7&Counting

Over the years I've had four 944's, everyone of them has ended up with dents in the hood from careless folk pressing down on the hood to close the hood. Now, before you all say "you shouldn't let anyone touch the hood" (or whatever), realize I have owned 944's for over 22 years, and believe me, I've tried. No matter how careful I am, sooner or later a well meaning friend/acquaintance/newbie-at-the-shop drops the hood and presses down on it leaving a nice noticeable dent. I have lost count of the number of trips to the body shop. Am I the only one this happens to?

Before this happens again... does anyone know of a way to reinforce the lower section of the hood? Other "solutions"?? ...tired of this s**t.

I'm destined for eventual 968 ownership. Does the 968 hood dent so easily?

porscharu

Thoroughly clean and lubricate your latch. That way it actually closes when you release it and needs no additional push. It is probably not your friends fault, but a gritty sticking latch.

V2Rocket

No dents...but I just let the hood slam itself with its own weight.
On rare occasion it doesn't shut right away, a quick press right over the latch is sufficient.

odurandina

this.

Humboldtgrin

What to do...hmmm.... I would punch them in their face... Too much? You asked...And lube my latches. The hood should just fall into the locked position. Never a need to press on the hood.

odurandina

this....


i drop mine from about a foot above.

never push down on your hood. Geebus....

it's not a '76 Nova.

the 968 hood is very delicate.

EVERYONE WHO IS NOT YOU WILL DAMAGE YOUR HOOD.

my hood was destroyed by a Porsche indy tech IN GENEVA NEW YORK who attempted to close it

after he forgot to clamp down (complete the instalation) the battery.

at the Florida 944 show in 2013, the spectators were subjected to the aftermath.

an uneven hood/fenderline that will never be corrected with the current hood.

the uneven hood/fenderline didn't get there as a result of imperfect fender building.

quite the contrary.

just another on the to-do list.

Pitt944T

I have a lovely pair of subtle dents, was it me that did it before I learned? Maybe, but I owned the car 18 months and it's 28 yrs old so I like to think it was someone else. I never fixed it as I am sure however careful I am someone else will someday do it and my car is far from perfect in many other ways.

Jay Wellwood

I've always allowed the hood to come down to just contact the latch then gently push on the hood emblem to latch the hood securely.

Now going to the two latch setup will obviously complicate this procedure.

Van

I also just close it gently, and apply pressure to the leading edge of the hood (where there is a double fold of metal) to get the latch to catch.

TurnerJ

Hmm I've always let it rest on the latch and then give it a nudge to latch it. I don't think I've noticed anything.

odonnell

Ditto on pushing it down right over the latch.

BMillar

All of the advice about how to close the hood makes sense, of course. And we as owners know how to do this without leaving a dent in our own car. I am talking about whether there is any way to reinforce the underside of the hood to stop the occasional wayward admirer from denting the hood. Sooner or later it is going to happen... your hood is open and someone decides to do you a favor and "close" it for you, etc. (anyway, this always seems to happen to me....). So, I guess the answer is that no one has found a way to reinforce the hood from the bottom? What about alternatives - any decent aftermarket hoods that are more sturdy?

bonus12

If I stop to think how methodical I am around my 944, whether it's how I close the hood or open the throttle, I begin to understand that not everyone gives a 30-year-old car so much care. I don't really let others close the hood unless I trust them, lol.

azbanks

Weld three rows of razor blades across the front 6 inches of your hood like this.
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This gives you three benefits:
They will act like wing fences on airplanes to increase the laminar flow of air
The additional steel and welding strengthen the hood area you are worried about.
Anyone who doesn't close your hood properly will NEVER do it a second time.

wingnut

Ummm, sorry to disabuse you of the notion, but the wing fences are there to slow the stall of the wing, which for most wings typically starts at the wing root and progresses out to the tip - the fence blocks that until the flow outboard of the fence stalls of its own accord.

It would look more like vortex generators except those do not promote laminar flow, they introduce turbulent flow to bring more energetic air into the surface boundary layer, which delays stall.

(Me name is not fer nothin')

Back on topic, it is my understanding the "approved" method to close the hood is the 1 foot drop.