Hello all!

New to the forum, and fairly new to 442’s. I recently purchased a Parts Place reproduction OAI hood for my 1970 convertible. I am utilizing the original hood springs as this is a steel framed hood. As you will see from the posted pictures, the alignment is terrible. I’m at a loss, the hood actually sits on the fender on the passenger side, you can’t shut it all. The level of andjustment allowed by the hood hinges is very limited. Any tricks or tips? Any input is appreciated!

 

You ever get this figured out? My hood is doing the same.

 

Many versions of the OAI hood don't fit well.

I bought an original OAI hood for my Vista Cruiser. A Corvette friend and I did fiberglass work on it to fix cracks and areas of poor previous repair. There were some cracks in the steel frame as well, and we welded and dressed those areas.

And after a week of that, the car's painter said it would take him about 60 hours of work to get the correct fit to the fenders, both gap and level.

When I asked, I was told on CO that the Thornton reproduction hood was a very good fit. Buying one was cheaper than the body work on the original would have cost.

The painter said the Thornton took only an hour of prep before painting.

And it turned out so perfectly that it is obviously not an original.

I sold the original for a small loss.

Your Parts Place hood will need fiberglass work on the sides to get it to fit. If you go that route, get the work done by a body shop recommended by the Corvette owners in your area (ask around at car shows).

Your other choice would be to buy a Thornton and resell the Parts Place hood.

 

Gentleman, a few things...
1. This topic is quite common and has been covered extensively in previous threads. A quick search here or on google (which often leads back to this forum) will provide comprehensive solutions covering past and present reproduction hoods. This is a known issue, somewhat prevalent in original W25s, but significantly more common in reproductions.
2. Which company supplied the hoods and are they all glass or glass top metal frame?
3. Nobody thinks to call the supplier and ask about this quality issue. The more 'bitchin' we do the more likely they may want to address the shitty molds puking out this substandard and expensive part. Expect it to get worse once china gets their meat hooks on it...prob already did...
4. Reproduction fiberglass components are designed as 'starting points' rather than bolt-on solutions. They always necessitate significant 'panel massaging' to achieve proper fitment to meet premium, show-quality, or 'riddler-level' alignment standards.
Achieving the desired level of fitment—ranging from standard driver to high-level precision requires meticulous, hands-on labor, regardless of the target level.
5. Dont forget to get the correct hinge springs. The metal hood springs have too much tension and will crack the glass hoods.