K-Series Swap Hood Support Cutting

You will need to cut a portion of the hood support for K-series valve cover clearance.

This video covers the procedure:

Tools needed:

4 1/2" grinder (Cheapest Harbor Freight "Warrior" is fine)

4 1/2" cut-off wheels

Utility knife with blade that extends at least 4"

Flat plastic pry tool.

Face shield

Eye protection

Hearing protection

Gloves

Mark the section that needs to be removed with a sharpie or paint pen. Refer to the following image:

The cutting will create sparks that hit the underside of the hood. This could overheat it and cause the paint to bubble. To avoid this we will set everything up to stay cool.

Place a water soaked towel on a table then lay the hood upside down on top of that:

Fill the area around the section that will get cut with a thin layer of water. You may need to prop up the hood in various spots to keep the water pooled in the right area.

Get into a stable position and hold the grinder with both hands. Start the cutting the raised areas by making several light pressure passes until the blade makes it through.

Once you get to the low areas: stop. Slip the unity knife blade between the support and hood skin. This with give the skin a layer of protection in case you go too far. With the knife in place make the low cuts with several light passes as before. Move the blade around as needed until the cuts are done:

Once you have made all the cuts you will use the utility knife again to cut the adhesive holding the support to the hood skin. Just extend the blade all the way and slip it under the support to cut the adhesive:

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After this use a file, deburring tool, sandpaper, etc. to clean use the cut edges and made them less sharp. Finish by sanding the area with a Scotchbrite pad and spraying with primer.