Harwood hood instation/painting question??

Hey i just got my 2.5 in. harwood cowl hood, i opened it up and noticed there was a slight chip in the left rear corner. it isn't bad, but kinda sucks. is there anyway to go about fixing this? also how is the instilation of the hood? fitment good? any tips? in the information sheet that came with it, it said to let the hood be on the car and drive it for a day or to to let the heat transfer into threw the hood without painting it. anyone do this? and as far as painting goes, my dad is going to do it. he is a good painter who has painted for years on older muscle cars, but hasn't done it in a while . is there any "NEW SCHOOL" tips he should know before he goes about painting this? thanks in advance for any help!!! the hood looks sweet just sitting in the garage by the way . -Zack

The reason you need to heat the hood is so it will be totally cured before you paint it. If you paint it and then heat it, the paint may crack. The only thing you really need to do is be thurough in your prep work. :)

sand through the gel coat? i thought that you are suppose to leave the gel coat on, bwcasue fibergalss is very pourua if not gel coated, and therefore the gelcoat provides a smooth, nonpourus surface for painting? is this right?

I haven't owned a harwood hood since I had my S10, and I never got around to painting that hood. It's tough going by memory sometimes. Maybe you're just supposed to scuff the gell coat?

Scuff the gelcoat with scotch-brite pads (or any other paint surface prep pad, dont sand it). Prime it with a decent coat of primer. Sand the primer, then paint it. No need to sand the paint itself. Clearcoat over that.