With the factory hood latch removed to clear the VQ intake I needed something to replace it with. I wanted something more finished looking then traditional hood pins and after seeing Aerocatch's flush mount 'hood pin' design I was sold. I am using a cheap carbon/fiberglass hood from RaceOnUSA. It replicates the factory hood with the inner frame and mounting points so this install should be similar for a standard steel hood, just a little more tedious to cut out.
The Aerocatch hood pins are flush mounted on the hood and engage a traditional style hood pin that sits below flush. To install them the pin needs to be mounted to the chassis and the hood needs to be cutout for the Aerocatch receiver. After analyzing different mounting positions I decided the best place to mount the pins was on the fender supports right in front of the inspection lids. This allows for easy mounting of the hood pin without further cluttering the firewall and minimal trimming of the hood support frame,
After measuring where they would be installed I laid out the location on the hood and traced the cut out with the patterns provided in the kit. I went in far enough so I would not cut into the frame of the hood
I started the cutout with hole saws and then used a carbide bit on a 90 degree die grinder to finish it. The receiver has very little overhang so care must be taken to get the hole as accurate as possible.
With the cutout made I carried the centerline out to the fender to aid in mounting bracket fabrication. Mounts were cut from a section of scrap 1.00" x 2.00" 0.060"W tubing. Once tacked in place and double checked with the hood shut they were welded in place.
With the mounts welded and the hood in place a pilot hole was drilled for the pin. Below is the finish mount finish with a little paint.
With everything installed I tested the operation and found that the opening in the Aerocatch was not quite large enough to account for the angle change as the hood was raised. The opening was easily trimming a little larger everything operated smoothly.
