[Jmorr]

My hood has 11 of the 12 required holes for the ornamental louvers (no idea) and the car has already been painted so I get to drill a hole in painted metal. Placement shouldn't be an issue since I can line up the other 5 holes and mark where the 6 goes, but I'm very nervous about drilling that metal. Any pointers or tips? I saw a youtube video recommending to put down painter's tape to prevent damage to the paint. Anything else I should do? What kind of bit should I use?

Thank you

 

[Mike Ward MB]

I just drilled the 12 holes in my freshly painted hood. As well as the drilling I had to establish proper placement of the louvers. This is how I drilled mine.

Used boxboard to make a template.
Fussed about getting the placement right and taped in place.
Gently centerpunched the hole locations.
(There is a fine line between marking and denting but it stops the bit from wandering.)
Remove the template and drilled ⅛” pilot holes.
Taped over the pilot holes and poked holes through the tape.
Drilled holes to desired size and carefully removed tape.

Be careful when brushing aside the metal shards from drilling. Best to have a vacuum handy.

I used brand new premium drill bits. They go through fast and clean so be careful not to hit the hood with the drill chuck when pushing the bit through.

 

[Jmorr]

Thanks, I feel better having a process like that in mind.

 

[buccflyer]

I use the same procedure as Mike. I like to drill the hole just a tad oversize and then use a small paint brush to apply some paint to the freshly drilled holes to prevent rust.

 

[Mike52]

To avoid the drill going through too quick and hitting the painted surface with the drill chuck, place a short piece of rubber vacuum or fuel line over the drill bit before drilling.

 

[ism deuce]

Use a drill bit with 135 degree point to prevent drill bit walking.

 

[Jmorr]

Awesome tips, guys. Thanks. I was looking last night and I'm actually missing two holes, so I'll get a little practice. I may drill a couple holes in the wife's car first to make sure I've got it...