KiLLJ0Y

iTrader: (1)

I'm in the market for an SS hood. I know Hawks sells one, ACSD sells one as well.

Ive heard that the one hawks sells tends to separate...

you guys with SS hoods, please tell me your experience with your hood. Would you buy it again from the same vendor? Would you use someone else?


post pictures if you want..

thanks

SomeGuy25thZ

I bought my fiberglass SS hood from Hawks but they dont make these hoods as far as I know. I think they are a supplier for the manufacturer.

Either way this hood was a nightmare. If you arent too picky about stuff maybe you can get away with a somewhat ok fit but the body shop spent over a week modifying this hood to make it fit right and sanding it forever to remove the waves it had. this is a quality shop too - they build custom cars all the time. They couldnt sand anymore and it still has some waves you can see in the finished paint because it was going to get too thin.

One of the other biggest issues was the curve of the hood from the back to the front did not follow the same curve as the fenders. this made it even more of a pain to get a straight line between fenders and the hood and adjustments started to make gaps/uneven lines with the front bumper... ahh what a PITA. in the end and after paying a weeks worth of laber i ended up with a $1000 hood that was nicely painted and looks fairly decent. But for the work involved i am extremely dissappointed with the quality. Photos woldnt really show you the trouble we went through with it because the car looks so amazing now no one will ever really see what was done.

I may have gotten the one bad hood out of a batch but maybe not. ANyone else ever have issues? I have never heard of such problems before so i dont know.

I am not bashing Hawks either because they have done great for me and all the parts i have ordered through them over the years. The manufacturer of the hood is to blame but it was too late for me to return or do anything because they started work on the hood before we realized it had so many issues.

here is a pic of the finished product.

KiLLJ0Y

iTrader: (1)

wow that sucks..

sounds like i should go with ASCD then... i remember Hawks chimed in to one of the other threads and said they made 90% of their hoods.. they didnt specifically say they made the SS hood though..

SomeGuy25thZ

Hmm that interesting. Well i would still do some more research if you can find anything. I have heard more good things about harwood than anyone else but again, with aftermarket fiberglass hoods i'd bet it all that not one will be a perfect fit.

If you have the ability to learn/do some body work i think you can make any hood you buy fit good enough to serve its purpose but definetely not for a show car unless you spend a fortune like i did.

KiLLJ0Y

iTrader: (1)

yeah true... too bad harwood doesnt make the SS hood. Im going to call hawks and see if they actually make the SS hood, hopefully (for my sake) they do, then i can just go to ASCD and get theirs

SomeGuy25thZ

Goodluck and post up what you end up getting and finding about the quality of the product. You'll save others down the road as well!

Norwood

iTrader: (1)

The one I got straight from ASCD looks exactly like the one SomeGuy25thZ has. Same problems and fitting hassle. I ended up never using it and gave it away.

KiLLJ0Y

iTrader: (1)

greaaaaat... not what i wanted hear.. but thanks for the input.

any other company make them beside these 2?

SomeGuy25thZ

lol sorry to burst your bubble. The hoods look great but apparantly come with a price to fit properly.

I wonder if anyone has tried to modify a factory fiberglass hood (82-83 model years had factory fiberglass hoods).

if weight savings isnt a matter of life and death you can also look into modifying your existing one with some good sheet metal/body work and you can have a nice steel SS hood.

Now that i think about it i wish i did that and made the scoop a little more aggressive looking.

KiLLJ0Y

iTrader: (1)

i thought some place sold the scoop as an add on piece at one time..


EDIT:yes they do.. and i found them... .

KiLLJ0Y

iTrader: (1)

ok what i have so far from emailing companies:

ASCD = makes their own SS hood
Hawks = Makes their own SS hood
Youngs Fbodymotorsports = SS made by FPC in Pennsylvania

anyone heard of FPC?? anyone bought one from there?

SomeGuy25thZ

Good info. I'd like to know if anyone else bought a hood from Hawks and if they have had any issues?

KiLLJ0Y

iTrader: (1)

i dont know, but i think i might give youngmotorsports a try since i know the back story with the other 2

SomeGuy25thZ

Well, goodluck. Make sure you test fit it before you even think about sanding it for paint or anything.

We had to do a lot of body work to get it smooth enough for painting and it still had a lot of waves in it that you can see if you lean over in the right angle of light.

Check the return policy too and take pictures if there are major fitment issues and return it.

BOTTLEDZ28

iTrader: (9)

here is a link to my horror story with my ASCD SS hood.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...ners-step.html

BOTTLEDZ28

iTrader: (9)

KiLLJ0Y

iTrader: (1)

holy crap... thats crazy

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

Fiberglass hoods never seem to fit well. I've only ever seen high praise for one aftermarket hood, and it's the Goodmark steel one...but it's a cowl, not SS.

I guess you could look into them and see if they make an SS version?

SomeGuy25thZ

Bottled - i didnt get to read your entire thread but that is crazy that the top riped off. I believe it is likely due to water getting inside the hood.

I have a fiberglass cowl hood on a parts car i have an when i took the hood off on a sunny day there was water moving around under the fiberglass and you can see it moving from the engine bay side.

Also in some of your photos you can see the metal hood latch parts rusted that are inside the hood. I think after long exposure to rain, water, freezing, drying, etc... it can cause delamination of the hood. thats my theory atleast.


My car will never be driven in the rain so if mine separates i'll let you guys know!

KiLLJ0Y

iTrader: (1)

well damn, after all this, its seeming like just adding the scoop onto my stock flat hood is a better way to go. plus cheaper

the solitaire

Well, if water would be an issue, then any hood that can take in water, but does not drain it when in closed position is a badly designed product.

Another thought on some guys watery hood is that fiberglass hoods, apart from being different from the stock hoods, are supposed to be light. Water isn't light so it should not be an integral part of the hood. It needs to be drained out, and that should not require turning the car upside down and gently shaking it untill water is gone.

I wonder if all these problems only occur to people who tried to open the vent in their SS hood or if it also happens to unmodified hoods.

BOTTLEDZ28

iTrader: (9)

The water may have helped the glue break down but I think the ultimate thing that finished it off was the fact that air was getting in between the sections of fiberglass through the cut out opening. The air was being forced in faster then it could escape which resulted in the hood balloning to a point where it just seperated. I was on the highway when it happened.

KiLLJ0Y

iTrader: (1)

ahahahah.. and some people think the "ram air" doesnt really work...

well, it works so well... it'll blow your damn hood off... ahahhaha

karl's-92'-z28

iTrader: (5)

I picked up an early 80's 3rd gen hood, made of fiberglass. Im prolly just gonna buy the scoop & attach it to that hood.

SomeGuy25thZ

This is certainly a big issue. I never said it was ok far water to get into the hood. Yes, these are badly designed hood as the allow water in.

My SS hood has the scoop cut out too. Any suggestions on what to do to prevent all the air from going directly in? I was thinking of shoving in a few large pieces of backer rod so that it blocks the bulk air flow in between the two layers of the hood.

the solitaire

An insert and some holes to drain water out of the hood would go a long way.

Drill 2 small holes on the inside of the hood (4mm) at the lowest point of the area that carries the water (this will be towards the front due to the slope when closed)

If you want your SS hood open (and with that a little functional ) then make an insert from fiberglass or plastic in the shape of the cutout. Glass it on seamless on the outer skin of the hood, and use seamsealer to seal off the inside transition between hood and insert. This will effectively keep air from getting trapped between the two halves of the hood, as you just lead it past this area.

I think I now know why by default these hoods are not functional

SomeGuy25thZ

I have the plastic insert installed that came with the hood. but air can still flow through the insert and get inbetween the layers of the hood.

I am not worried about water. this car will never be driven in rain. its not a daily car my any means and a spring/summer only car for weekends.

I dont wash the car either. only use detailing spray so it should never see any water whatsoever.