US exotics Superhawk hood first impressions 56K warning!
02-21-2015, 02:44 PM
#1
US exotics Superhawk hood first impressions 56K warning! Alright so finally received my hood after ordering on ebay in December. Roger @ USexotics has been really cool so far and will be a little slow on responding to messages but will usually tell me everything I need to hear once he does get back to me. The guy works crazy hours and I know the poor guy does not get enough sleep. I want to say I placed the order sometime around 12 or 1am on a weekday and he was messaging me back on ebay at that time which would be 3-4am his time. Anyways shipping took 6 days via Con-Way shipping. I decided to pickup the hood at the shipping facility to save $50. Here is what it looked like after picking it up all packaged up. (sorry for the poor quality shot... cell phones don't take good shots at night)
(Roger replaced my hood, Post 3 contains replacement hood pictures)
After I brought it home, this is the back side. I peeled away some of the plastic to look for any damages before I signed for it.
Top (once again sorry for the poor quality shot but you get the idea)
and now around the edges
Some picts out of the packaging
And now installation.
The hood finish is pretty nice however there are some scratches on and some may need some sanding down once paint is applied but I'm not too concerned with this as I plan to get it painted pretty soon, but if you wanted to rock the black hood this may be a concern for you.
Continued next post
(Roger replaced my hood, Post 3 contains replacement hood pictures)
After I brought it home, this is the back side. I peeled away some of the plastic to look for any damages before I signed for it.
Top (once again sorry for the poor quality shot but you get the idea)
and now around the edges
Some picts out of the packaging
And now installation.
The hood finish is pretty nice however there are some scratches on and some may need some sanding down once paint is applied but I'm not too concerned with this as I plan to get it painted pretty soon, but if you wanted to rock the black hood this may be a concern for you.
Continued next post
Last edited by Cpt.Derrek; 08-26-2015 at 12:43 AM.
02-21-2015, 02:45 PM
#2
Alright and now finally the part that does bug me. It seems as though the hood might be slightly "bowed" a little more so on the drivers side vs the passenger. The hood right now is as far as it can go forward but I'll probably expand the hood mounting holes to pull it forward maybe 2-3mm. Its not as easy to see in the photos as it is in person but it clearly does not line up when your in the drivers seat. As of right now I texted Roger about this today and am waiting for a response.
(Roger replaced my hood, Post 3 contains replacement hood pictures)
Here is a couple of shots of the latch and the release catch. I had to raise the latch all the way to the top and I might still want to raise it a little more as you have to push a little harder than I would like to get it to lock in.
you can see here its a little difficult to pull the catch release especially if you had big hands, for reference I have fairly medium sized hands.
I'll update this post when once I here from Roger and what we are able to do about the "bowing". LMK if you have any questions or anything you would like pictured. Thanks. (Roger replaced my hood, Post 3 contains replacement hood pictures)
(Roger replaced my hood, Post 3 contains replacement hood pictures)
Here is a couple of shots of the latch and the release catch. I had to raise the latch all the way to the top and I might still want to raise it a little more as you have to push a little harder than I would like to get it to lock in.
you can see here its a little difficult to pull the catch release especially if you had big hands, for reference I have fairly medium sized hands.
I'll update this post when once I here from Roger and what we are able to do about the "bowing". LMK if you have any questions or anything you would like pictured. Thanks. (Roger replaced my hood, Post 3 contains replacement hood pictures)
Last edited by Cpt.Derrek; 08-26-2015 at 12:43 AM.
02-21-2015, 02:45 PM
#3
Finally received the replacement hood! Picked up the hood yesterday from the terminal. wooo! was a little disappointed with the initial fitment at first as both sides on the high point of the fender were sticking up but I thankfully was able to smooth those out by setting my hood stops a little low and resting some heavy books on either side then starting and letting it run idle for about an hour. This was able to heat up the hood and form it a bit better in place. I left the weights on the car all night and throughout the next day until I got home from work. Sorry no pictures of my hood with the weights on it... It was dark when I did this. I assume the tight wrapping job that roger does when packing his hoods possibly pulls it up a but.
Packing was pretty similar to before but this time he used cardboard over the top and had corner Styrofoam around the edges and no bubble wrap this time.
These are the photos from today after I removed the weights. I plan on driving it to work tomorrow and letting it sit in the sun to help it cure a bit longer. I have already setup for the hood to be painted, along with a couple of other items needing some love, on this Thursday! I keep seeing painted superhawk hoods on here and I can't wait any longer.
As soon as I have this thing painted I'll update with photos!
Packing was pretty similar to before but this time he used cardboard over the top and had corner Styrofoam around the edges and no bubble wrap this time.
These are the photos from today after I removed the weights. I plan on driving it to work tomorrow and letting it sit in the sun to help it cure a bit longer. I have already setup for the hood to be painted, along with a couple of other items needing some love, on this Thursday! I keep seeing painted superhawk hoods on here and I can't wait any longer.
As soon as I have this thing painted I'll update with photos!
Last edited by Cpt.Derrek; 08-26-2015 at 12:29 AM.
02-21-2015, 03:46 PM
#6
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That has the same characteristics as mine. Although I think mine is a little worse. I even tried to shim my fenders in a little, but it still wasn't close. I hope he takes care of your problem faster than he has mine. To me, that fitment you have in unacceptable.
Everyone told me to go with Roger over his competition, so I did. It turns out, I paid almost double for no reason.
Everyone told me to go with Roger over his competition, so I did. It turns out, I paid almost double for no reason.
02-21-2015, 04:46 PM
#7
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looks like you have it to far back, based on the close-ups at the back of the hood, also something you can't see or even notice with a flat or ws6 hood is these front bumpers get "pulled away" from the nostril area as these cars bottom out and catch the deflector, the car has multiple points of adjustment that need to be tweaked, the only issue I had with mine was the width seamed a bit narrow relative to the fenders and stock hood but lined up well with the headlight lids, I never did get to shimming the fenders to compensate. I ended up selling mine as part of getting ready to sell the car.
also it's to late now, but if you had only cut off the very end of the latch handle and then notched where you cut it off so you could bend it some it makes a better option for folks with bigger hands.
also I could only use one hood lift shock, with 2 in place I couldn't lower the hood without it flexing, but I had a flat hood before so if you had a ws6 hood then maybe those are softer and would be OK with both.
also it's to late now, but if you had only cut off the very end of the latch handle and then notched where you cut it off so you could bend it some it makes a better option for folks with bigger hands.
also I could only use one hood lift shock, with 2 in place I couldn't lower the hood without it flexing, but I had a flat hood before so if you had a ws6 hood then maybe those are softer and would be OK with both.
Last edited by Daniel Richards; 02-21-2015 at 04:51 PM.
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02-21-2015, 04:50 PM
#8
Something I've always been curious about:
What actually HAPPENED to the molds ASC (or whoever it was) after they quit making the hoods in 2002?
I mean surely they didn't get destroyed. They went SOMEWHERE. Why the hell can't they just dust them off and make 50 or so a year?
What actually HAPPENED to the molds ASC (or whoever it was) after they quit making the hoods in 2002?
I mean surely they didn't get destroyed. They went SOMEWHERE. Why the hell can't they just dust them off and make 50 or so a year?
02-21-2015, 09:59 PM
#9
Thanks everyone! 
right now the hood is as far forward as I can get it without trimming the hoot mounts.
as far as the latch, I thought of doing that... after I already chopped the piece off after following directions.
I don't have a WS6 so it just had the sleek beak hood but even with both shocks it does not seem like there is much pressure against the fiberglass hood luckily.
looks like you have it to far back, based on the close-ups at the back of the hood, also something you can't see or even notice with a flat or ws6 hood is these front bumpers get "pulled away" from the nostril area as these cars bottom out and catch the deflector, the car has multiple points of adjustment that need to be tweaked, the only issue I had with mine was the width seamed a bit narrow relative to the fenders and stock hood but lined up well with the headlight lids, I never did get to shimming the fenders to compensate. I ended up selling mine as part of getting ready to sell the car.
also it's to late now, but if you had only cut off the very end of the latch handle and then notched where you cut it off so you could bend it some it makes a better option for folks with bigger hands.
also I could only use one hood lift shock, with 2 in place I couldn't lower the hood without it flexing, but I had a flat hood before so if you had a ws6 hood then maybe those are softer and would be OK with both.
also it's to late now, but if you had only cut off the very end of the latch handle and then notched where you cut it off so you could bend it some it makes a better option for folks with bigger hands.
also I could only use one hood lift shock, with 2 in place I couldn't lower the hood without it flexing, but I had a flat hood before so if you had a ws6 hood then maybe those are softer and would be OK with both.
as far as the latch, I thought of doing that... after I already chopped the piece off after following directions.
I don't have a WS6 so it just had the sleek beak hood but even with both shocks it does not seem like there is much pressure against the fiberglass hood luckily.
02-23-2015, 10:01 AM
#12
I've received a response from Roger. I actually got a response on Saturday but he just sent me basic alignment tips which I have already tried. Last night he let me know that the composites are still very malleable and that it could have been wedged against some other freight during shipping. He recommended I try shaving off a little of the underside of the hood that contacts the bumper to sit lower. He did say that if I can't get the alignment right we can go with another hood. Hopefully that won't be the case but if I can't settle down the drivers side above the fender I might have to.
I got another response from Roger. I mentioned possibly putting weights on the hood and give it a heat cycle to push it a bit into shape. He said that shouldn't be necessary but would be possible to do. He said to put a towel down and put a car battery on it then run the engine for 30-40 min then let the hood cool overnight with the weight still on it. I'll be trying this tonight hopefully I'll see some improvement. He also still recommends sanding below the fork to have it sit a little lower.
I got another response from Roger. I mentioned possibly putting weights on the hood and give it a heat cycle to push it a bit into shape. He said that shouldn't be necessary but would be possible to do. He said to put a towel down and put a car battery on it then run the engine for 30-40 min then let the hood cool overnight with the weight still on it. I'll be trying this tonight hopefully I'll see some improvement. He also still recommends sanding below the fork to have it sit a little lower.
Last edited by Cpt.Derrek; 02-23-2015 at 05:31 PM.
02-24-2015, 10:52 AM
#13
my Superhawk had a similar Bow when I got it but after a few heat cycles and just playing with the alignment a bit I got it to fit pretty well, I am going to probaly play with it a little bit more but I can not say enough nice things about the quality of this hood.
02-25-2015, 02:23 PM
#17
I had a similar bow in mine, and I just adjust the fender up a little to get it to match, and did the same, I put a little bit of weight on it and it settled down. I think it has to do with it being a curve, and as it cures, it pulls a little.
02-25-2015, 05:36 PM
#19
Thanks for everyone's input... and drop dead sexy cars 
Anyways, I did end up putting weights on the hood and letting it sit overnight. I put a little more weight on the drivers side as it was a little more severe and it did seem to help but not fix the problem. I'm hoping like what 01boydws6 said about his leveling out after a while. I am also not running any shocks right now to reduce any lifting in the center of the hood. Also I I've been able to spend some time working on the alignment today and ended up boring out the hood mounting holes on the bracket to pull hood a bit more forward. And well here are the results, I am fairly satisfied.
Anyways, I did end up putting weights on the hood and letting it sit overnight. I put a little more weight on the drivers side as it was a little more severe and it did seem to help but not fix the problem. I'm hoping like what 01boydws6 said about his leveling out after a while. I am also not running any shocks right now to reduce any lifting in the center of the hood. Also I I've been able to spend some time working on the alignment today and ended up boring out the hood mounting holes on the bracket to pull hood a bit more forward. And well here are the results, I am fairly satisfied. 