Keep Under Hood Light With Cowl Hood..

[billison]

short and simple, I put a fiberglass hood on my car, I'd like to keep the under hood light.. Possible?

 

[stykthyn]

I would maybe try and get some low profile led strips instead of the stock light. Would look cleaner and put out more light.

 

[jrichker]

Save the switch that is part of the stock hood wiring so that he lights only turn on when you raise the hood.

 

[billison]

I pulled the wiring harness off of the old hood, I'm not sure what part is the switch though.

 

[jrichker]

The switch either has a mercury switch in it or a steel ball and drops on a pair of contact posts when the hood is lifted full open.

 

[89oem]

I thought there was a copper plate like a cheese grater on the passenger firewall that contacts the closed hood and acts like a ground trigger for the light.

 

[jrichker]

I thought there was a copper plate like a cheese grater on the passenger firewall that contacts the closed hood and acts like a ground trigger for the light.

That is the static electricity and RFI ground for the hood.

 

[89oem]

That is the static electricity and RFI ground for the hood.

Thanks, now I know.

What does it do for RFI?

 

[jrichker]

The spark plug wires generate lots of Radio Frequency Interference (RFI). The cheese grater ground prevents the metal hood from being a radio antenna for that RFI. With a ground, the metal hood dampens out much of the RFI. RFI interferes with the computer, radio, stereo and GPS, and other electronic devices, and not just those in the car, but all around the car.

 

[89oem]

Makes sense. guess I should put mine back before I get my radio back in and Im wondering where that buzz is originating. Thanks @jrichker

 

[7991LXnSHO]

You can not ground a fiberglass hood and have it conduct like a steel hood. The conducting property of metal makes tin foil hats more effective at blocking alien mind control than felt fedoras. Maybe a carbon fiber hood could help block EFI, but not fiberglass.
As far as the hood light, make sure there is a power line and a separate ground wire. It will not ground through the fiberglass hood. I have not paid attention to the Mustang light, but the old trunk and hood lights often had only a power wire.