truck bed liners? Will I need to follow it up with a clearcoat? Also, what does the rocker panel spray do, just an extra layer of protection (like a clearcoat)?

 

sounds good to me. sanding it is probably the best way to making it look good. i would have used sandpaper on my skid plate, but i was too lazy

 

Haha yeah I get lazy sometimes too but I really can't afford to be lazy when it comes to something as visible as the hood....just a little more visible than a skid plate

I am also going to try to use some acetone on the actual paint once I get the clearcoat off. Hopefully that will help and make sanding a little easier...

 

yeah, just a bit more noticeable

 

I live in SA and was trying to get that guy to sell me the scoop insert (I already have the hood in a lovely shade of primer) but he wouldn't! Glad somebody finally bought it

 

Man that sucks...I guess you could always buy the insert from the dealership, it will probably be hella expensive but I'm sure it has been hard to find someone selling just the scoop insert...Yeah it is a pretty nice hood. It's aftermarket but I like it already because it is much lighter than the Toyota OEM hood.


As an added bonus the actual scoop insert is OEM.
I will probably need some new hardware to attach the scoop because the hardware on there now is pretty rusted. It also doesn't have the mesh insert that goes in the scoop...I have some left over mesh material from my Satoshi mod so I am thinking about cutting the back off the scoop to make it functional and using some of the left over mesh to cover the opening. I would just have to figure out how to attach the mesh...What do you guys think? Cut it open and make it functional or leave it closed?

 

Yeah you have to get the insert from the stealership, and as far as making it "functional" the only function it will serve is letting water and debris into your engine compartment. Keep it closed.

 

Bummer, I was hoping that I wouldn't have to resort to the stealership...I have read a couple of threads about the same topic and everyone seems to be divided. One side says exactly what you just said, an open scoop will just allow debris and water into the engine compartment. The other side says that it will allow hot air to escape and cool the engine compartment. I think it probably does both, but I don't know if it is worth it...

 

It will do both. Just think about it. Maybe you could rig some sort of filter so the water and debris doesn't get in? I saw a guy on the RAV4 forums who hooked his intake up to the scoop, put a filter right behind it and made it mega functional.