Question about body reinforcement

[Elmo]

I am wanting to cut the hood on an HPI S15 Silvia body and install an engine bay on my drift chassis and was wondering what I needed to do to reinforce the body once it is cut to help keep its shape. I know that lexan bodies can get a little flexy once they are cut (such as opening the doors or hood) and was wondering what to do to help prevent that? Also what would be a simple way to hinge the hood? I would like to hinge it forward and use something strong enough to hold the hood open for display. Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated!

[CM9000]

Fiberglass would be best. On the fenders and front bumper on the inside. You could also use shoo goo and drywall mesh.

[Elmo]

I have some drywall mesh around here somewhere so I'll give that a try. I never thought about fiberglass but wouldn't the heat produced by the resin potentially warp the lexan? I used to own a custom auto shop and I remember the resin/hardener mixture we used to make speaker enclosures put off some heat.

[Elmo]

Also guys what are you using for hinges? Im sure there is a simple solution to make some low profile hinges.

[thehighroad]

you could use any kind of epoxy with a mesh or preferably fiberglass mat. Jb weld will even flow into a lot of mesh if you warm it up 1st. I would use jb, 5 min epoxy or maybe even hot glue to attach hinges of your choice. Your LHS should have a bunch of hinges used for airplane elevators/ailerons/rudder, or even a craft store.

[Elmo]

I never thought about checking the plane section, thanks for the heads up. Im going to use shoe goo and drywall tape so that things stay flexible.

[S1NN3R]

Most hinges used for standard control surfaces on a plane wouldn't work very well for something like a hood hinge. They just bend in the middle and wouldn't move the hood away from the body like most car hoods move.

Robart makes a landing gear door hinge that works a little closer to what a hood hinge would do. They are a little bit larger and they might be less commonly stocked compared to other hinges, but they would look more realistic.

[hotrodsonoma]

I have used these hinges.


FS 1/18 Parts - Arizona Diecast & Models

[Bananaclip]

Originally Posted by hotrodsonoma

I have used these hinges.


FS 1/18 Parts - Arizona Diecast & Models

I would like to see a pic of those mounted

[Elmo]

Originally Posted by hotrodsonoma

I have used these hinges.


FS 1/18 Parts - Arizona Diecast & Models

I'm tempted to use those but I'm concerned about how far they'd open forward. I need something that opens to 90°. I checked locally today with no luck so I'll start checking online this weekend.