I bought a seibon CF ts hood from a member on here.

a common problem i found with these it that it wont latch all the way

anyways, I did all the latch adjustments and it still would only latch the hook, not the actual latch. I removed the whole latch apparatus and that helped.

Im guessing my only solution is to buy latches that will force it down all the way. but when i force it down with one or two hands at a time, i still seems there is a tiny tiny gap big enough for air to run in under, very thin.

My questions are, I take it i should get aerocatch pins, second, will the pins close the small gap and if not will the gap be detrimental?

let me know what you think please.

If you commenting on this just to say how much you hate seibon or cf hoods, take your comments else where

 

I also forgot to mention I have a kinetix manifold, but i took toothpaste and put it on the hood to see if it was rubbing and no toothpaste was transferred from the hood to plenum

 

Mine needed 3 spacers on each side for the hood to close properly, but I didn't react fast enough and cracked the hood before putting the spacers on. I do also remember messing with the latch itself... loosening the nuts and trying to move the entire mechanism upwards.

Another thing to remember with these hoods (if this is your first one), is to keep them clean and protected. I parked mine under some trees at work and it rained. It was the first rain in quite a while and the trees dropped a ton of dirt all over my car. The showers were very short, and my car sat out in the sun and dried. When I left for home, my entire car looked brown from all of the dirt.

I lazed out and didn't rinse off the car until the next AM, and to my surprise the dirt was now under the finish of the hood. The rest of the car cleaned up fine. Keeping the car waxed, lessens the visibility of the million dirt spots that are now permanent residents on my hood, but it bugged me so much that I put the stock hood back on and this beast now sits in my garage. Evidently.. the only way to fix this now, is to wet sand off the lacquer, and re-lacquer. I'm not feeling it.

Just an FYI... in case you didn't already know. I obviously didn't and I bought it off of a vender here. I wish that this kind of "care for" information was supplied with the purchase. Good luck with yours.

 

can easily be removed w polishing compound.


A gap like that is as good as its going to get w an aftermarket hood, you should see the gap my veilside has.. its crazy.

 

You are incorrect Sir. Polishing compound was the first thing I tried. Both by hand, and with a high speed buffer. No joy.

Polishing compound will mask it, like I said, and unless you walk right up to my car it's pretty unnoticeable.. but up close the spots are visible under the finish. In any case, the spots will reappear in a week or two. Fact.

 

my car ( apparently to my shock and disbelief) sat outside all summer long last year while the engine was blown. it gets to be 120 here, and we have dust storms and monsoons haha.. my car loked JACKED up... like done-ski.
My VS hood appeared fully ruined.

a CUTTING compound was used to remove substrate and oxidization from the surface, then a polish was used to deepen the shine back. I think Seibons got a clear coat tho... most dont..

your parking situation either added something to the surface, Changed the color under the clear surface in the resin ( oxidization, unlikely in a day or two) , and can be fixed if its real jacked up by a wet sand and re clear...

not an argue of course, just a tip. You can even rattle can the clear coat on if youre down to wet sand and buff it yourself.. might as well... theres a few DIYs on the web w pics for it too.. i just did both of mine the easy way tho.



didnt even have to do the sanding and re clear, just cut, buff, polish buff.


OP, add spacers to the hinge bolts, foricng it to bend will create small cracks soon enough in the cf hood clear where its flexing.

 

What kind of spacers? and where?

I spaced out the latch outwards with washer and it still wont close

Im trying to avoid having to buy pins i guess

and as for damaging... this car never gets out of the garage enough to see nature damage but thanks for the heads up man

 

Get some hood pins and you'll be good.

Post a normal pic of it on the car closed! I wanna see what it'd look like on my redline

 

Is the hood coming in contact with your strut bar at all?

+1 for the most of the aftermarket hoods fitting that way but I don't think this is as bad as you think it is OP

 

I dont think it is ....i do have spacers (washers) under the strut so it fits over plenum....the kinetix plenum has a groove in it for the strut bar to fit in...

like i said i put toothpaste on hood and it never transfered to the bar

i think the hoodpins will work but i would hate to cut into the hood and latch it with pins and there still be an opening you know

 

That crack should be solved by transferring your OEM rubber weather strip over to the CF hood. That will help the gap. Also Most SEibon hoods will hit the battery and fluid covers Check that out. Hope this helps.

 

thanks

 

Mine rubs on the strut bar and I removed it and it rubs on my plenum now which has a spacer on it. May have to put washers in I guess. Mine does latch thought but I think I put a small stress crack at the front above where it latches from what it looks like. I do have aerocatch pins in as well.

 

I have the same hood. Try this:

1) Put two thin washers between the hinges and the hood to slightly raise it in the back
2) Make sure that you mount it as far forward in the hinge holes as possible
3) Take off your strut bar
4) Take off your pop charger
5) Take off your plenum
6) Take off your battery and fluids covers
7) Close it and see if it fits any better in the front

If it doesn't fit any better, that's as good as it's going to get.

If it fits/closes better, put the parts back in and:
1) Put toothpaste on the strut bar
2) Put toothpaste on the top edge of your pop charger
3) Put toothpaste on all 4 corners of your plenum
4) Put toothpaste on the corners and center of your covers
5) Close hood and then see if toothpaste is on your hood anywhere (not the other way around because it's hard to line up)

If it hits, you've got to make parts changes or deal with the gap.

 

get hood pins...

personally i'm super paranoid of the fiberglass latch, i had a buddy's crack and have his hood fly open on the freeway. bad scene right there.

 

i had to make minor adjustments to my seibon hood by removing the rubber bumpers, and adjusting the strut bar and hood latch height. i also had to push the hood latch back so it would catch and lock correctly. Aerocatch hood pins are a great idea.

 

looks like im going the aerocatch route just to be safe


thanks for all the help

 

Haha I remember back at the Mitsuwa Meet you had 3 guys trying to get the dam hood closed. Someone whipped out a screw driver and adjusted the hood latch and closed it in like 10 seconds.

 

First off, sorry to bring back an old thread.

I just got a Seibon hood by my Z and it shimmies at higher speeds. I haven't ordered the Aerocatch Flush Hood Pins yet, but think that may be my only alternative (as others have said, I don't really want to cut into the hood). I already have small washers at the hinges to help level the hood with the fenders.

The new hood doesn't have the holes for the weather stripping to attach?

What rubber bumpers is everyone talking about. Someone else in another thread was saying to "adjust the rubber bumpers" to have the hood fit more snug but I don't see any items that would be adjustable that comes in contact with the hood.

 

I drilled the holes myself Really easy!