Hood Pad

[Marccus]

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to use to replace (or what to use to repair) the deterioating pad on the underside of the hood?

I can't seem to find anything that will be useful to repair the pad - it's just falling apart.

Nothing seems to be available as a replacement. The part is discontinued long ago by Ford.

Anyone paint the underside or coat it with anything?

'89 MTX
264,000 miles

 

[Bizzy]

Best bet is to find one used. There are good ones out there yet.

Some people do paint theirs and it does bring them back to life, but if it's falling apart like you say then your best bet is to get another one. I need one too.

 

[steevil]

remove it.

the hood pad does 4 things:

1, Insulate engine noise
2, insulate heat (for winter)
3, trap dirt and grease
4, makes your SHO look like crap

IMHO, the pad is pretty near useless once it gets a little older. If you drive your car in winter at all, you may experience a bit of snow melting on your hood if you remove it but other wise it is pretty much an eyesore.

In fact, I have one in my garage that is 3 years old. I removed it when I bought the car 10 years ago.

FYI, the SHO pad is unique to SHO (logo aside) but almost any Taurus pad will fit.

 

[Marccus]

Thanks Bizzy and steevil.

(1) Where would you find used ones? I'm thinking the only place would be a junked SHO at a salvage yard.

(2) Is is ugly and I'll probably remove it. But I'm just wondering if the increase in engine noise or "hood" noise is noticeable.

thumbs_u

 

[Bluto]

The engine compartment seems much hotter in the SHO compared to the slo. Will removing the pad allow the heat to wreck the paint?

 

[Bizzy]

You will notice the difference in sound I'm sure...not earthshattering though. I would suggest trying to find another pad. I don't think it would damage the paint on your hood, though I don't know this for absolute fact.

Best place I can think to find one would be from another member here or perhaps a salvage yard. And if you think your pad is ugly...be prepared to see how ugly it is underneath it. Yuk! It'll take a lot of elbow grease to get it cleaned up. I'll do some searching locally to see if I can find a couple of them...I'm on the hunt for one also.

<small>[ September 18, 2002, 05:19 PM: Message edited by: Bizzy ]</small>

 

[steevil]

I've run without the pad for almost ten years...no paint fade whatsoever.

Good luck finding one that isn't just as stained and ugly. If you are really concerned about the noise, buy some DYNA MAT. It will deaden the sound and will not collect dirt and grease like the fiberglass pad does.

 

[Dave Ladely]

JCWhitney and some marine supply stores sell a nice insulating pad, has foam with a strong grey vinyl top that doesn't collect so much dirt and is easy to clean. Insulates better, too.

 

[91 SHOplus]

You can get after market mats from www.summitracing.com, or www.jegs.com, or any other good speed shop.