I've got a 1996 XJS. The hood liner is attached with two different kinds of clips. There are pegs on the hood, and these things that look like speed nuts slip over them to hold the liner up. The problem is, they won't slip off! I've tried everything I can think of. I'm trying to do this without snapping the pegs off.

I could cut them off, but there is a problem. The two in the center are round, pressed on with fingers all the way round, holding up that nice center plate. I can't destroy the plate, as a future owner might want it. Those things are impossible to remove, as far as I can tell.

I can't get those things off to save my life. I've got a powder coat job coming up, and resprayed engine covers just waiting to go on, and I can't do it until I Dynamat the hood.

So, how in the heck do you get these things off?

I've never seen fasteners like this used in this fashion before.

 

Well, I just got tired of it and pried them off. I was afraid they would require a lot of force to remove, and I might damage the hood or it's supports in some areas. That would be a problem, as I'm only lining the inter-support areas with Dynaliner. The supports will be visible, for a little contrast.

I broke three pins. Not too bad, I think. I'll tack some back on and re-spray if I have to. I may just break the rest off as well, respray the area, and simply mark where to tack some back on in the future, if needed.

The Dynaliner will be far better anyway. I can't imagine anyone wanting the old stuff back in there. There is original, and then there is pointlessly obsolete, I suppose.

Nobody likes a tatty liner.

 

<< Nobody likes a tatty liner. >>

You haven't seen the ones I offer then. Info in my signature, my blogspot link. Wish I saw this thread before you snapped the pins off, a panel trim remover from Auto Zone takes them off. Take a look also at this thread right here in this forum.

 

Yeah, I used a panel trim remover. What I was worried about was how firmly they were attached in relation to how flimsy the pegs were. I figured there was some trick to popping them without too much force.

In the end, it didn't matter, but the pegs do break. I don't expect to ever re-install it, though, and I don't expect anyone else will, either. I'll likely be getting rid of the rest of the pegs and touching up the areas.

Either way, it's going to look nice.

Your liners look fine, but I wanted something specific. I wanted to leave the supports visible, with the liners appearing to pass underneath them. I've been using Dynamat for a while now, and I needed a large shipment for another project, so it just made sense to use it under the hood.

I'll likely use the black Dynaliner to cover up the silver finish. I'm only using the Xtreme for it's adhesion properties under stress, and for how easily the Dynaliner adheres to the Xtreme. It's only going to be a thin layer of the black stuff. Just enough to cover the silver.

Right now, the cam cover is off for powder coating. When that gets back, and I finish the bits and pieces of detailing under the hood, it's going to look very nice.

I only hope I haven't overdone it with the silver powder coat. It may be a bit too flash for the engine bay. We shall see. As long as it doesn't overpower the aluminum, it will be fine. I'd have spent quite a bit more time choosing the right finish, but I have to have this thing back running by Wednesday afternoon, as it's in another person's warehouse for my convenience, and I'm leaving for a while soon. That silver was what the guy had on the shelf, and I told him to go for it, so I could move it on Wednesday.

If the color isn't right, I'll have another layer put on when I get back.

As for the magnesium, at least in pre-treatment it seems to be tough as nails. Blasting, wire-brushing... The works. It's a very rough process prepping a porous engine part for finishing. Lots of abuse. It didn't even flinch. As long as it holds powder decently, I'm not worried about it.

I'll have to take extra care washing it out, though, as when we started blasting, we believed it was completely shot. I'll need to make sure nothing got into that metal weave under the plate inside. That's the only thing I'm worried about. If it comes to it, I can drill out the fasteners that look a bit like pressed in rivets, clean it out, and thread the holes for something that can be removed.

I think I can get it out, though, if it's in there.