Guys,
Just wondering IF hood pins aka NASCAR types: Chevelle, 'Cuda, and Mach-1 Mustang examples were ever installed at the factory OR were dealer only installs? Thanks ahead for any help/info.

 

These are what I am referring to. Were these used on any 442's?

 

Not from the factory
Only these from 70-72 with the OAI(W25) hood

 

Hello
They did use the twist lock for a couple yearsw

Verily few years the reproi pollute thine worrld with poopoopoo
Go Finger
GOT SOME of THOSE
LOL

 

Guys,
So it is possible a dealer (or owner) installed them? Reason I ask, I have seen only 2 (a '68 and '68) with them. One owner claims it was on the car when it was new from the dealer. I guess anything was possible back then...

 

DADDIO

The twistersonly factory in 1970 amd latelelty

 

Yes, agree the twist locks were used on fiberglass hoods of all makes. Most likely made by the same vendor for GM and Ford. Gotta admit those W-25 OAI hoods were the coolest of them all!

 

They were not factory, not Hurst, and not dealer inventory. You could go buy them at a speed shop and perhaps pay a dealer to install them on the car you already owned, but they were not a normal dealer option. The closest this would get to a dealer option is that a specific dealer might go buy these aftermarket pins and put them on a car before sale, but the odds of that happening are very small.

There is an enduring misconception that the factories were lax with what parts ended up on what cars, and you could order anything, etc, etc, but, really, the only "anything" that was possible back then was faulty memories. People really can't remember ****; 99% of the "my car has something special 1 of 1" stories are false and someone bolted something on sometime in the past 50 years.

 

Absolutely agree. Olds never installed these. 99 percent chance would be an owner and or a shop did it. Thanks guys for clearing it up.

 

My first new truck was a 01 Ram 2500 4x4 with the Cummins. Since it was the end of the line for that model, it didn’t have some things it should have, and included some options that weren’t. I’m guessing the factory was using up inventory that it had extra, and omitting what was running short. It SHOULD have had a rear cupholder that slide out from under the front seat, lighted sunvisors, and the storage organizer that went under the rear seat, but it also had snow plow prep and slide in camper rear suspension.

That truck beat you to death if unloaded. Put some weight in it, it smoothed out considerably.

It would surprise me to find out thing like that happened back then. Obviously, hood pins or other ad ons wouldn’t show up on a car that wasn’t originally available. But if a customer was willing to pay the dealer to install whatever, I’m sure most would be willing.

 

I guess the big 3 does things differently. My company would view a wrong part on a car as a defect and it would not flow out.

 

I wonder if that Ram was already sitting on the lot when you bought it? Sounds like maybe somebody pre-ordered it an odd way and then didn't take delivery. I have a hard time believing they could have left 'standard' equipment off and outfitted it with other parts just because they were laying around. I would think everything had to be accounded for on its build documents and sales sheet.

 

It was sitting on the lot, so maybe it was ordered and for whatever reason wasnt accepted.

If you know your Rams trucks, 01 was the first year for the new body style for the 1/2 ton only. I had to be very specific telling the counter help it was a 3/4 tone truck when ordering parts, the 3/4 ton is the older body style.

I’m betting the logistics of it comes down to this: we have “x” amount of truck left to build before model changeover. We have lots of this part (the snow plow and camper prep) but not enough lighted sunvisors, cupholder, whatever. They aren’t going to shut down an assembly line just because the “correct” part isn’t available when something else will work. Especially considering the cost of shipping those parts and inventorying them.

I hate to say it, but I have seen lots of small part inventory go straight to the scrap pile when production ends on a particular model. I remember when the 518/618 transmission line ended, they tossed several pallets of the selective snap rings used to set clutch clearance, boxes of selective thrust washers, bolts, etc. I’m sure big items like cases, valve body, pumps and planetary gears were inventoried and used for service parts.

Judtvthe cost of doing business. There are people who’s job consists of juggling those numbers to figure out the most cost effective way.

 

Yes, they will. They hot call it and you sit there until it's there. Usually it's a matter of minutes. If you are out of parts totally, and the car will go, you can leave that part off, but it won't leave the facility until made right. There's no way putting wrong things on a car deliberately would fly in today's world, and I say that literally sitting in an auto factory right now.

 

It doesn’t happen often, but occasional “manufacturing flexibility” is used.

I remember working in the old 46re (light duty 4 speed automatic) clutch line. They ran out of input shafts for the gas 360 engines, but had LOTS of input shafts for the V10 engines. Same part, same machining process, just a different heat treat and clutch count on the drum. Input shaft was the same.

Somewhere out there is a few hundred older 360 powered ram trucks with V10 input shafts.

You can upgrade parts, but not downgrade. You would never put the V10 shafts behind a diesel engine.

 

What probably happened is that the dealer ended up with it through a dealer trade.

 

That does happen. We file reports back to design to commonize bolts and stuff all the time. I'm used to a just in time manufacturer, so we don't have spare anything. We've put two thousand cars out on the grass waiting for seats before, only one you need is the driver's seat, for the obvious reason.

 

Guys,
'IF' one were to install a set of these hood pins on a '68 (I will use this HO as an example), lets call it a day two mod, Would you guys look down on it, or say, "Thats neat"? I'm sure we all agree it was not a factory or dealer add on. Think of it like a set of Cragar wheels installed back in the day.

 

I would look down on it for two reasons.
1. It's a Hurst/Olds, the rarest Olds made that year. You want to customize something, customize a Cutlass.
2. You just ruined the hood, and maybe the core support depending on what you did. Wheels are bolt on. If you take those one year only SSIIs off and put something else on, you can always bolt back on the SSIIs. I suppose you could get, and paint, and install another hood without the holes, but it's a pain. Better than holes in the quarter panels I guess.

I would have no issue with it if it were done back in the day, with a ton of other mods, as part of making it a race car in 1968. That would be a purpose driven purchase of a new car then for a business, but not now.

 

This is what I would have written if Koda hadn't written it first. My opinion only differs in that I believe (documented factory race cars aside) a modification made on "Day 2" for a specific purpose is still a modification and no more legitimate than a modification made last year.

 

Its your car! Do what you want! Put on what ever and change anything you feel fit. You have to live it. Not anyone else.

Here are the hood locks I added to my car. They look trick to me, and work great. Will be adding longer hood vents also. Mine started out as a 84 Hurst/Olds

 

Guys,
Since my '68 will never be 'perfect' . However, it will be nice when done. Anyways, that was the reason I asked about installing the hood pins to give it a bit of extra 'performance look' that 'I' feel it should have had. Thats a big bare hood....make it stand out from the crowd so to speak. At least in my perspective.

 

My 72 is not 100% original but it’s fairly close. Color change, OAI hood added, someone after my first ownership added a wing (punching holes in the original deck lid) one or two other very minor things. When I owned it the first time in 85 at age 16 there wasn’t much thought to those cars becoming collectible and I wanted a few things different from the original. I’ve loved these few changes. Does it bug me a little about the deck lid? Yes. Anyway…

I think if you could find a way to use pins like the 70-72 OAI hood and recess them in just like they were in those years it would look incredible! Not original, it unique and “all Oldsmobile.” You do potentially “ruin”, so to speak, an original hood but now it’s your original for you to enjoy and I bet it would get some compliments. Just my thoughts.

 

“Thats a big bare hood....make it stand out from the crowd so to speak. ”
Love the look of hood pins and rally stripes on muscle cars and love 68 cutlass’s and 442’s .
You did ask for opinions and I happen to have one ( shocker).

Your 68 hood is very styled with contours, creases and trim and it stands out from all other Cutlass/442 of any year as well as other makes and models to all, but the untrained eye. If I had one ( again) and wanted it to stand out, I would not add items commonly associated with other less stylish , cheaper makes and models.
I would just open the hood as far as it goes and now your car is truly, uniquely standing apart. A nice clean Olds motor is a bonus.
Just my $.02.
Full disclosure, my 16 year old self would completely disagree but I would have welded them back up by now wishing I hadn’t.

 

John,
Since my car will be driven, and raced (as all my cars are), they are in my opinion meant to be used (not abused!). Potentially adding a set of hood pins, won't really kill any large depreciated value. Yes, drilling 2 holes in an original 442 hood is cause for alarm to some (I can always repair it back). That said, and as I always say "It's you car, you can do what you want". What does bother me, are the Cragar Weld Wheels it currently has. Yes, those can (and will) be removed. Some guys add tachs, oil pressure gauges, water temp, etc on the lower dash/steering wheels. That stuff annoys me. Looks like real street race squirrel stuff. I guess to each his own.

 

My worthless two cents...
And by no means a bag on your comment. 'I' don't consider cars with 'hood pins' lesser, and cheaper. Shelbys, 'Cudas, Mach-1s, Chevelles, etc had hood pins and by no means are cheap, lesser cars. Heck, even the Olds 'twist locks' from '70-'72 are the exact same used on 1968-1970 Shelbys. Other makes used similar (or the same) as Olds did. Anyways, it all boils down to what you like (or don't).

 

Guys,
I consider this AAR 'Cuda a badass car with those hood pins. It really adds to the car's 'performance' image.

 

Yeah, looks great ... on an AAR 'Cuda. Listen, it's your car, do what you want. Just stop asking us to tell you it's okay.

 

Ok, father.

 

Oh, and by the way ... you're grounded!

 

Who's Your Daddy

 

Can I still go out and play with my Olds? lol

 

We're taking it away. You get a Mustang.

 

1968 chevelle ss msrp $2899
1968 mustang gt fastback msrp (no Mach in 68?) $2955
1968 Plymouth Cuda msrp $2868
1968 Oldsmobile 442 msrp $3087
Shelby is/would be in a different Class with H/O maybe ?
I think all muscle cars are cool but have come to realize over time that the Olds and Buick muscle cars were appealing/ marketing to somewhat more affluent buyers and maybe a more refined taste and there are specific styling cues that reflect that if you look .
You did ask for opinions no?

 

For a total of $.04, the Cuda looks badass with the hood pins but the hood is mostly flat and they are close to the front corners. To me that appears to have a function not just a look.
If you compare to the hood of the 68 H/O pic,the flat part of the hood is much farther back and the pins do not to appear symmetrical to the edges.
Looks like a copy cat afterthought on the the Olds.
Your mileage may vary.

 

I have one also.
Look below at my profile of current cars.

 

The pins may have been a practical consideration on the 'Cuda as well. Those fiberglass hoods would warp something fierce.

 

I know, right?

 

I did not trust the one normal hood lock on mine fiberglass hood. At high speed driving I could see the hood shake. I need to lock it down. Did not like the wire ones rubbing the paint off. On cars that are drivers.

Seen the Olds twist locks break at the drag track. Destroy hood and windshield.

Mine were some of the first to come out. High quality. But reading reviews of others. A few so not good or just not adjusted right. You do need to adjust pin height carefully. And test. Pushbuttons lock's on the car have been working for 7 years. Plus, still have the factory hookup.

 

In 1978 I owned a '71 Cutlass S. I was 23 years old and was influenced by what I saw every day. I put hood pins on it, had two black stripes painted on the hood and trunk-lid ( It had a black vinyl top), put 60 series white letter tires on SSII wheels, installed a set of air adjustable shocks, put chrome valve covers on it, installed a rebuilt Q-jet and long tube headers. Did it look like all the muscle cars on the road? Pretty much. Did I love it? YOU BET!