Anybody Build a custom hood?
12-30-2007, 12:37 PM
#41
It's not my cup of tea style wise, but it's damn nice work. The proportions and overall flow are very nice. I especially like the last pic. Have you painted it yet? Bet it's going to look sweet.
Hey Raleigh TA, I see you finished your shaker. You need to take some pics, I can't find any here.
I put my Raptor hood on a month or so ago and I just don't care for it. I think I'm going to get a used front bumper cover and fill in the nose to smooth it out like this:
It's still a little plain, so I was wanting to add either a shaker or a molded in shaker looking hump just to make it a bit more racy looking. I want more of a streamlined look and the Raptor just doesn't give me that. With the new front bumper cover I also want to smooth a few things out and add a spoiler. Something custom and smooth like a Bonneville racer. Like it can do 200mph, you know? I'll be converting it to a front breather so it will have some cool air inlets and maybe some thin rectangular fog lights. Heat extractors along the sides of the hood are another possibility
Here's my old hood thread if anyone want's to see some different ideas.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/paint-body-work/346290-custom-hood-mods.html
Hey Raleigh TA, I see you finished your shaker. You need to take some pics, I can't find any here.
I put my Raptor hood on a month or so ago and I just don't care for it. I think I'm going to get a used front bumper cover and fill in the nose to smooth it out like this:
It's still a little plain, so I was wanting to add either a shaker or a molded in shaker looking hump just to make it a bit more racy looking. I want more of a streamlined look and the Raptor just doesn't give me that. With the new front bumper cover I also want to smooth a few things out and add a spoiler. Something custom and smooth like a Bonneville racer. Like it can do 200mph, you know? I'll be converting it to a front breather so it will have some cool air inlets and maybe some thin rectangular fog lights. Heat extractors along the sides of the hood are another possibility
Here's my old hood thread if anyone want's to see some different ideas.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/paint-body-work/346290-custom-hood-mods.html
Add a mecham hood without the scoops, you get what im saying?
And if you wanted a little cowel, do it kinda like the harwood hood with the vents....
12-31-2007, 02:02 AM
#44
I'm familiar with the older and newer styles of Mecham hoods, but they don't really have any scoops. There are the 4 heat extractors on top and the air inlets in the nose. I just don't know what type of hood he's describing.
As far as the Harwood cowl, I don't like it. It's too wide and the flat top just doesn't go with the rounded stock hood.
Now in my hood thread I did a raised, rounded hood. It was the same basic shape just bulged up higher. I also tweaked the nose, but just ignore that part.
I think I would just need to cut the stock hood 2/3rd's the way down the middle starting at the cowl and add a pie shaped wedge of steel so the back will raise up higher. My only concern is it may be too subtle.
As far as the Harwood cowl, I don't like it. It's too wide and the flat top just doesn't go with the rounded stock hood.
Now in my hood thread I did a raised, rounded hood. It was the same basic shape just bulged up higher. I also tweaked the nose, but just ignore that part.
I think I would just need to cut the stock hood 2/3rd's the way down the middle starting at the cowl and add a pie shaped wedge of steel so the back will raise up higher. My only concern is it may be too subtle.
12-31-2007, 02:15 AM
#46
I wonder how this type of long cowl would look on the TA hood?
Frankly, I like the whole front of this car. I'd love to have my TA front look like that.
I think a smooth hood combined with this front end and a filled in nose would look great. Since the front bumper cover is all fiberglass it would be easy to fill in the nose. Then you could fiberglass a shaker hood scoop to the steel hood. This way there would be no difficult to work with polyurethane materials to melt or bond, etc...
Once I do a photoshop, I'll post it up for you guys.
Frankly, I like the whole front of this car. I'd love to have my TA front look like that.
I think a smooth hood combined with this front end and a filled in nose would look great. Since the front bumper cover is all fiberglass it would be easy to fill in the nose. Then you could fiberglass a shaker hood scoop to the steel hood. This way there would be no difficult to work with polyurethane materials to melt or bond, etc...
Once I do a photoshop, I'll post it up for you guys.
Last edited by JasonWW; 12-31-2007 at 02:30 AM.
12-31-2007, 02:39 AM
#48
What do you guys think is better? Spending $400 on the front end or the same or more for a hood a lot of folks already have?
BTW, here are some more pics on other colors.
The above pics came from Raleigh TA.
http://www.lastofthebreed.com/Featur...y/Featured.htm
http://trtturbo.com/BODYKITS.html
BTW, here are some more pics on other colors.
The above pics came from Raleigh TA.
http://www.lastofthebreed.com/Featur...y/Featured.htm
http://trtturbo.com/BODYKITS.html
Last edited by JasonWW; 12-31-2007 at 03:00 AM.
12-31-2007, 04:15 AM
#49
Yes, I'm getting side tracked into custom front ends, but hey, it's still close to topic. 
Check this out:
It's based on the old Morgan Motorsports SD 421 Trans Am.
Now that looks bad ***, especially in black. It might look better if the grills were painted black and it had the stock smooth hood on it. I'm starting to think the flat hoods not bad at all, the car just needs a nicer looking front bumper.
It seems to me that the hardest part of a custom front end is getting a fiberglass mold that will bolt up and fir properly. Once you have that you can go wild as far as the shapes and design go.
Check this out:
It's based on the old Morgan Motorsports SD 421 Trans Am.
Now that looks bad ***, especially in black. It might look better if the grills were painted black and it had the stock smooth hood on it. I'm starting to think the flat hoods not bad at all, the car just needs a nicer looking front bumper.
It seems to me that the hardest part of a custom front end is getting a fiberglass mold that will bolt up and fir properly. Once you have that you can go wild as far as the shapes and design go.
12-31-2007, 04:49 AM
#51
That Firebird Evolution front reminds me of the Solstice front end. Not that it's a bad thing. Maybe the Solstice style of grill would look good in the E-1 air holes?
http://bp3.blogger.com/_8IOmYMMU1TQ/...olstice-v8.jpg
http://bp3.blogger.com/_8IOmYMMU1TQ/...olstice-v8.jpg
Last edited by JasonWW; 01-02-2008 at 12:32 AM.
01-02-2008, 12:31 AM
#58
Your mistaken about this. It's simply not bolted on. The owner just propped it up to take a pic, that's all. It's not even painted, he just pulled it out of the box and stuck it on to take a pic. If you want to see the actual fit you need to look at the finished pictures I also posted.
01-02-2008, 12:41 AM
#59
As far as PS a red E-1 to your car, there's only so much you can do. If there was an E-1 already red you could just take a pic of your car from the same angle and I could copy and paste it on, then tweak the size and shape so it fit just right. I've never seen one in red, though. Until a few days ago I thought Christians TA (the original owner) had the only one as he built it himself. Now I learned they are selling them.
He did say he sold a lot over the past few weeks and they are on backorder at the moment, so maybe we'll see a red one soon. I could try changing the color of one of them to red, but I doubt it would look very good.
BTW, be careful with that cold air kit. I had the free ram air mod done and due to a series of rare occurances happening all at once, I got some water sucked into the engine and bent a rod. What followed is a long story, but I'm never using a bottom feed air intake again.
Last edited by JasonWW; 01-02-2008 at 12:51 AM.
01-02-2008, 03:18 AM
#60
Your mistaken about this. It's simply not bolted on. The owner just propped it up to take a pic, that's all. It's not even painted, he just pulled it out of the box and stuck it on to take a pic. If you want to see the actual fit you need to look at the finished pictures I also posted.