fiberglass hoods

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fiberglass hoods

Postby JWStevens » Tue Sep 04, 2012 9:51 pm

I've looked at lots of fiberglass and haven't seen any place to get a good looking outlaw style cowl hood. Anyone here have any idea who might make one that's worth a crap?
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Re: fiberglass hoods

Postby JWStevens » Tue Sep 04, 2012 9:53 pm

For a vega! Sorry!
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Re: fiberglass hoods

Postby chevyart » Wed Sep 05, 2012 4:32 pm

what does an outlaw style cowl hood look like? thanks art
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Re: fiberglass hoods

Postby spencerforhire » Wed Sep 05, 2012 4:38 pm

If you're looking for a big(4?5?6?8?) cowl hood especially for the street, you might have to make one. Lots of "race weight" stuff out there but most of it only looks good form the grandstands.
The "fleet"-
72 Vega HB Drag Car -383/'Glide/9"(9.35@146.19)(5.94@117.28 1/8th)
77 Vega Estate wagon- project(someday)will have TPI305/T-5, S-10 spindles/axles
76 Vega GT- 400/4spd/9" retired from active duty(rusty)
06 Silverado 2WD ex.cab daily
03 Silverado 2WD ex.cab (retired)
06 Haulin' 20ft enclosed car transporter
06 GMC Canyon Shop truck
07 Colorado project( 5.3 4L60e swap)
99 Saturn SL1- wife's car
01 Saturn SC2- son's project
07 Saturn Ion Redline project
and 4 more Saturn "parts cars"
Note- the very act of listing all of these has made me realize I have some kind of problem.....

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Re: fiberglass hoods

Postby JWStevens » Wed Sep 05, 2012 5:02 pm

spencerforhire wrote:If you're looking for a big(4?5?6?8?) cowl hood especially for the street, you might have to make one. Lots of "race weight" stuff out there but most of it only looks good form the grandstands.


Yeah, I'm just looking for a race weight 4 or 6 inch cowl hood that extends to the windshield. I can't make myself buy junk fiberglass though..... If harwood made one it would be perfect I'm sure. There styling is always on cue with what I think looks good.
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Re: fiberglass hoods

Postby spencerforhire » Wed Sep 05, 2012 6:36 pm

All the way to the windshield is a tough one unless you cut one down that's meant for a stretched nose car. The 5" one on my racecar hangs back an inch or so over the cowl at the top. The cowl has been filled so there's no slots in it and the carb tray is sealed up pretty well so only cool outside air can get into the engine.
The "fleet"-
72 Vega HB Drag Car -383/'Glide/9"(9.35@146.19)(5.94@117.28 1/8th)
77 Vega Estate wagon- project(someday)will have TPI305/T-5, S-10 spindles/axles
76 Vega GT- 400/4spd/9" retired from active duty(rusty)
06 Silverado 2WD ex.cab daily
03 Silverado 2WD ex.cab (retired)
06 Haulin' 20ft enclosed car transporter
06 GMC Canyon Shop truck
07 Colorado project( 5.3 4L60e swap)
99 Saturn SL1- wife's car
01 Saturn SC2- son's project
07 Saturn Ion Redline project
and 4 more Saturn "parts cars"
Note- the very act of listing all of these has made me realize I have some kind of problem.....

Visit http://www.spencerforhire.ca
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Re: fiberglass hoods

Postby JWStevens » Wed Sep 05, 2012 11:23 pm

Yeah, harwood makes their cowl hoods to the windshield even on cars with vented cowls like the s-10 and the mustang. The vega would actually take the exact scoop from an s-10 outlaw hood because I've measured it. They only make a flat hood though?! Makes no sense to me at all. Adding on to the hoods usually adds weight and that's not what I want at all. There are only a couple fiberglass companies that I am comforable buying from so it kind of sucks.
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Re: fiberglass hoods

Postby spencerforhire » Thu Sep 06, 2012 6:17 am

Even though our beloved Vega is still a fairly common sight at the dragstrip, I guess there just isn't the demand there for the fiberglass companies to have much of a selection in the way of hoods with scoops already molded in. Apparently a couple of the 'glass companies will make a hood for you with your choice of scoop, but they just slap it on a flat hood, not make one from a mold with the scoop built in. You're right about Harwood quality; a friend of mine bought a 6" cowl hood from them for his 598(!!!) tall deck Pro-Street 1971 Monte Carlo. It's a piece of art with finished edges, inner structure and all the threaded inserts for the OEM hinges and latch. It's also MASSIVE; at more than 6ft long it takes up a pile of his garage space when it's off the car. Hard to believe the demand is there for a first gen Monte but not a Vega.
The "fleet"-
72 Vega HB Drag Car -383/'Glide/9"(9.35@146.19)(5.94@117.28 1/8th)
77 Vega Estate wagon- project(someday)will have TPI305/T-5, S-10 spindles/axles
76 Vega GT- 400/4spd/9" retired from active duty(rusty)
06 Silverado 2WD ex.cab daily
03 Silverado 2WD ex.cab (retired)
06 Haulin' 20ft enclosed car transporter
06 GMC Canyon Shop truck
07 Colorado project( 5.3 4L60e swap)
99 Saturn SL1- wife's car
01 Saturn SC2- son's project
07 Saturn Ion Redline project
and 4 more Saturn "parts cars"
Note- the very act of listing all of these has made me realize I have some kind of problem.....

Visit http://www.spencerforhire.ca
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Re: fiberglass hoods

Postby RockDaddy » Thu Sep 06, 2012 7:28 am

I have wasted many a $ trying to get a good hood for my car.

What seems to be the way to go is get a stock fiberglass harwood hood. Cut it out yourself to fit whatever you have sticking up through it and then you can buy a harwood cowl to put on it. You might have to pay someone to do the bonding work but it ends up way better. They have screw cowls too.

I had some hoods made but some of these places you here bad reviews about on here and its garbage.

I had a Harwood L-88 style that is a few inches long ago that worked and looked good.

Really my opinion is get some good Harwood parts and make something work like that.
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Re: fiberglass hoods

Postby spencerforhire » Thu Sep 06, 2012 10:04 am

I might have to "build my own" this winter in the off-season; the 5"cowl isn't high enough to let me use an air cleaner or a carb spacer. I'll either have to graft an aero scoop on top or start fresh with a new, flat hood.
The "fleet"-
72 Vega HB Drag Car -383/'Glide/9"(9.35@146.19)(5.94@117.28 1/8th)
77 Vega Estate wagon- project(someday)will have TPI305/T-5, S-10 spindles/axles
76 Vega GT- 400/4spd/9" retired from active duty(rusty)
06 Silverado 2WD ex.cab daily
03 Silverado 2WD ex.cab (retired)
06 Haulin' 20ft enclosed car transporter
06 GMC Canyon Shop truck
07 Colorado project( 5.3 4L60e swap)
99 Saturn SL1- wife's car
01 Saturn SC2- son's project
07 Saturn Ion Redline project
and 4 more Saturn "parts cars"
Note- the very act of listing all of these has made me realize I have some kind of problem.....

Visit http://www.spencerforhire.ca
User avatar
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Re: fiberglass hoods

Postby JWStevens » Thu Sep 06, 2012 9:20 pm

I really already knew what I was gonna have to do but I was just wishing one of you guys would say that you had some secret stash of special made carbon fiber cowl hoods exactly like I wanted and I would save all of this time its gonna take to build one. Oh well! Ill probably just make a mold and do it right but I just don't have the time to do it all. I've been welding up the place where my drip rails used to be and its going pretty good so maybe I won't be completely beaten when I get that done. Thanks for the input guys!

Jamie
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Re: fiberglass hoods

Postby myvega » Fri Sep 07, 2012 8:40 pm

The highest cowl hood available for a Vega (short of custom building) is the 6in from VFN. I have one, and love it. Can be seen on the thread "I've had it" Sorry, don't know how to create a link.
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Re: fiberglass hoods

Postby JWStevens » Sat Sep 08, 2012 1:11 am

Yeah, I've seen the VFN hood but I want it completely on the windshield and I don't want that curve on the back of the cowl like the 69 camaro had kinda. The height is about right though.
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Re: fiberglass hoods

Postby jonnymonza » Thu Sep 13, 2012 4:02 am

Everybody out there who goes through the "I want a fiberglass hood" stage usually ends up buying one that looks like a good deal this and that- and then after 120 for shipping and 300+ from the body shop, they get an almost decent hood. Moral of the story folks- Get the best quality, and spend the money up front, or else join all of us who got SCREWED over. They dont fit right, they are made cheaply, and they will seriously piss you off if you dont know how to work fiberglass. I bought mine from up22.com (unlimited products) --- and well yeah mine looks like the nicest hood in town now that i got 800 bucks in it. But I reglassed the ENTIRE THING!!! I used their crummy shell to make a nice hood out of- I have SOOOO much time in that hood its not even funny, and i'm still not happy with it. GO HARWOOD or make your own. seriously.

Its really funny, cuz back in the day I asked the same question, and got the same answer---- AND DIDNT LISTEN! And so now, I'm preaching what i went against originally- cuz I couldnt afford a good hood. I would've been better off saving the money and buying a nice one PERIOD DOT
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Re: fiberglass hoods

Postby Fasterthansome » Thu Sep 13, 2012 6:58 am

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