Cutting hole in hood?
You didn't mention anything about using a scoop, so I'm guessing you're possibly running a tunnel ram or supercharger that will stick through the hood. There are so many different ways to go about finishing the edges of a hole you cut in your hood. The amount of bracing you'll need depends on the size of the hole relative to the particular hood.
When we decided to cut a hole in our '68 Charger hood we were very careful. We first removed the hood hinges and latch so we could LIFT the hood off. With the engine (and the blower) in the car we took measurements to approximate where the hole needed to be.
Our first cuts were conservative. - Nothing worse than hacking a hole that's too big that will require filling later. After our initial cuts we tried fitting the hood and noted wherever we needed additional trimming. Eventually (after subsequent cutting) the hood finally cleared enough to close.
You're not done cutting yet. As the hood opens & closes it moves forward & back. The next step was to remove the blower and re-attache the hinges. Once we properly aligned the hood on the car, we re-installed the blower.
With everything assembled we knew we couldn't close the hood anymore without additional trimming. As we lowered the hood we marked where we were hitting. A few more cuts and we were in pretty good shape but we had to cut a little extra to allow for linkage travel, blower belt tension adjustment, and the motor rocking. When we were done the hood opened & closed without any clearance issues.
What to do with that hole???
Our hood was noticeably flimsy after we'd made the opening. To strengthen it we chose to make filler pieces between the outer sheet metal and the inner structure. After welding the pieces in place the hood was almost as sturdy as before we'd made the hole.
I'd read a build article where the guys welded 5/16" brake line to the top of the hood around the perimeter of the hole. It allowed for a better finished opening that strengthens the hood and provides sort of a 'drip lip' so that less water will run into the opening. That's the next mod we did. When we were done, the hood was actually sturdier than it had been before we cut the hole.
Naturally, you'll have to use filler to cover the tubing.
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