[Stepside Jim]

The last four months have been all about taking care of the big and small odds and ends that while driving, takes away from the enjoyment of the drive.

The toughest issues are the ones that happen now and then but they don't stick in your mind when the truck is in the shop.

This issue happened, I remembered, now it's fixed and the truck seems more refined just going down the road. The issue being the hood flapping in the wind at the rear center area. This happens at highway speed driving into a wind and especially on a two lane road and oncoming traffic.

I never drove this truck before the restoration, I never experienced the hood issue. I only read other people writing about it. While doing body work I was concerned about it being an issue because the hood was weak while sanding so I did come up with a fix, a brace that would reach from front to back and along the way, support the weak zone.

I learned a single 4 inch area of support would not solve the problem, I found two legs would solve want we would call the ''oil can '' issue. I cut a brace from 1/8' steel, fitted it and mounted it. It sure did the job but I did not like the weight of the brace.

Fast forward to now when my aluminum capabilities are much better and with aluminum, the weight issue is solved. Trying to bend 6061 aluminum in the pan break is a pain, it holds its flat shape. This told me it would be perfect for the brace. I cut the brace and forced the bends making rounded bends, and made the brace follow the underside of the hood at about 1/8" gap where the contact to the hood would be.

Using 1/4" foam rubber I hole cut to open where the brace has holes and added a few more holes so the foam rubber would have equal give it's whole length.

Unless one is looking for the brace it's not seen and the benefit is, even without high speed and winds that braceless hood is buffeting and sending a vibration through out the cab that I didn't realize til it was gone.

Now I've seen people build a brace that rises up off the under hood X brace. One, I don't think it centers at the weakest part of the hood and two, I can't use the X brace, my air filter is too high.