wazzu99

We're getting serious now!!!!

Coltonis

Can I have one!? LOL

kitfoxdave

I see 4 hoods and 2 cars... Are there more hiding behind the camera? What brand of hood are these? "I'se gots to know!"

Looks like a lot of work... to be followed by WAY too much fun! ;-)

wazzu99

These hoods are from Rob, at FiberConcepts.

dfire25

What is the quality of the hoods? Do you have to use lightweight springs? Can you use the original latch mechanizium? Seems like a good price for the hoods.

Joffroi

I haven't heard of them so dug up there site page: http://fiberpartsconcepts.com/1285404.html

ent72olds

You been watching too many Clint Eastwood movies?

ent72olds

To the OP, was the point you are selling these, or are you just showing off?

tru-blue 442

^^^x2. ??

don71

Well, at least the word is out now. Tell us more about the fit and finish quality. Details please. I'm sure some of us would like to know.

Thanks for the link Joffroi...

Allan R

Fibreconcepts is not a new company and has been discussed several times in the past on the site. The major difference they offer over straight fibreglass hood/air box is their hoods are reinforced at the hinge plate attachment and the hood lock. They do recommend using lightweight springs on their application. Several members have bought this product and have reported good quality. Cost is reasonable.

nofiveo

I've got a fiberglass concepts hood on my 72. The body guy had to widen the edges to get the gaps satisfactory and there was a low spot on the rh scoop. We also had to do some grinding on the bottom of the hood in the area that fits over the cowl due to the bottom of the hood not being properly bonded to the top. There was approx. a 1/2" gap between the top and bottom pieces of the hood. It's been out of the shop for a little over a month and the glass is constantly moving. Theres spots where it looks like the paint is bubbling, but it's not. I believe there may have been an air pocket between the layers that expanded when it sits in the sun. This hood came with the car when we purchased it so we used it, but if I were to buy one, I'd get an original or a Thorntons with the metal underside.

ent72olds

Not to hijack this thread, but it is a free bump.......on a more important and entertaining note, welcome back Allan! We missed you brother!

Allan R

I think it's reasonable to suggest a few things here.

1. If the hood doesn't meet expectations and has constant issues, give Robb at Fibreconcepts the opportunity to warranty it and make you happy. If it was my product, I would want the owner to be happy even if he wasn't the original purchaser. Certainly the last thing I'd want is no opportunity to correct the issue. Manufacturing flaws happen with all products.

2. All repro hoods of this style and price range should expect some degree of fitment and tweaking for a 'perfect looking' installation. OEM hoods did not fit perfectly or line up perfectly either. They were mass produced and many of the body guys here will likely confirm that while the OEM W25 is a highly desired thing, expect to do some work on it. Sometimes it's not the hood that's the problem, it's the shimming on the fenders/cowl/rad support.

A Thornton hood is 3x the money and it also may require a bit of work to be perfect. The key is the word 'perfect'. Obviously if the hood quality and finish bother you, you ultimately will not be happy with it on your car. I only wish I could afford a Thornton hood. By the time it would be shipped, fitted, painted and all OAI parts installed though it would be well over 5500.00 here so it's not that practical an option for me. Especially since I don't have an unlimited bankroll for my project. IMO, the Fibreconcepts hood is still a reasonable alternate even with the extra finishing work involved. Recognizing that, it's still totally up to you about being happy with what you put on your car.

Hope it all works out for you. Please let us know if you contact Robb and what he has to say about the issues on the hood and if any warranty can be applied?

Umm, sure it's a hijack! But also, thank you Erik.

nofiveo

Allan , the hood is already on the car and painted. At this point there is no going back. Even if the original manufacturer offered to warranty it, I wouldn't go through the expense of painting another hood. I've seen plenty of original hoods and it's widely accepted that the fit and finish leaves much to be desired. Everything on our car was re-aligned when it was painted and the gaps are much better than when we brought it home. I just think that a hood to fender gap that you can throw a cat through is a bit excessive. The cowl area lines up fine, the chrome hood trim went right on and fit well. The nose lines up ok and the eye brows fit with a slight tweek. I think those things are acceptable, but the bubbles coming up through the paint bother me. The hood was arrow straight after we got the car back, but after having it sit in the sun for an afternoon, the blisters started popping up. I'll get some pics of it so you guys can judge for yourselfs. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say their products are crap, manufacturing defects can happen and even monkeys fall out of trees sometimes, I just hope that other customers have better luck than we did.

wazzu99

Allan is spot on with his breakdown with aftermarket hoods. If purchasing a lesser quality ram air hood from approximately 4 other companies that make them you would be best served to re read Allan's comments.
Thornton's hood is the best repo hood up and down no question. I have purchased several back in the day when they were about $1,250.00 if my memory is correct.
I will give an honest opinion of these hoods within the next two weeks, as they are going on some cars I had lying around. Two will go on a 1971 and 1972 442. The other two are going on 1971 Cutlass Supreme's. I'm thinning the "herd" in my shop as I have been collecting Cutlass, 442, and Supremes since 1980.
Rob at Fiber Concepts and Thornton's shop are only 24 miles from each other,(just FYI info).
Yes, you need to use lighter springs. I think for the money involved, this is the best hood. I will get some pics out soon of them painted and on the cars.
On a side note, the car on the left is a 1972 442. I'm really surprised no comments on what is under the car cover on the right side of the picture. Look hard the clue is there. Thanks, Jeff in Washington State.
Picture circa, 1981 my first car 1968 Olds 442.

Allan R

Jeff, I remember when those hoods were 1250.00 also. In fact at one point Troy was selling his hoods through Fusick's catalogue. (Still have the catalogue). Sadly the only mold being used wasn't meeting the market demand and production quotas, so there were a lot of disappointed customers. Thornton's actually shut down orders for OAI hoods till they could re-tool and start mass producing a new hood using modern technology. Obviously that means higher quality control and customer satisfaction. The new hoods being manufactured by Thornton are reported to be spectacular, and they should be given the CNC design and machining that went into their production. One distinct benefit - there's certainly no delays like before when ordering one of these babies. Check out their FB page and take a tour of the production. It's really amazing.

Although the hood is expensive, it's likely not even at the break even point for Thornton's with all their production costs; at least until they sell a lot more.

Just a quick note: Parts Place has 'promised' they will have a 71/72 OAI hood comparable to their 1970 steel framed OAI hood. I've checked with them 3 times over the past 4 years and the answer is always the same. Translates to: Don't hold your breath waiting. Their 1970 hood has been tweaked to a better standard than the original version from what I've heard back from experts like Patton Glade. (70Post)

Last thing I would hope everyone who reads this takes to heart. In most cases, you get what you pay for. Sometimes you're the statue, sometimes you're the pigeon. Just saying.

Looking forward to your pics of the hoods painted and installed. So what is that car to the right? Now I'm really curious. I know it's NOT a Lambo, Porsche or Ferrari. Definitely not a Pinto, Vega or Sunfire. Based solely on the wheel design, I'm going to guess Buick Grand National. The way the cover is draped over the car makes it hard to see the body contour, but I think I can see the rear spoiler?