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hood springs


A_Rescue

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I have the fiberglass hood on the 71 and it has a scoop.  There are hoodpins, no latch, and no springs....  OGPI has two types of springs, one for steel hood and one for fiberglass hood (Twice the price).  not sure what the difference is since the webpage is not very descriptive....   

 

 

https://www.opgi.com/monte-carlo/1971/sheet-metal-body-panels/hood/G200016/ https://www.opgi.com/monte-carlo/1971/sheet-metal-body-panels/hood/CH20357/

 

 

Does anyone understand the need for "fiberglass hood springs" for the fiberglass hood?   I am thinking they might be lower tension springs to prevent bending of the hood when closing it....    not sure

 

john

 

 

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Springs for fiberglass hoods are very light tension compared to standard springs. Only about 20%in many cases.

 A racing fiberglass hood will break in half before it even begins to move stock springs.

 On the other hand a really high quality fiberglass hood with all the fasteners, inner braces and a show quality fit and finish in many cases will weigh as much or more than a stock steel hood.

I have used monster springs from the hardware store before on the old mustangs and falcons.  About $9. But the monte hood towers over a mustang hood. but its something to consider

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Ahhh steve, thanks...  It is a very big hood for sure...  Is there any other considerations with the fiberglass hood?  Think I should i try to fit a latch to it or rely on the hood pins.....

 

john

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my honest opinion.... only run a latch if its designed for it. 

 Hood pins are 100% guaranteed to hold a hood down.. as long as they are installed and not sitting on your toolbox.

I have seen fiberglass hoods that get hacked or modded to hold a factory latch just to find out the hoods resin content was far too high and it starts cracking apart.

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Latches... latches... i dont need no steenking latches....        The hood is not that heavy either... wondering if it needs reinforcement prior to paint...  hate to screw the paint job up flexing the hood...

 

john

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adding braces will cause warping and distorting .... i wont go into all the scientific explanation about why..

 Dont expect your fiberglass hood to be razor straight.. you can do a ton of bodywork, prime and block it till it looks flawless... paint it and park it in direct sunlight on a 100 degree day and watch what happens.

 To some it will still look perfect but fiberglass panels never get past a trained eye.

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Glad we are having this conversation...  Ill need a hood scoop for the tunnel ram of the pro-flo XT EFI system I plan replace the 900 CFM double pumper with...  if careful will the fiberglass hood, will it hold up with a finish or should I entertain a steel hood Steve??

 

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/edl-71363/overview/

 

 

 

john 

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What are you looking to do? Just keep the hood up without a pole in front? You could "pin" the hinges. Drill a hole for a pin that you install when the hood is open. Depending on the style of hood pin you could even use them. This way you don't forget to pull them out before trying to close the hood. Also most fiberglass manufacturers sell low tension speings for hoods. Probably for cheaper than opgi. You could also Fab up a way to use pistons for the hood. I used some very low charged pistons on my g-body Grand am fine erglass hood. Took a few tries though and I know a g-body 78-88 hood hinges are different than the Monte's. Just a few thoughts... Good luck!

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