I have a question about 71-72 regular steel hoods - not the fiberglass OAI hoods. Why do some hoods have ventilation slots at the rear of the hood (near the cowl) and others do not? I prefer the hoods without the slots, but it seems there are more hoods with them than without. Is there a reason for this difference?

 

Not sure, but going off memory I think different models used different hoods. I think the Supreme models(71-72) did not have the slots in the hood. Also, I am thinking A/C cars were part of the equation. Of course the Supreme models did not have the louvers in the center of the hood like an S model.

Don W

 

I have a 72 Supreme with AC that had no slots at all, and a 71 Supreme without AC with slots running parallel to the windshield at the rear of the hood.

 

All 72 metal hoods with AC don't have the cowl vent slots stamped in the back of the hood. All metal hoods in 71 have the cowl vent slots for both AC and non AC cars. So a metal hood with no cowl vent slots is a 72 only hood. ~BOB

 

Cool! I'm glad that was explained as I didn't know the answer either. cdrod if your anywhere close to Southern Oregon I've got at least three of the hoods without vents in the back. It would be hard to ship, but if you could pick one up I'd give you a good price. John

 

Sorry man, I'm in Houston, TX. I would probably spend more for shipping than for the actual part. LOL.

 

X2 Not sure why they did that transition from 71 to 72 though.

 

Hey CarShine: What is your source for the hood info? I've owned several '71' & '72 Supremes in my car career and none of them had the cowl vents. One of the '71's I bought from the original owner - a little 'ole lady from Pasadena (TX). So I know it was original, even found the build sheet under the rear package tray.

 

It's in the 72 Assembly Manual. See pages 11-156 and 11-158 top right corner
http://wildaboutcarsonline.com/membe...al_Sect_11.pdf

 

It could possibly be because they changed it late in the '71 build season? I've seen manufacturers make changes to their lineups before the build for that year was over. I've got a '71 that have the cowl vents and my car was finished on June 22 1970 according to the build sheet. Don't know if that means anything?

 

Eddie, according to the 71 AM, all the metal 71 hoods have vents at the back of the hood. I don't know how to explain the 71 that cdrod says doesn't have them and is claimed to be original. Just wondering if the car might have been in an accident at some time before he bought it and replaced with different hood? Just a thought....

 

Yeah.....that definitely is possible. He'd have to know the entire history of the car to be sure it wasn't replaced at some point. Do the Cutlass/442 hoods have a date code on them anywhere? I've never seen one. But if there is, it would point to the year of car the hood would have belonged to.

 

Well, it's interesting that in 1972 the steel frames for AC cars were numbered:
407257 w/o AC
407256 w/o AC - exterior sports option (faux louvers)
411854 w AC
411855 w AC - exterior sports option (faux louvers)

The 71 hoods were numbered - and there is no mention of AC or not, just exc OAI
407256 - exterior sports option (faux louvers)
407257 - flat - no faux louvers

So if you compare numbers to hood styles they are consistent. I don't know where you would look for a hood stamping number, I suspect they all had stickers instead.

 

I'm not sure those numbers would help as they are probably part numbers for the hood. Meaning they might find their way onto either a 71 or 72. I'd be willing to bet the car described on here without the cowl vent probably has one of the top listed 4 hoods. Whether or not it originally came with the car is difficult to determine unless someone knows the history of the car.

 

Well, I'm not sure if this can be referenced anywhere but I just looked at a couple hoods and found some things stamped into the double thickness at the pass side rear. The 1972 with no vents is the first picture (R41?), then a 1971 without the grills but with vents is the second one (R2). John

P6090985.jpg

P6090986.jpg

 

Yes, Eddie they are the part numbers from the GM Parts Catalogue. (Group 8.00) The similar hood numbers that included the 72 hoods (Sport includes the faux louvers as you know) and the non sport. The rear cowl vents were on all the 71's as indicated in the AM. The 72 with AC didn't have the cowl vents. My comparison was intended to show that the 72 with cowl vents was exactly the same hood as the 71's (both styles) that had cowl vents. Just kind of hard to type it all out. Not sure if I made it any clearer or not...

John, I just went and looked at my 72. It has it's original hood and the marking on it is O14. I wonder if that might be an indicator of production day?

 

"John, I just went and looked at my 72. It has it's original hood and the marking on it is O14. I wonder if that might be an indicator of production day?"



That sounds like a reasonable guess. With them being just a couple digits that makes more sense than a part number. I've found numbers stamped into other body panels, but I think they've been longer numbers. John

 

After I posted my last comment, I dug up some photos of the last '71 Supreme I owned (w/AC) and it does have the cowl vents, so much for my memory! My very first car in high school was a '71 ragtop (w/o AC) didn't have the vents, but it was a frankenstein car with a "mish-mash" of parts from various junk yards - so no guarantee of originality here. My '72 Supreme (w/AC) definitely didn't have the vents.
So all '71 models and '72 w/o AC should have the vents, and '72 models with AC should not.

 

Yes, that's my understanding too. I do have a pic of the 72 hood with faux louvers and no rear cowl vents. Most people apparently don't believe it exists.

 

Looks like the problem is solved. Although, now my curiousity has been piqued and I'm gonna have to do some investigating!

I also agree that those stamps on the side of the hoods are probably dates. The "R" and the "O" stand for the month and the number is the day. But then again, one is a "41"? I can't think of a month with 41 days in it

 

Just a guess again. Possibly the R or O could stand for the plant that produced the hood? the number could be the julian date?
http://navyadministration.tpub.com/1.../14317_321.htm

 

Those louvers were also an option for the base model. I forget the code number, but you could actually upgrade to the "Cutlass S Appearance Package" for something like $26.00 I'm not sure what all was included, but the hood sure was. There were some weird options back then. Woodgrain on the dash was $10.00, H/D wheels, H/D frame (for a while), Extra foam in the seats, some odd stuff.

 

Dave, I looked at the SPECS and also the Dealer Product Selling Information Guide (big leather bound edition). The louvered hood would only be available for the base model if it was ordered with the W29 Appearance and Handling package (106.00). I cannot find any reference to a Cutlass S Appearance Package - unless you go to the section for Cutlass S. Cutlass S identification clearly states 'Hood Louver Grilles'. The original GM pictures of the cars clearly show only the Cutlass S with the hood grills.

 

there's that duck again!!!

 

1971 and 1972 Cutlass (coupe only) option code # Y75 "Exterior Sport Equipment"-Includes Cutlass S hood, Body-side paint stripes and B96 moldings (wheel opening moldings) N.A. (not available) with W29, or W30. Coupe only $51.00.
Doesn't really make a lot of sense to me, as the Cutlass S was about that same amount more in base trim and gave a little more standard.

 

Ah, so I looked up Y75 - it only applies to the 71 model year. Not any of the 72 lineup. There is only a Y72 option in 1972 - and that is a cooling option. But for you're right - the Y75 was an option for the plain 71 Cutlass coupe, sedan and for the flattop wagons!

Cutlass S hoods not listed as an option for Cutlass Supreme in 71 or 72 model year.

 

The literature I have says the Y75 was an available option for 1972, also. I'm not sure what the date is on my stuff, and knowing how options changed throughout the year it is entirely possible it was cancelled or not even offered. I still don't know the reasoning behind it---another one that baffles me is the W29 package itself. If the car HAD the W29, the suspension, stripes, etc. it was a better "deal" than if those items had been ordered seperately. In reality, there should be MORE '72 442s than there are. I parted out a '71 Cutlass 4dr with the "louvered" hood package some time ago and wondered then why such a weird combination even existed.

 

Sorry, hit the wrong key in the last post---the parts car was a 2(two) door with that appearance package----at first I thought the car had a "nose job", but it actually still had original paint. Now days, a car like that would have been a builder--back then I considered it too rough----"MY, HOW TIMES ARE A CHANGIN'"

 

Morning Dave. I'm curious what the source doc is that shows 72 having the Y75 - the date is usually in the back of the doc. I can't find it for 72. I wonder if it might be something like the Y73 hood stripe that was discontinued for 72.

Anyway, re: the 442 W29 option. I strongly suspect that due to insurance, most people buying new cars had been 'scared' out of buying something that would be perceived by the Insurance Industry as a higher class of premiums. (this is just a guess based on what happened with the intro of the rallye 350 back in 70). I agree that it was a 'better deal'. The 442 appearance package did lose some of the bright work, like the rocker panel stainless and body side moldings, but compensated with suspension, grill, and striping upgrades.

I was surprised to learn that the louvered hood could be had on more than just the sports coupe, but there it was in black and white in the factory print.