Install a Hoodscoop

After removing the intake manifold and reinstalling the hood, the strings are repositioned and the grid clearly spells out where the hood needs to be cut for tunnel-ram clearance.

Mark the corners where the strings intersect with the grout marker, then draw a perimeter outline of the cut zone using a straight edge to connect the dots. Note the difference in the markings for the single-four barrel hole and the tunnel-ram hole.

With the hood off the car, the cutting begins. A variable-speed jigsaw makes it easier to control the cut and follow the painted lines. The proper blade for cutting thin-gauge sheetmetal like the Rambler's hood has 36 teeth per inch. Coarser blades will yield jagged edges.

The first trial fit of the hood shows that all measurements are correct and the carburetors, fuel lines, and linkage have ample clearance. Now we can move on to mounting that groovy hemi scoop.

Thanks to a central character line running down the Rambler hood--and a similar feature on the scoop, centering the scoop on the hood can be done almost entirely by eye. A tape measure is used to ensure equal distance and symmetry between the edges of the scoop and hood. Once the scoop is centered, the grout marker is used to draw an outline.

The outline also has tangential indicating lines that correspond to lines drawn on the scoop for exact mock-up placement during the fastener drilling operation.

The Unibit will be used to drill a series of 316-inch fastener holes in the scoop and hood. But this is where things get tricky and require some planning.

Because of the maze of stiffening braces running beneath the hood skin, don't make the mistake of assuming that the fastener pattern that works for the scoop will work for the hood. Unless you are prepared to remove it entirely (and suffer a floppy steel hood) the bracing calls the shots as to where the fasteners can go. Here is the eventual pattern of 11 rivet holes we arrived at.

Here's another shot of the final fastener pattern as indicated by the temporarily placed raw rivets. To transfer this pattern to the hoodscoop, remove the rivet guides, precisely align the scoop with the pre-drawn painted outline, and tape it securely in place. Mark the scoop for drilling by poking the grout marker through the holes in the hood from below. This will transfer the fastener pattern to the bottom side of the hoodscoop flange. Now drill 316-inch holes through the white dots on the scoop flange with the Unibit.