About 15 yrs ago I hit a deer with my 71 Cutlass. I always wanted a OAI hood and the body man got it approved, so I got my OAI hood. It was a all fiberglass one and it looks good,etc. BUT- now I am attempting to get the a/c working on the car and been having a air flow issue. It seems a/c cars had the slots by the cowl in the hood and it feeds the cowl when the car is going down the road. My all fiberglass hood has a fiberglass inner panel that sets right against the cowl air entry when closed. I looked at a factory OAI hood and it has openings that go against the cowl but there are no slots thru the hood. I wonder if somehow the air that comes thru the scoops also feeds the cowl inlet??? Any one know about this? I am sure that there were 442's or SX's w/OAI that had air.... Thanks, Greg.

 

I think you have things reversed, air conditioned cars with steel hoods didn't have hood louvers, if that's what you're talking about. None of the OAI hoods had louvers in the rear as far as I know, but I'm no OAI expert. The air is pulled into the cowl openings from behind the hood, the hood seal is forward of those openings. I don't know how OAI hoods are set up but I doubt the air going into the scoops also feeds the cowl vents, seems like it would be dangerous having a path for engine air into the car's interior wouldn't it??
Need to find somebody here with OAI and AC that will respond.
It could be a flapper door issue in the heater box if you aren't getting airflow with the AC on.

 

My '72 442 is a factory 455 A/C and OAI car. There are no vents in the rear of the fiberglass hood, and the scoops go directly to the area over the air cleaner. Nothing gets channeled especially for the A/C or ventilation system to function.

My '70 SX is an A/C 455 car without OAI. It does have the vents at the rear of the hood near the cowl.

Terry

 

^^^ This.

It sounds like you have the vacuum hoses routed incorrectly, so the inlet flapper is not opening. The hood does not cover the cowl vent screen - if it did the wipers would be trapped. Air enters the cowl at the base of the windshield. There is a vacuum operated flapper door in the passenger side kick panel that selects outside air or recirc. Sounds like that isn't working or isn't hooked up correctly.

 

Actually in 1971 ALL the steel hoods had those hood louvers at the back. It was in 1972 that the AC cars were produced without rear louvered hoods. W25 hoods never had rear louvers.

 

I guess I was thinking too much about it, but as Joe said the air should come in thru the slots by the windshield. I was confused because the fiberglass appears to cover the screen in the cowl when closed, not like the factory Oai hoods and the all steel hoods. Anyway I think I am all set. What brought this all about was trying to get the a/c working correctly which has been a huge hassle. Thanks for your help, guys.