Re: Hood Bracing

Posted by Rusty O\'Toole On 2009/5/12 18:54:32

Kirksite is a low melting temperature metal alloy used for making dies. It has the advantage that it is easily molded into a die, but it has the disadvantage that it wears out quickly. A Kirksite die might be good for 100 parts where a tool steel die will make many thousands.

Kirksite comes into its own for making prototype parts quickly or when you wish to make a small run of parts without the expense of a permanent die.

In the case of the hood scoops they probably made a small die of just the scoops and used it to press the scoops into a standard hood stamping.

I don't know when Kirksite was invented but it was definitely being used in the auto industry in the late 1940s.

Today there are high strength plastics that will do the same job.