Hood paint cracks

[Dr. Pepper]

I have a couple of cracks in the hood paint on my 94 RT/10, probably caused by the previous owner not shutting it properly. The cracks are hard to see unless you look at it from a certain angle. Has anyone had a clear bra installed on the hood to keep the cracks from getting worse? Seems like it would be cheaper and less hassle than buying a new hood or having this one repainted.

 

[Steve-Indy]

Hood cracks, paint issues were common on 94 and 95 Vipers. Some hoods were replaced under warranty due to this issue.

 

[redtanrt10]

My '94 had a small hood crack at the edge of my passenger side hood vent. Fortunately replaced under warranty. Where are you seeing the cracking?

You can find replacement hoods for a reasonable price but they are very expensive to ship as you have to crate them up.

 

[Dr. Pepper]

I have a larger "Y" shaped crack in the center of the hood below the windshield and two smaller "C" shaped cracks near the front edge of the hood

 

[redtanrt10]

As you said, could be from improper hood closing, especially the ones near the edge of the hood. I've read that some of the hoods have bondo from the factory to cover flaws. Could be the case for you too as that bondo does crack with age. ? My crack was in the vent on the passenger side above the heater intake or whatever that box is. When they replaced the hood they fixed the spacing as it was hitting that area in the engine. That was done in '97? No issues since.

Used hood are available if you want to go that route and priced very reasonably, my warranty hood back them was $12-$13k plus paint. I've seen nice used hoods for $1,000, but they are really hard to ship. Good luck!! Mike

 

[ViperRed]

Back then, fiberglass and paint didn't go well together.

 

[Mark Crosby]

The cracks end up right where guys try to close the hood by the intake. Mine has a hair line about 3 inches long and is hardly visible. My experience working in a body shop for years, ain’t no big deal because it’s hardly visible, but if your a perfectionist it’s all bad. This is old fiberglass and easily repairable. Smc all day. Cheap and easy