Making progress on my build...

[crash]

Oh yeah...to answer your question, no we do not use a hinge. Four pins, one at each corner of the hood, is what is used to hold the hood on. It does require two people to put the hood on. Although in a pinch I have done it myself by lifting on the front edge and the radiator opening, but it wasn't fun, or pretty. Considered just using the Aerocatch setup on the rear of the hood since those two are the only pins that would easily adapt, but I have three hoods, so the expense alone has kept me from doing that. Also looked at the rear deck, but besides the pins not coming in perpendicular, putting the Aerocatch mechanism in the rear deck, the way we have it on the race car with the pins up on top near the roof, would mean that a substantial amount of the reinforcing rib on the underside of the deck would have to be cut out. Just not worth the time, work, or potential problems they bring with them...at least not for the race car.

Oh, and BTW, just so maybe you are aware...the two rear hood pins broke the FG out when the crash happened. This may have been a good thing as they are easily glassed back in and there was no damage to the hood itself in those areas, but if you are worried about strength at speed(or crash survival and repair like we are on the race car) just keep it in mind that the area that is flat there under the rear of the hood where I would assume you are mounting pins is not all that strong. We had very large fender washers on those pin mounts and it still broke the FG and pulled the pin mounts out.

We did get lucky and the windshield is unbroken. WOO HOO!