How to Transport a Hood

Sharka lets his inner ricer out.

Sharka lets his inner ricer out.

Forgive me for starting in the middle here, but it seems like the logical place. See, I was faced with the question of “how do you get a Miata hood home without a truck?” The answer to me seemed to be “wait till someone with a truck has some free time” but that’s not quite right. My buddy Geoff gave me the right answer.

“Remove your hood. Throw some blue painter’s tape in the passenger seat. Go pick up the new hood and install it. If it seems insecure, add some tape.”

So that’s what I did. I got up, took off Sharka’s hood, and went to work. Like a ricer.

Garage Vary Type II hood.

Garage Vary Type II hood.

Hot vent action.

Hot vent action.

And THIS is why. This is a rare Garage Vary Type II extractor hood. These haven’t been made for years. They’re pretty darn rare in any version. But this Type II with only the extractor vent? RARE. And just the thing for Sharka. I’ve had plans to make an extractor hood for a couple of summers. I’ve just never found the energy to cut a big hole in a nice aluminum hood.

A guy called Sean who runs JDM Palace (if anyone has a link please share in the comments) had this hood for sale. I sent him some funds. In exchange he sent me a hood. And in order to save a HUGE amount on shipping, he sent it to my buddy Soren who runs a Miata shop and has a business address. The only problem was getting the hood from the delivery location to my garage.

Geoff solved that problem.

Just like that, there's a hood.

Just like that, there’s a hood.

I don’t know why this solution wasn’t obvious to me. It should have been. I guess that’s why I surround myself with smart people.

BTW, thanks for helping me carry and mount the hood, Hunter. Much appreciated!

JDM rust. And tiny 10mm bolts to mount with.

JDM rust. And tiny 10mm bolts to mount with.

The extractor from the back. Or front?

The extractor from the back. Or front?

Hole for the hood pin.

Hole for the hood pin.

The hood is in VERY good shape. Actually, it’s in incredible shape considering how many chances it had to get hurt. It might be older than Sharka’s 18 years at this point. The hood pin receivers need to be refreshed. The whole thing could use a bit of cleaning. It obviously needs paint. But holy crap is this thing in great shape.

Garage Vary made these to last. I gotta take my hat off to them.

It even latches.

It even latches.

So, it took me a while to take this shot. See, the nice intake isolator box that came with my FM turbo kit doesn’t quite fit with this hood. The curves inside are a bit different between the GV hood and the OEM model. I’ll need to hack a bit of metal out to make the intake box work. But that’s not something for today. I just unbolted it and threw the box in Sharka’s trunk. Then the hood latched easily and I was ready to roll.

Almost.

I brought tape. Why not use it?

Tape. Used.

Tape. Used.

That hood isn't going anywhere.

That hood isn’t going anywhere.

Needless to say, I got home without any problems. The hood didn’t so much as quiver in the wind. And it took me a good deal longer to open it back up again than I expected. I sealed it VERY well. ha!

So now that I have this awesome, rare, spiffy hood, what’s next? Sadly, it will probably go live in my parts shed for a few months. I have to save up funds for paint. And not just any paint. GOOD paint. Paint sprayed by someone who knows how. That’s something I’ve always wanted – a Sharka with fresh paint. And I’m finally gonna have it. This hood is THE excuse I needed to get Sharka re-sprayed. Stripe and everything!

(Just the thought of having a painted stripe makes me giddy.)

D-word? What D-word? There’s no DONE for Sharka. EVER!!!

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  • John says:

    Good to see the D-word has left your mind.

    Will be looking forward to seeing the new paint though. Don’t keep us haning too long 🙂

  • GT-Alex says:

    This is going to look absolutely awesome on Sharka ! I love it !

  • Stoly says:

    Perfect hood for the perfect Roadster! The pictures of the hood taped down make me chuckle everytime I see them. Congrats on the new hood!

    • revlimiter says:

      Thank you for the suggestion!!! I might have gone overboard on the tape, but that hood sure was in no danger of going anywhere on the pin-less drive home.

  • Josh says:

    Ha, just when I think this blog might get a bit stale Since you found the D word… You find something else ;P I think It will look good though, it’s not too much, just the right amount of vent to keep the lines. Good find

  • Corifto says:

    Lol I have done that three or four times with S13 hoods. Notably a bit larger and heavier, but doable by a person with a wingspan like mine.

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