Here is my having looked at estimated an fixed more cars than I care to think of opinion.
the hood is toast. at least pretty sure. the inner structure on the hood has cruves and ripples on it. if ANY of these are distorted at all replace the hood. it is a HUGE safety issue to try and repair this.
as far as aftermarket parts go good fawking luck getting the holes to line up for the hinges and gettig any of the angles (ie to the fenders level and tight against the grille) I worked for an insurance company for 2 years and have yet to find a decent aftermarket hood supplier for any vehicle. Well if you dont mind that your truck looks like s*** then they are fine.
third point on the aftermarket hood is the safety issue. the oem uses (in most hoods I have seen) thicker steel and more ribs in the bracing in order to jake it stronger but still work in conjuction with the rest of te sheet metal on the front of the truck in the case of a serious accident. not worth skimping a couple hundred bucks on in my opinion.
find a used one or feed the dogs........
Dave
the hood is toast. at least pretty sure. the inner structure on the hood has cruves and ripples on it. if ANY of these are distorted at all replace the hood. it is a HUGE safety issue to try and repair this.
as far as aftermarket parts go good fawking luck getting the holes to line up for the hinges and gettig any of the angles (ie to the fenders level and tight against the grille) I worked for an insurance company for 2 years and have yet to find a decent aftermarket hood supplier for any vehicle. Well if you dont mind that your truck looks like s*** then they are fine.
third point on the aftermarket hood is the safety issue. the oem uses (in most hoods I have seen) thicker steel and more ribs in the bracing in order to jake it stronger but still work in conjuction with the rest of te sheet metal on the front of the truck in the case of a serious accident. not worth skimping a couple hundred bucks on in my opinion.
find a used one or feed the dogs........
Dave