l-88 short hood
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
From: des moines iowa
L-88 short hood
just got my new hood and i put it on to test fit. it fit fine except the front leading edge. it sticks up about quarter of an inch above the hood surround right behind the head lites. what did i do wrong???
[Modified by hotbrakesracing, 9:48 PM 1/10/2003]
[Modified by hotbrakesracing, 9:48 PM 1/10/2003]
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 4,466
Likes: 0
From: Paducah KY
Cruise-In I Veteran
Cruise-In II Veteran
Cruise-In III Veteran
Cruise-In IV Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03
Re: L-88 short hood (hotbrakesracing)
Probably nothing that you did. Is the amount sticking up uniform from side to center to side? Does the hood match up to the fenders from front to back? If the fit is acceptable every where except the front edge try the following:
First check to see hood id making contact with the radiator support. If it is, figure out which of the two is easiest to adjust (grind, file, sand, etc). If it's not touching check to see if there are shims, spacers or washers under your hinges where they attach to the body. If there are, then remove them and try the fit again. If not or if that doesn't produce the desired effect, you can remove the fiberglass in way of the hinge and mount the hinge directly on the metal piece that the hinge bolts through. Before you cut the glass look or feel under the front panel and make sure your metal nose stiffener that holds the shape of the nose and supports the headlight assemblies has not broken loose. If it has, it will allow the forward surround panel to sag. Not too hard to rebond.
If none of this helps, you either have a bad hood or some serious fiberglass work to do.
Good luck,
Dave
First check to see hood id making contact with the radiator support. If it is, figure out which of the two is easiest to adjust (grind, file, sand, etc). If it's not touching check to see if there are shims, spacers or washers under your hinges where they attach to the body. If there are, then remove them and try the fit again. If not or if that doesn't produce the desired effect, you can remove the fiberglass in way of the hinge and mount the hinge directly on the metal piece that the hinge bolts through. Before you cut the glass look or feel under the front panel and make sure your metal nose stiffener that holds the shape of the nose and supports the headlight assemblies has not broken loose. If it has, it will allow the forward surround panel to sag. Not too hard to rebond.
If none of this helps, you either have a bad hood or some serious fiberglass work to do.
Good luck,
Dave
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
From: des moines iowa
Re: L-88 short hood (Rolling Thunder)
thanks dave!! the hood does fit good every where but the front from side to center to side right behind the head lites..the misalinment is the same amount all the way across..the original hood fit ok all the way around...thanks for the ideas--back to the shark tank!!
Pro
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 502
Likes: 1
From: Georgia
Re: L-88 short hood (hotbrakesracing)
If the original hood fit and the new one doesn't, obviously the new one is made wrong, assuming someone hadn't done some modifying on the old one to bandaid fix problems with the front end. One other thing, are you sure that the old one fit well, and it's not just the difference in paint color with the new one highlighting the misfit? If the old one is stock and fit, there's no way in hell I'd butcher a stock front end to make an aftermarket hood fit. If it fits all the way down the sides and only gets off in front of the hinges, it's doubtfull you'll ever adjust and whack enough to get a proper fit. I'd send it back and buy one from somebody that knows how to make em correctly.
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
From: des moines iowa
Re: L-88 short hood (Solidlifters)
solidlifters--its a definite misfit on the the new hood. the stock one fit fine..the new hood is already sent back aand i am looking for a new outlet..thanks bob
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,286
Likes: 8
From: San Jose California
Re: L-88 short hood (hotbrakesracing)
Not always are the new hoods wrong. Often body work and panel alignment on the existing car may make a prefectly correct hood look crooked. Most new hoods require some trimming and panel allignment to correct. Rarely will one fit correctly out of the box.
Chuck
Chuck
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 9,662
Likes: 7
From: Semper ubi, sub ubi
Cruise-In VI Veteran
Cruise-In VII Veteran
Re: L-88 short hood (hotbrakesracing)
Contact Gary Gruhala at Gruhala Enterprises, he can get you a nice hood from Eckler's at a discount. I'm not allowed to give you a direct link to his business due to forum rules, but if you can replace DOT with . you'll figure it out.
wwwDOTangelfireDOTcom/mo2/GruhalaEnterprises/
He is a good guy and a great source of Corvette knowledge.
wwwDOTangelfireDOTcom/mo2/GruhalaEnterprises/
He is a good guy and a great source of Corvette knowledge.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 4,466
Likes: 0
From: Paducah KY
Cruise-In I Veteran
Cruise-In II Veteran
Cruise-In III Veteran
Cruise-In IV Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03
Re: L-88 short hood (Smokehouse69)
Contact Gary Gruhala at Gruhala Enterprises, He is a good guy and a great source of Corvette knowledge.
I just order a long L88 hood from Gary to replace my short one.
