Drilling hole in hood?

[Laserboy1054]

Okay, I know this will horrify some (many? all?) of you, but please be gentle: I want to drill a couple of holes in the hood of my new R1T and wonder if there are wires (e.g., for sensors/cameras) running through it that I might hit while doing this.

My wife is a sculptor who works in bronze (as well as other media). When she first started casting bronze, one of her first projects was a custom hood ornament for her truck. It has been transferred from vehicle to vehicle for the past 30 years. We'd like to put it on the R1T. This means drilling two ~1/8 inch holes in the hood for the attachment screws. In the past, truck hoods have always been just passive sheets of metal. But Rivian does things very differently! There are wires and active components all over the place in these things. I'm hesitant enough about marring the pristine surface on purely aesthetic grounds! I sure don't want to damage to something functional--that's really a potential deal killer for the hood ornament: we might just Velcro it to the dash (which is far less cool-looking than right out in front like the figurehead on an old ship). But that might be a price we have to pay.

We just pulled the hood ornament off our current truck (a 2003 Mazda B4000 that we bought new) so that we can sell it prior to taking delivery of the R1T (good riddance to that old lemon!) and repairing the "damage" (i.e., filling the holes and painting over them) was no big deal--the spots are barely noticeable. So doing the same to the Rivian isn't quite the nightmare (in terms of appearance) one might think.

Anyway, if you know of any practical issue with this, please let me know, I sure would appreciate the information!

Many thanks!

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[iforbes]

I need to see a picture of the finished project.

I’m guessing there is nothing there, but maybe reach out to Rivian directly?

 

[Riviot]

I recommend pulling off the Rivian logo on the front and crafting a base that fits in there. It could even be Rivian logo-esque! There are some good holes already there, just push through the plastic shielding if you want to use bolts, otherwise 3M it on and use the holes for alignment.

Shout out to @AO_Pete for a good video!

 

[COdogman]

I doubt there is much wiring in the hood itself. Possibly something for the release mechanism? But I wouldn’t attempt what you are doing without being 100% sure. You could probably remove the liner on the underside and get a good look at what’s in there.

 

[Laserboy1054]

I recommend pulling off the Rivian logo on the front and crafting a base that fits in there. It could even be Rivian logo-esque! There are some good holes already there, just push through the plastic shielding if you want to use bolts, otherwise 3M it on and use the holes for alignment.

What a great idea! And very useful photos! Thank you so much!

 

[Laserboy1054]

I need to see a picture of the finished project.

I'll certainly do that! Here's a photo of the ornament on the old truck. And one "in hand" for scale. (My wife's nickname is "Snail"--for old and obscure reasons.)

 

[moosetags]

That is very unusual and quite interesting. Please post a photo when you get it installed.

Brian

 

[Hillbilly]

 

[W1SE]

This is awesome. Please post a new thread when done. I love individual personal touches to a vehicle.

 

[Laserboy1054]

This is awesome. Please post a new thread when done. I love individual personal touches to a vehicle.

Thanks! I'll certainly do that. I agree: when I own something, I want it to be _mine_. The nice people at Rivian gave me somewhat more than a blank canvas--a color scheme that I love (Compass Yellow on the outside and Forest Edge on the inside--as a long-time New Mexican, I refer to this as "green chile cheese omelette") and a not-bad body shape. That's a great start! But making it _mine_ ("ours" in this case since it will be at least equally my wife's) takes a lot more.

 

[Supratachophobia]

Okay, I know this will horrify some (many? all?) of you, but please be gentle: I want to drill a couple of holes in the hood of my new R1T and wonder if there are wires (e.g., for sensors/cameras) running through it that I might hit while doing this.

My wife is a sculptor who works in bronze (as well as other media). When she first started casting bronze, one of her first projects was a custom hood ornament for her truck. It has been transferred from vehicle to vehicle for the past 30 years. We'd like to put it on the R1T. This means drilling two ~1/8 inch holes in the hood for the attachment screws. In the past, truck hoods have always been just passive sheets of metal. But Rivian does things very differently! There are wires and active components all over the place in these things. I'm hesitant enough about marring the pristine surface on purely aesthetic grounds! I sure don't want to damage to something functional--that's really a potential deal killer for the hood ornament: we might just Velcro it to the dash (which is far less cool-looking than right out in front like the figurehead on an old ship). But that might be a price we have to pay.

We just pulled the hood ornament off our current truck (a 2003 Mazda B4000 that we bought new) so that we can sell it prior to taking delivery of the R1T (good riddance to that old lemon!) and repairing the "damage" (i.e., filling the holes and painting over them) was no big deal--the spots are barely noticeable. So doing the same to the Rivian isn't quite the nightmare (in terms of appearance) one might think.

Anyway, if you know of any practical issue with this, please let me know, I sure would appreciate the information!

Many thanks!

"They're speed holes Flanders, they make the car go faster."

 

[jdhiker23]

I'll certainly do that! Here's a photo of the ornament on the old truck. And one "in hand" for scale. (My wife's nickname is "Snail"--for old and obscure reasons.)

One watchout because that looks like a hefty snail - the hood opening mechanism will stop opening and close if it senses too much resistance during opening or even after it is open. This has happened to me and others when trying to open the hood with a layer of snow on it. If that snail is solid bronze I suspect it will be heavy enough that the hood will not want to open. You could pull up on it to get it started, but once it is up you will likely have to keep supporting it to prevent the hood from closing automatically. As an alternative solution, you could mount the snail on a roof crossbar spanning the bed. Looking forward to seeing the finished product in whatever form it takes!

 

[Laserboy1054]

As an alternative solution, you could mount the snail on a roof crossbar spanning the bed. Looking forward to seeing the finished product in whatever form it takes!

That's a useful insight, jdhiker23! Thanks for pointing it out. Seems like experimenting by attaching with putty before any serious commitment would be prudent. I like the idea of a roof mount! We'll definitely explore the option. Of course, first we have to get the darn thing--26 days to go (not that I'm counting...).

 

[Sgt Beavis]

This looks really cool. Can’t wait to see the final outcome.

 

[Chewy734]

What an interesting thread. My first thought was to ask if the OP was working with the folks who made that atrocious Nirvana truck.

But now, I’m interested in seeing a bronzed Gary head on the hood of his R1. Spirit of Gary?

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