I'm looking to get an aluminum hood for my na gxl, I did some searching and saw that you have to use the aluminum hinges and aluminum latch. Is that it or is there something else you need to do?

 

I hope you buy it used. If not, you are better off buying a CF hood. They are bloody expensive.

 

I just did an aluminum swap too. A few posts suggest using dielectric grease and grounding it to the chasis. You should get the latch for aluminum hoods as the steel latches have harder springs, it is very hard to close without one.

 

you can stretch the steel latch spring and it shuts easier...

and yes, do use grase on the bolts....

 

for the longest time I didn't know my 86 sport had an aluminum hood, until i read about how "if you lift your hood with one hand easily, then it's aluminum".

 

I was in a fender bender, my car had an aluminum hood. I found a replacement in a junk yard. The paint on it was bad, so they guy charged me $80. I traded it for a different aluminum hood that matched my color from a different FC owner.

Maybe I should go back and get the hinges and latches for someone else to buy.

 

So if you need to use aluminum hinges and latch so that the aluminum hood does not rot, what about the hinges? They are connected to the steel frame, so wouldn't they start to rot?

 

I think it is the coating on the hinge top plate.

Intresting the S5 models only list one hinge (the same P/N as for the S4 steel hood hinge) for all hoods, so I don't know if the hinge is that important or if Mazda just was cutting further corners on the S5.

 

S5 Forever!!!!

 

i have a 86 gxl too lol i payed $30 for mine at pull a part and $3.75 for a perfect oil cooler lol the end of the story was i spent $106 and got a fender front bumper hood head like motor headlight accembly gauge cluster oil cooler damn the people that work there are stupid only got charged for the front bumper fender hood and 3 for the random stuff but im doing the tII swap so i have to buy a new hood damn it and mine was so light

 

How does the aluminum hood rot? Just rusts quickly?

And is it confirmed positive about using dielectric grease on the hinges to keep the hood in good condition? My hood was recently switched and I hadn't heard about this yet.

 

A lot of people talk about aluminum hinges to prevent galvanic corrosion but the bolts and pivots are still steel.

There may have been some reason for the factory to do such a thing but I didn't bother and I haven't seen any indication of a problem. The paint seems to be enough protection.

I didn't notice a big difference on the latch either.

If you have access to all the right parts, go for it. But has anybody ever seen an actual problem with the steel parts?

ed

 

On second thought, I could imagine a different hinge that will prevent the hood from going through the windshield in a front end collision.

Aluminum and steel will fold up differently...

 

When dis-simular metals are placed in contact with each other, a galvanic action can occur and can rot out the less pure metal.

 

The latch issue is not so much galvanic action as it is a different spring is used so the alum hood needs less force to close and latch and open/ unlatch

 

He talked to me again!!! Lol!

 

Right, I meant that I didn't notice a problem with latching or unlatching an aluminum hood in a latch meant for a steel hood. It probably doesn't work as well as it could but it's not that bad.

ed

 

only really works if the anode is the same size or smaller than the cathode.