The hood of the Model PB Plymouth is an interesting subchapter in the history of automotive styling. In 1932, most automobiles had hoods that extended to the firewall. There was a distinct line between the hood and the front of the cowl area. The 1932 Ford is a good example of this design.
The Chrysler design team decided to extend the hood all the way to the windshield on the entire Chrysler product line for the "1932" models, including the Model PB Plymouth (The model changes didn't always coincide with calendar years.). This design introduces a challenge with regard to ventilation. It required that the hood and the cowl each have vent openings with vent covers that could be operated from within the car. It was a clever design with one serious flaw. There was no way to drain the channel in the hood in which the rubber seal cushion resided. These soft rubber gaskets always absorbed water, stayed wet, and eventually caused the steel channel in which they were cemented to pit and ultimately rust through. Such was the case with the hood for this roadster. It was better than most, but had some pinholes rusted through. The challenge to the restorer is that if we try to weld the pinholes, we stand a good chance of introducing warpage and distortion into the smooth curves of the hood. Dan solved this problem nicely by scouring the channels to rid them of any corrosion, sealing the underside of the hood with tape, and spreading a thin layer of two-part epoxy in the channel. This seals the channel, doesn't require any welding, and will be totally invisible since it will be covered by the rubber seal. And the repair will never rust!
