Mr. Alligator
Explorer Addict
- Joined
- November 30, 2014
- Messages
- 1,297
- Reaction score
- 1,029
- City, State
- Tampa, Florida
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1997 XLT Explorer
Since you asked, and so that my efforts may help others:
This is my third hood scoop attempt. The first scoop was small, and I thought it would be just fine. But it ended up looking like a mail drop box
sitting on the hood. It did not fit the lines of the truck and did not look good. The second scoop was medium sized, which looked OK but not great. Lesson: avoid small scoops on these trucks.
This scoop is from “Mr. Hood Scoop”, and they are seem to still be doing business. Mr. Hood Scoop was very kind, and strongly recommended the largest scoop they sold. So this was it: the largest scoop they marketed for the Ford Explorer. Really, it is somewhat of a universal scoop offered for several vehicles. The scoop had forward wings/fins that I did not think were attractive. So I cut off the forward wings, then removed the grill inset as it no longer fit after deleting the forward wings. I was not sure if my cuts were precise enough, so I added black plastic door molding to the leading edge. This resulting in a more certain front edge.
To mount it, I made measurements and precisely centered the scoop where I thought it would look best. A Custom Hot Rod shop advised me to also eyeball it, which surprisingly led to minor adjustments from the strict measurements. Then taped the edges to mark location on the hood. Finally, made a template out of cardboard to show where the bolt holes were, marked the holes on the hood, and started drilling. Or you could tape it the dang thing on, but I could not stop visualizing the scoop flying through my windshield at 70 mph…
Painted the scoop black, largely per the advise of the Custom Hot Rod shop… they advised that my existing flames could make the scoop look like an afterthought if I painted the scoop OEM body colors, Black, they told me, would not present any trouble with the existing flames. The Custom Hot Rod shop was right.
After mounting, I discovered that my cuts on the fins and deletion of the grill insert resulted in an unstable front edge on the scoop… it flapped like a bird, even at about 40 mph. After some consideration, I found pvc sprinkler parts to fit: two wrench on style end caps that fit nicely between the hood and the scoop. Needed two. Screwed them both to a board, then cut them with a chop saw. Screwing the pvc end caps side by side to a board allowed for precisely equal cuts on each cap. Painted them black with plastic spray paint, and used two sided tape to fasten below the forward edge of the scoop and to the hood. Heating the two sided tape with a bbq lighter made the tape stick instantly, but had to be careful because only had one try. The black color made them disappear under the scoop. And the result was a rock solid forward edge on the scoop.
Then, after a few weeks, I noticed that the scoop edges must have vibrated or produced extra pressure in a few locations, and this was slowly wearing though the relatively new paint on my hood. It was even causing the hood paint to move out from under the hood scoop in small waves. Very odd. So carefully added a line of black 5200 sealant to all of the scoop edges where the scoop met the hood. This made the connection between the scoop and the hood almost bullet proof, and the issue of the hood paint was resolved.
Used a step drill to carefully place large holes in the hood, under the scoop. Used a wire to gauge depth so to avoid drilling all the way through into the scoop.
After getting it all finalized, I am very pleased with the result.
(Sometimes I think about adding LED lights under the scoop, or a moon visor. But it is always something….)
Take care, and drive safe my friend.
This is my third hood scoop attempt. The first scoop was small, and I thought it would be just fine. But it ended up looking like a mail drop box
sitting on the hood. It did not fit the lines of the truck and did not look good. The second scoop was medium sized, which looked OK but not great. Lesson: avoid small scoops on these trucks.
This scoop is from “Mr. Hood Scoop”, and they are seem to still be doing business. Mr. Hood Scoop was very kind, and strongly recommended the largest scoop they sold. So this was it: the largest scoop they marketed for the Ford Explorer. Really, it is somewhat of a universal scoop offered for several vehicles. The scoop had forward wings/fins that I did not think were attractive. So I cut off the forward wings, then removed the grill inset as it no longer fit after deleting the forward wings. I was not sure if my cuts were precise enough, so I added black plastic door molding to the leading edge. This resulting in a more certain front edge.
To mount it, I made measurements and precisely centered the scoop where I thought it would look best. A Custom Hot Rod shop advised me to also eyeball it, which surprisingly led to minor adjustments from the strict measurements. Then taped the edges to mark location on the hood. Finally, made a template out of cardboard to show where the bolt holes were, marked the holes on the hood, and started drilling. Or you could tape it the dang thing on, but I could not stop visualizing the scoop flying through my windshield at 70 mph…
Painted the scoop black, largely per the advise of the Custom Hot Rod shop… they advised that my existing flames could make the scoop look like an afterthought if I painted the scoop OEM body colors, Black, they told me, would not present any trouble with the existing flames. The Custom Hot Rod shop was right.
After mounting, I discovered that my cuts on the fins and deletion of the grill insert resulted in an unstable front edge on the scoop… it flapped like a bird, even at about 40 mph. After some consideration, I found pvc sprinkler parts to fit: two wrench on style end caps that fit nicely between the hood and the scoop. Needed two. Screwed them both to a board, then cut them with a chop saw. Screwing the pvc end caps side by side to a board allowed for precisely equal cuts on each cap. Painted them black with plastic spray paint, and used two sided tape to fasten below the forward edge of the scoop and to the hood. Heating the two sided tape with a bbq lighter made the tape stick instantly, but had to be careful because only had one try. The black color made them disappear under the scoop. And the result was a rock solid forward edge on the scoop.
Then, after a few weeks, I noticed that the scoop edges must have vibrated or produced extra pressure in a few locations, and this was slowly wearing though the relatively new paint on my hood. It was even causing the hood paint to move out from under the hood scoop in small waves. Very odd. So carefully added a line of black 5200 sealant to all of the scoop edges where the scoop met the hood. This made the connection between the scoop and the hood almost bullet proof, and the issue of the hood paint was resolved.
Used a step drill to carefully place large holes in the hood, under the scoop. Used a wire to gauge depth so to avoid drilling all the way through into the scoop.
After getting it all finalized, I am very pleased with the result.
(Sometimes I think about adding LED lights under the scoop, or a moon visor. But it is always something….)
Take care, and drive safe my friend.
Hahaha
