The NASA-scooped hood is a staple of the '71-'73 Mustang crowd. As with red paint on a car, this type of hood has been placed on more cars per capita than those that originally came with it. Who can blame the owners? The hood is quite cool-looking and adds muscular flare to an otherwise fleet-if somewhat mundane-Pony.
But sadly, accurate information on the black-painted hood has been minimal. This has caused many to end up with Mustangs that sport oddly applied or highly glossy topcoats. The blackout, according to Bob Perkins, was put on the car via a template after the paint was completed.
Our blackout was pulled from an all-original-paint '73 Mach 1. The blackout is what we would term typical. That is not to say that there might have been some variation in length or semigloss. Overall we think that the stripes are spot-on for what Ford did. The black paint was-according to the '71 literature-a two-tone finish in black or argent. Our hood-which was painted by Jeff Thompson at Michael's Auto Body in Winter Haven, Florida-still had the blacked-out inner panel when we found it, but more on that later.
We used Sikkens Rally Black...
We used Sikkens Rally Black Paint for our two-tone finish. We added a flattening agent to the paint and sprayed test cards until we achieved the desired semigloss. Glazier's Mustang Barn gave us an exact mix that it uses for the black and argent in Sherwin Williams Urethane. For the black mix, use one part 1738 (black) and one part T1F271 (flattening agent). For the argent, use the same mix but replace the black with 33624 (argent).
After you have measured the...
After you have measured the width as shown in caption No. 1, you will need to get some 3M blue striping tape in 11/42- and 11/44-inch widths. First, apply the 11/44-inch tape 511/42 inches from the back outer edge of the hood. Then apply the 11/42-inch tape to the inside of the 11/44-inch tape. Another 11/42-inch strip of tape will need to be applied to the outside of the 11/44-inch tape.
Once you have placed the strips...
Once you have placed the strips of tape in the desired locations on half the hood, make sure they are straight and the curves are as shown in photo 15. Then make a template. This template should be placed on the other side of the hood. This will give you an exact layout of the stripes. We recommend that you use painter's paper, and place the edge of the paper on the edge of the hood (arrows).
Check your widths and layout....
Check your widths and layout. Note the missing scoops, as we shot them separately. To make the scoops concours-correct, you should paint them at the same time you paint the hood, and then leave them on the hood for the blackout. The one caveat in this is the '73 two-tone hood because the scoops were painted completely black.
After the blue tape is down...
After the blue tape is down to your liking, remove the 11/44-inch tape and paper from the hood. If you are leaving the scoops on, then you'll want to tape the scoop openings. Scuff the hood with an abrasive pad. Then use a tack rag and a pre-cleaner. Now you're ready for your finish.
We shuffled our hood off into...
We shuffled our hood off into the booth and squirted on our custom mix of black. Jeff Thompson used a high-volume, low-pressure spray gun to get the maximum mileage out of the paint.
When these hoods were painted,...
When these hoods were painted, Ford applied black semigloss to the trailing edge of the hood. This was performed only on light-colored cars, such as white, light blue, yellow, and silver. No tape was used, so the line is quite indistinct except where shown in the photo. Apparently-on this hood at least-Ford applied the paint with the washer hoses installed, as this hood had paint on the plastic sprayer and hoses.
The F-junction (arrow) is...
The F-junction (arrow) is held in with a spreader pin. Use an L-shaped awl to remove the pin from the backside, and then slip the F-junction into the square hole and reinsert the pin. The hose in the top of the picture is the main feed for the washer. We used a small amount of dish soap and popped it into place, and then slipped the inner-hood section out to the F-junction.