I was told by a body shop not to go with the fiberglass hood on a daily driver because they are not strong enough for bumps in the road and will crack. He recommended using an all steel hood. I would prefer the all fiberglass hood due to weight savings and price. I wanted to know how long an all fiberglass hood has lasted you all or the original W-25 hood with a steel frame and fiberglass. Is the fiberglass really this weak?

 

No it will not hurt at all. in between me and my dad we have 5 olds (2 with original hoods), 2 camaros and two chevy trucks with fiberglass hoods, most have been on the car painted sense the early 90s and there are still no problems.

 

Has this body shop ever seen a Corvette?

Seriously, the factory W-25 hood WILL eventually get hairline stress cracks at the leading edges of the scoops. That's life. I can't speak to the durability or lack thereof for aftermarket versions. By the way, the factory W-25 hood doesn't weigh much less than the metal hood.

 

Corvette was my first thought too. I didn't like their answer so I figured I'd see how people with the same hood have done. The factory W-25 hood would be a last resort for me. I'd prefer the aftermarket for the price and lighter weight.

 

Lighter weight USUALLY means less durable, but not always. It's possible that the thinner aftermarket hoods will be more flexible and less prone to cracking. I don't have any data, just something to think about. I will say that it's rare for an aftermarket parts company to perform the same level of durability testing as the OEMs do.