How to Refurbish the C5 Hoodliner

How to Refurbish the C5 Hoodliner

Submitted by DeeGee (Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England) on CorvetteForum.com. (2/2/10)

Refurbishing a Corvette C5 Hood Liner
The liner is made of a very delicate material so be careful in how you handle it once it’s removed. The surface is a fabric type finish and hard brushing will cause it to become rough and fibrous. It will also crack easily if you let it flex so if you take it outside beware of strong wind.
As you take the final fasteners out, support the liner so you don’t crack the liner around the eyelets.
The actual work takes only minutes. The drying time is the only slow process.
As you can see, the liner will have attracted quite a bit of dirt and grime.

OK here we go.
Lift the hood.
Remove the fasteners gently, top, then bottom and middle ones last. This will support the liner better as you take them out. Use a tool with a forked end. I’ve heard of a barbeque fork being used. I used a nail puller worked in behind the fastener.

Take the liner outside and brush the surface gently with a soft brush to remove any dirt. Take care not to damage the surface of the liner.

Spray the liner with black paint. The difference between the old and the new surface is immediately apparent.

Use as many coats as you see fit. The liner is porous so it will take at least three coats to get good coverage. Leave it for 30 minutes between coats to allow the paint to dry.

If you plan to paint the Corvette emblem, you may wish to apply extra paint around the embossed area on the liner. This will stop the liner from absorbing the colored paint.
Once the paint is dry (and you may wish to leave it overnight), you can either paint the emblem or apply a decal. I chose the decal which I picked up from RPI Designs (a Forum vendor). Alternatively if you prefer, you can refit the liner and apply the decal when it’s back in place.
Refit the liner in the hood fitting the middle fasteners first to hold it in place, then refit the remaining fasteners. A gentle push fit is all it takes to reinsert the fastener.
The finished Hood Liner