Can anyone offer me some advice on prepping a fiberglass hood. I'm a complete beginner when it comes to this and about to just say oh well and let the body shop deal with it. However, I'd like to save as much money as I can prepping it myself before turning it over to the body shop.

 

The 1st step is to sit it out in the sun for a few days (assuming it has a gelcoat, like Cervinis).
No, I am not kidding... but the body shop wouldn't charge you for that anyhow.

Other than that, it's a matter of blocking the hood over and over until everything appears to be as smooth as glass. Really, there is not much that can be done to provide savings by trying something yourself. Best bet is to just let the body shop do the work.

 

Will,

Might pm Twisted. He has fiberglass hood experience.

 

First off use a good de-greaser or prep solvent to remove any mold release wax before any sanding begins then clean it again! Then a good (wet) block sanding with 220 grit paper now you have a couple of choices

• Nice even coat of primer (different color than the gel-coat) followed by another block sanding, this will show you all the high and low spots then the filling begins. I like a product called Putty Coat for thin layers, build it up block it down then prime and block sand until perfect.
• My choice is this step, after the initial block sanding I use an epoxy filler primer and built it up 3 coats at a time. After every 3rd coat I block sand with 320 grit working down to 600grit then a primer sealer and paint. Any minor imperfections I use Putty Coat to fix it but for larger damaged areas I use epoxy putty that I mix up myself using milled fibers or fiberglass cloth.

If you need to build up really low spots sand the gel-coat down to the raw glass and build it up with layers of fiberglass cloth and resin.