cherrybombc3

I know this has been discussed in the past more than one, however I am hoping to get some up-dated, recent, opinions. Who has the better quality, fit, form & function regarding a L-88 long hood for my 78??

Vanacors (spoke with Diane today, very nice)
Ecklers
ACI
Or ????

Your help is greatly appreciated as I hate to learn the hard way

Phil Zell

I have a Vanacor's that fits like a glove on my 75, being painted tomorrow.

cherrybombc3

That's great to hear as Diane was very helpful & their prices are the best of the 3 listed.
Is Vanacors a functional cowl hood? Open in the rear towards windshield?

TheSkunkWorks

The two Eckler's L88 hoods I've had were perfect, but Vanacor has lots of positive reviews here too, and I may well do some business with them myself in future.

FYI, Captain Obvious wants me to make sure you know that without a properly isolated cold air induction (CAI) box, simply opening the rear of the hood won't give you cowl induction. Could be wrong, but I'm not aware of any aftermarket L88 hood which comes with the CAI box already installed.

Phil Zell

The rear of my hood is closed completely, my old hood (75) was open, I had removed the flapper door. I doubt that I have any issues with heat or whatever because I am running the DeWitt alum radiator and twin spal fans.
I will try to get some pics up next week.

cherrybombc3

Point well taken, thanks.
If the rear were open & there was no CAI, would air come in the cowl area or just the opposite and be pushed out towards the windshield due to pressure of air coming in from grilles, radiator & fans?

TheSkunkWorks

There's been a good bit of discussion and division over that issue, including here...

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-t...ics-et-al.html

Tho I haven't had the opportunity to measure the actual pressure differentials (∆P) involved here (have the instruments, but my "mule" is out of service), tuft tests I've seen have shown once ~30-35 MPH is reached there is typically enough pressure ahead of the windshield to overcome that under the hood. Some report non-scientific observations to the contrary, however without the box, should there be any pressure gain from the cowl it would add to that already below the nose of the car, resulting in additional lift (something you don't want at speed).

Bottom line, since there's no guarantee any cold air will find its way to the carb without isolation IMCO there's little point in (and perhaps good reason against) opening up the cowl sans box. Think I might re-post this summation in the thread above. Anyway, hope that helps.

rudolph schenker

My Vanacor hood fit "ok". It did not fit perfect, and it did require some massaging and blocking to fit. In my opinion the money saved at Vanacors is lost when fitting the hood.

cherrybombc3

WOW, that thing is tall. I didnt hink the Vanacor L-88 hood was originally that massive, is that a "hi-rise" or just a standard L-88 ??? I may be rethinking my choices?

rudolph schenker

It's the high rise version. I was skeptical about it being too tall, but I love it now. It really helps the car stand out. It was not a perfect fit though.

dmeesq

My Ecklers hood, pretty good fit, just a little filling and sanding.

Phil Zell

Eckler's will not remember your name, Jackie and Mike, from Vanacor's will. Plus you will have a better product for less money ! I used to buy from Ecklers before I learned better.

Just my .02 worth

cherrybombc3

Jackie called me on my cell phone @ 7PM to give me a shipping total. I was shocked as I just thought she'd call me the next day or two at my daytime number. They do have the type of Customer Service we all look for. Regarding fit, Im sure every car is different and some my plop right on & be done & the same hood on another Vette would require labor. It seems to be the nature of our cars, not any 2 identical. The feed back I'm getting shows ACI, Vanacors & Ecklers all seem to be quality pcs. My mind is made up as customer service cant be found just anywhere but parts can be found everywhere.

cherrybombc3

Dont get me wrong, I think it's awesome, it has an uber aggressive look!!! Gotta love the red Beautiful car. I am now rethinking my choice & looking closer at the hi-rise L-88???

cherrybombc3

Man, it's amazing what a lil more agressive hood does for the C3's. Some may not like anything veering from stock or a big block hood on a late C3, but to each thier own, god bless us all. Myself, I love the look. Your car has a whole new personality now, very, very cool

rudolph schenker

I'm not knocking Vanacor, I bought their hood! Just giving an honest opinion. I agree they do have good customer service, however last year they were almost out of business.

I think you will be happiest with the high-rise L88.