455man

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?

alek72us

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.

joe_padavano

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.

455man

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.

joe_padavano

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.