i just picked up my Fiber Images OEM style hood..........I think i'm going to color match the sides of the hood, but before it gets painted is there anything special that needs to be done to prep it?.........if i decide not to paint the hood should i have it clear coated to help protect it? do i need to use hood pins? thanks for the help

 

Hood pins are not neccessary at all if its a nice hood....

There should be clear coat on the cf hood already.. i doubt its just a raw cf...

Take it to a shop to paint it.. it should come out fine.... on my old car i had some cf painted and they painted like they would a normal fiberglass panel.. turned out perfect

 

Hood pins are always a good idea, but not everyone's cup of tea though! I'm not sure about the rest though, but good luck and remember to post up some pics!!!

 

I dont have hood pins on mine, I tested it at 130 stayed put. Its a good idea to get it sometimes though, mine gets wabbly when i get it up that high, sooo not again till i get soem

 

i think those color matched hoods dont really look that great imo..looks sorta strange, unless you the hood was non oem and had vents that you could leave unpainted.

 

this is how i want to paint the hood^^^^^^

 

The paint will look hot. I've had mine done like this for over a year-and-a-half. I'm getting a new body kit and hood installed as we speak. The new CF hood I'm getting is going to be done with the same paint scheme. Trust me, it looks hot and throws a lot of heads!

 

looks good...i'm getting one for my RA soon and i can't wait.

 

nice...i like that alot

 

^Thanks for the props! I'll have pics this week of my new look with the body kit. The paint really stands out, even on this stock appearance. I've actually had Mitsu guys servicing the car say they didn't know Mitsu offered a two-tone. It's funny, but it makes me nervous these guys are working on my car! Thanks again!