Ae86 cusco hood hatch

[phanist]

Hi club4ag

I have a set of cusco frp hood and hatch and want to get some advice from any who have experience installing them.
Can any oem stuff be resuse? Washer nipple wiper hood latch/lock etc
Nice clean way to do . I like a clean stock look but so hood pins is my last option.
As far as the hatch where to source new hatch glass or what ever you call them..
Any help would appreciated thanks

[Deuce Cam]

I've had 2 cusco hoods and never tried fitting a latch but it should be possible. You need hood pins regardless since the latch could separate from the frp. The oem rubber seal is a direct swap. You have to cut/trim holes for the windshield washer nozzles. You should be able to see where they go on the cusco hood.

I've never had one of their hatches or trunks, but a latch only should be ok to use imo since it's not really as much of a safety concern if it fails.

[phanist]

Thanks for sharing your experience..

Any one know where i can source some light weight glass for the cusco hatch?

[tiprock]

don't forget a respirator mask. cutting fiberglass produces hella dust.

[phanist]

is the oem latch that is attach on the underside of the oem hood removable?
if not what would people do to use the latch lock? fab and latch assembly ? and attach it to the fiberglass hood?

or does toyota sell them?

[Deuce Cam]

It's welded to the hood and not meant to be removed, but that doesn't mean it couldn't be cut off and made to work. You could also try using a striker from a different model that bolts on. Regardless it's going to be a custom fab job. You need hood pins anyway so it would be a lot easier to just get lockable pins and forego the latch.

[phanist]

Lol

im a bit worry that when i drill/cut out the hood part out for the pin i miss align them and it come out ugly lol...
.

[Deuce Cam]

I just took a closer look at my hood and unfortunately I don't think bolting a latch on will work. I shouldn't have assumed before...

Take a look at where the latch would go on your hood and lightly press on the frp panel around where the latch would potentially bolt up. Notice how thin and flexy that whole frp panel is? That flex could actually keep the whole assembly from latching/locking/etc. when trying close and secure the hood. Also, potential excess wear from closing hood over time by either dropping the hood under it's own weight to latch (I'm not even sure if this works with a light hood), or by pressing down on the top of the hood to latch - come to think of it this aspect could also be problematic for a frp hatch or trunk if the frp around the latch mounting area wasn't sturdy.

I suppose it would be possible to reinforce the area around the latch with more fiberglass but it sounds like a pita.

[phanist]

Yup

If you have the cusco frp like me ... I just look at it also and it a big cut out there but fiberglass are thin and flexi negative to try and mount a latch there guess hood pin is te way to go...
Any solid point to mount them since done it already? And where on the radiator support os best ?

Thanks

[Deuce Cam]

My first advice is to avoid the cusco and nrg lockable hood pins (or any that look just like them) if a latch isn't being used. They are known to be poor quality which I can confirm from experience.

1. Take the latch off and mount the hood. Get it exactly where you want it - give or take a few mm's - in terms of it lining up straight with the fenders and bumper.

2. Easiest method with the pins is mounting them to the radiator support first. Evenly space them, not too far out towards the edge and not too close in the center. They also need to be in locations where you can still access the retention nut for the hood pin with a wrench under the radiator support.

3. Once the pins are mounted place a dab of paint, etc. on top of each pin and rest the hood on top of the pins. Then drill a hole through the paint mark on the underside of the hood. Start with the smallest drill bit possible so you have more leeway if you're slightly off center from where you want to be. Gradually work your way up with the bits. A dremel is a key tool. Once you have a large enough hole to work with a small grinding stone bit can be used to hog out the opening as you see fit. Ideally you want the top hood panel and under support to fit as tight as possible to the pin without it actually touching when opening/closing the hood.

4. When you get the hole size correct you'll need to set the hood pin height. Obviously you don't want too loose or the hood will bounce and flap about; too tight and the pins/scuff plates will put a lot of pressure on the frp panel causing it to deform and sag around the scuff plates over time. You'll have to play around with it A LOT to get it perfect.

5. Bonus step. Go to auto parts store and buy 1 ft. of rubber hose in the same size as the hood pin which is usually 3/8" or 1/2". The hose will be cut and placed over the hood pin to kind of act as a stand for the top frp hood panel to rest on when the hood is closed. This will only work if you didn't make huge holes in the hood larger than the outer diameter of the rubber hose. Anyhoo, cut the hose so the tops are about 2 mm below the eyelet on the hood pin when slipped over the hood pin. At this point you'll need to grab the dremel again and enlarge the holes you made on the under hood bracing so the rubber hose around the hood pin can pass through. Use washers as shims below the hose to get the height right. You might also have to readjust the height of the pins at this point.

I hope that helped.

[phanist]

That awsome
Thanks you very much... Cant go wrong with that much info.