What is the difference between the L48 and the L82 hoods on the later C3s? Thinking about removing the wiper assy for less weight, but also need room for the Vortech. To include the early C3 guys that have installed the long hoods, is there any complications or advice you can offer? Thanks T

 

My 74 hood is HEAVY......engine has nothing to do,with it . They were the same.

I think my old 79 vette hood was considerably lighter .....the factory reduced the thickness of the fiberglass to save weight ..if I recall

 

The L-82 emblems. L-82s used the stock production hood and added the emblems for applicable model years. 73 and later hoods won't fit the 68-72 models without doing more work than you might want to do. The extra length probably negates the weight gain from losing the wiper door.

 

hum...I want the wiper door back on my 69 while I dig mods the wiper door is too cool to loose,
Of course I will make it an electric opened item, but loosing the wiper door to me is almost like pulling the bumpers off...
Putting the long hood on a 68-72 isn't a big problem just be sure it has the right latches they did change a few times,

 

Agree!

 

Changing hoods can be a problem...the "new" hood might not fit very well...particularly if you change years. Even the stock factory hoods don't often fit all that well with the body. Fit solutions include, breaking the front clip loose in the front, breaking the inner wheels loose, and adding thin fiberglass layers on the body/hood..and then grinding them down for a perfect match. Thousands of dollars.

One thing though, a slight mis-matched hood might not be noticed, say, from 10 feet away.

 

Thanks guys, I've seen some on the older vettes but never looked close at the fit. Would like to hear from some that have done this mod. T

 

I think that you have to add fiberglass to the fender tops to match the long hood, no? Lou.

 

partly....
Anyone savvy with glass can make it happen for the costs of the materials.

Most of us already know latches changed a time or two, but like you point out so did what I will loosly call body lines,
Poor fit needing work,
That mostly happens when a person thinks a hood made for a 73-82 be it stock or aftermarket will just drop on and fit a 68-72, Good aftermarket parts houses made special long hoods to properly fit the 68-72, ( some better than others )

http://www.ecklerscorvette.com/corve...1968-1972.html

The link is an example of Ecklers long L-88 for the 68-72, this hood will not work on 73-82 either.

 

So, what does it take to make a 73-79 hood fit on a 68-72? If its just a matter of extending the top tips of the fenders in front of the windshield I don't think that's a big deal.

 

It's more than just extending the hood, modding fenders..most do not want to mod fenders but rather mod the hood so they or the next owner can return to stock if desired...in any event things have to be built up, re-shaped, etc....big deal?...well, I mod, I do things like wide bodies and metal flares on metal cars...so to me it's not a big deal but some just want the long hood for now with the option of returning to stock hood one day without undoing body work......to them it's a big deal but it's kinda moot why do all that extra work when good parts houses sell hoods that will fit 68-72 closer/better than a stock 73-82 hood.
I say closer/ better because if it fits really great you got lucky, in too many cases aftermarket hoods need help fitting,

Check this one out....I'm tired and it said it better,
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...long-hood.html

 

Thanks for the links. Might have to put this idea on hold for a while, some other vette projects to do. Correct me if I'm wrong, 'you cannot use like a 75 hood and just bolt it on'? Appreciate the input. T

 

Thanks for the link, that's helpful. Do the parts houses sell 73-79 style long hoods made to fit on the 68-72s? The 73-79 hood is my favourite of all the C3s and if I buy a 68/69 I want to put that hood on it. Alternatively, the car below looks fine, is this just a matter of putting the 73-79 hood on the 69 and leaving on the fender corner moldings? I don't care about making it easy to return to stock for the next owner.

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I agree...my car I will do what I please...I don't plan to sell my 69...so the 68-69 chrome bumper cars grew on you? At one time parts houses sold long hoods on all kinds of years/scoops to fit the 68-72's but as people drifted away from modding there for a while some less popular ones were phased out, so I won't say that it will be an easy or hard find,
The car you posted has a high rise version of a 73 hood, so you might find it, I'm pretty sure that hood was made to fit the fenders, look close at the corners of the hood, look modded to me...
Also I sold my 73 hood for 200.00 but they are out there cheaper and not hard to mod to fit....

 

Well, when I started out looking for a C3 in 2009 I originally wanted a 68/69 although the 78/79 appealed to me a lot too. I wanted a loaded car and the 68/69s I was seeing didn't have too many options and the more I looked at them the more I thought "I can't stand that interior". I liked the 78/79 interior a great deal so I bought a 79 instead. A year or two ago it hit me, why didn't I consider buying a 68/69 and putting a 79 interior in it? I don't know why that didn't occurr to me back in 2009 but it didn't(perhaps because I was in the middle of my Eagle restoration and thinking I didn't want to take on another project). So now I'm thinking of selling my 79 and buying a 68/69 project that needs paint, interior, and drivetrain and making it my way. Electrical is not my strong point so I've also been thinkng maybe it would be easier to put a 69 front clip on my 79 and graft in a chrome bumper 70-73 rear. I'm not sure my husband will let me do that as that would be going from a safety bumper to a non-safety bumper so I'm biding my time to catch him in a good mood and see if he's open to it. The car is licensed as an antique and doesn't need to pass a safety inspection so I think it'd be okay. Plus if I keep my 79 I've already got the hood and doors I want, the a/c, the power options, the glass t-roofs, the L82 motor I want to use as a base for a tpi/vortec build, the 3.70 rear end I want, and a solid frame and birdcage I don't need to worry about. At some point I'm going to do a paper analysis of the two approaches and compare costs and labour involved.

 

We are not as far apart as I once thought, I am making the car I want and most any purist and many non purists would not think it's not the right way to build but I get what I want for way less than 15k, I am not concerned with investment or resell valve.

My 72 was a beast it was the 454 I wanted the convertible that was a must but it had none of the creature comforts that my two 81'a had or even my 76, even my 66 was more fun.

While some will have different opinions to mine I love the idea of you taking the 79 that you are already happy with and making it more personalized to what you believe the perfect vette is.
It will have the engine, drive train, etc you desire the dash you dig, in my case I never liked the 68-77 dash much either then with the 76 and on to this 69 it grew on me, not saying I like it better than the later dash but it has a classic old school feel I love.

Me, I have to build on a budget, I look long and hard for good deals. your wallet might be deeper.
Used the 68-72 clips are not so easy to find but they are out there, you didn't say if you would keep the 79 rear bubble window or nix it, It might look cool the bubble glass but from there back chrome bumper, I have seen pictures of them.

It wouldn't be as chevy did it but it wouldn't be as hard as to think to keep it "as" safe as it was in it's day keeping in mind our c3's would never pass todays dot tests

Project 68-72's that are not either way over priced, basket cases or both are also hard to find, so to me that's another reason to go with your 79 and make it the car you want,

Labor is a killer if you don't do lots/most of it yourself.

Get ready for people to tell you to sell the 79 and buy a 68-72 but you will not find a 68-72 just the way YOU want it and you are right back to modding a car that doesn't start with as much of what you want as your 79 already does.

PS: I know you said 68-69 but any chrome bumper 68-72 will work for what you want to do, the side vents are not an issue to change.

 

Priya, I feel that you would be better off changing a later Vette like your 79. The 68,69 cars were meant to road race and have solid aluminum body mounts. They ride extremely rough, but they do not lean at all in a hard corner! Besides, we keep losing stock looking ones every day. Lou.

 

Sorry Loup you "lost another one" as you put it my 69 is at the shop now, and geez I have the vette brakes transverse suspension package under it And swapped out the silly solid mounts for poly....but it's a street car.

Meant to road race?!?!?!? I wonder just how many 68-69-72 owners here road race their cars...I'm missing out...

Priya,
We pretty much highjacked this poor OP 's thread, I love your idea and topic why not start it's own thread,
But in the meantime,



http://lakeland.craigslist.org/pts/4702038873.html

 

Yes, that was quite a highjacking. I've responded with more thoughts on my plans here:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1588021756

 

No problem you hy-jackers, but you didn't answer my question; can you bolt on a 75 to 79 hood on a 6t8? So keep the jacks coming. T