How to go about customizing my rx8 hood?
 

So i have this idea, its a bit out of the norm in car customization,
i want to customize the hood of my rx8, so that there is a clear portion to it (albeit glass or plexiglass)

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/1056/…

this is the portion i want to make see-through, i can prob already predict no such hood is available on the market.

where can i go to get this custom hood done? or how can i go about making this modification myself?

sounds like a really cool idea actually. Maybe put some LED's underneath. I think this would be totally custom fabrication using plexiglass.

I don't think it would be hard really, except weather proofing it. I bet a fab shop could do it for $3-500.

Think about what your going to see once you put a see-through piece at that location. part of the engine cover. Or, if you have removed that, the UIM & some vacuum lines and hoses. I don't see these as something I want to show off, but that's just me.

^agreed!

with enough money at the right shop, ANYTHING is possible.
If this is something you want to pursue, ask around for body shops that specialize in custom work, I'm not talking about your standard collision center, but someone who fabricates parts, works on aftermarket kits, etc.

Talk to them about what you want to do and I'm sure they'll do it for you. Just be prepared to pay a hefty price. ;)


P.S. I kind of agree with Al on this one, there isn't much to show off there but it will be unique.
Do you have any other modifications to your car? I only ask because on a stock body RX-8, this might look out of place but if you have wheels, custom bumper, etc it might blend in a little better. What color is your 8? (is that yours in the pic) If so, maybe a slight blue tint to that clear piece would look cool.

im not sure if the pexi glass is much of a good idea, i would rather customize it and put a grill to let all the heat from the engine flow out, maybe be better and you can use it look inside like the pexi glass but at least it is usefull kinda like the hoods on a evo, im actually thinking of doing that to mine now hahaha i wonder if that would be cheaper then buying the carbon fiber with thevents on them?

just paint your engine cover real nice first and I think itll look real hot

Will look like the hood on a ZR1 Corvette :)

No it wont. Like al and Jedi said its more likely to look very out of place. And years ago there was a massive debate on wether or not vents located in this area would actually be useful for ventilation g the heat, due to its location your more likely to be drawing in external air than venting the engine bay.
Then there is the quality and design of the work your asking for. This would be alot easier if your were actually asking this question in reference to a corvettes hood. The lines and surfacing of the c6s hood would be much easier to Fab up with semi flexible materials like lexane etc. The area that you are asking about on the 8s hood however is a totally different animal. Its serval compound curves surfaced together, its not even the same surface as the main body of the hood. To replicate this you would need to build a form based off that area(most likely the piece you are cutting off) and use it as your base and vaccum form the lexane to replicate the surface.
Alot of custom work for minimal effect IMHO.

Technoboy92, please don't think of us as being haters. Many of us believe that this mod, when completed, is something you will regret and it won't be reversible. We are merely giving you points to think about before you go forward with the project.
Good Luck with whatever you decide to do.

i didnt see that anyone has addressed a major hinderance...
that shape gives the back half of the hood a lot of strength
which allows the hood to be made from lighter materials

making a hood out of anything else will probably add weight
haven't checked yet.. is the hood aluminum ?

hood is not aluminum. I believe it's fiberglass. If you used the right plexiglass, you would probably be okay with weight.

and regards to alnielson's point, anything different at this point is going to draw some criticism. Most mods have been discussed and generally approved or disapproved, but to my knowledge nobody has tried it.

He's right though. It's risky until it's done, but I think you could do some cool things with lighting under a clear section of the hood. May not be ideal for looking through, but external look would be nice if you can get it to shine.

Might get another hood to do it on so you can keep your stock.

Hood is Aluminum :) Very Light......

Correct

In my experience I have yet to come accross a hood as light as the oem,,,

^ Agreed. Even those so called carbon ones weigh more