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Hey guys! I was just wondering if i could get some opinions from guys who have installed aftermarket hoods. Im looking a picking up a carbon creations hood for my 99 C5. I went on there site and it says they recommend using hood pins but not sure if you have to have them. So im assuming the hood comes with a latch? Also how hard are these to align up? Thanks for any input i can get!
No there is no latch that comes with an after market hood. These hood are not just a bolt up. The manufacturer of this hood recommends hood pins. because of its structural integrity. Similar manufacturers also recommend not to use the factory struts to hold the hood up. Fitment can easily be I the neighborhood of 4 to 8 hours of body work At 80 a hour that is an additional 320 to 640 dollars to make it fit. Hood that are direct bolts up are in the 2000 to 3000 dollar range.
There are lots of threads and post on this subject over the last 15 years here. Good Luck.. do a lot of research before you commit to this or any hood and know what you are getting into.
Bill aka ET I know a few things because I have seen a few things
I cant find anything that says these are hard to install? I know some hoods are hard to lign up by themselves but dont know what kind of "body work" would need to be done? Drilling holes for the hood pins?
I cant find anything that says these are hard to install? I know some hoods are hard to lign up by themselves but dont know what kind of "body work" would need to be done? Drilling holes for the hood pins?
There are at least 500 post in threads that speak of aftermarket hood install. If you cant find anything, you need to expand your search efforts . Lots of threads on these Chinese knock off hoods. You wont find any that will tell you that it just bolts up. Then there is the issue of what some people call a good fit, or one they can live with. When a manufacturer tells you that you can't used the factory latch system, but to use pins and you should not use the struts, that should tell you something. You can use the hinges but not the struts or the locking mechanism..
My Caravaggio hood utilizes all the factory mounting hardware and doesn't require hood pins. Any hood that "requires" hood pins is not one I really want. Since my car may never see much track time, I don't need a super-light carbon fiber hood so a heavier fiberglass unit is my personal preference. Main reason I wanted a different hood, was for aesthetics anyway. Hopefully, mine will be fitted, prepped, painted, and back on the car in the next couple of weeks.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
C5 of Year Winner (performance mods) 2019
it's easy to install one, same as putting on any other hood... now getting it to fit right is the trick, sometimes it just takes a little adjusting but many times the hood itself just isn't made right... carbon creations is a perfect example of the latter, complete junk in my experience
ok thanks for the help. I was going to buy a carbon creations but if you guys are saying they wont fit well then its not worth the money or the hassle!
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
C5 of Year Winner (performance mods) 2019
they don't fit well and the quality is not good either... from 20ft away cruising down the road they may look fine and some people are ok with that but if you are looking for stock like fitment and quality then steer clear in my opinion
Anyone have any experience with Caravaggio hoods with fit and quality. So far I only found one person unhappy. Putting a Maggie tvs 2300 and need a hood to clean and it really hard to find a MCM high rise. Concerned ordering from out of the counrty even if it is canada.
As other have said, install is easy even for a beginner with hand tools. It's the lining up and fit and finish that is the issue. IMO, hood is never a worthy mod unless you're trying to shave a tiny bit of weight for the track or you're looking for a badass "my car is FAST" hood. Otherwise, not worth the hassle
Last edited by vettefordays; 03-25-2019 at 01:26 AM.
Yea the carbon creations hood i found is brand new in the box for $600. I figured it was a good deal and i would jump on it since they are $1200 thru there website. I just like the look and figured it would go well with my black and red color combo. But again if you guys dont think it will fit well at all then its not worth the money or the hassle.
If you like it i'd try it for 600 bucks. you can always resell it.
here's how my anderson composites hood fits. took about 5 minutes to put it on by myself. i have to tweak a few little things but overall it looks great.
If you like it i'd try it for 600 bucks. you can always resell it.
here's how my anderson composites hood fits. took about 5 minutes to put it on by myself. i have to tweak a few little things but overall it looks great.
If I'm not mistaken Carbon Creations and Dura Flex are the same company??? Please look up Dura Flex Reviews. This might help you understand a little better. I have never had any personal experience with either of them. But when I purchased my after market hood I decided to use somebody else based on all the reviews out there.
That looks really good to me! Why do so many ppl not like the carbon creationz one?
i'm not sure. Apparently some have fitment issues... but i never know if it's the person fitting it to the car or the hood. every hood i've ever swapped. whether stock or not, has required some fitting. some adjusting of panels etc.
if you found a hood for 600 bucks that you really like i wouldn't be afraid to try it.
Just so you know where the bar is set. My MCM hood ( sadly not made anymore ) was just bolted right up without any fitment or body work as all the MCM hoods were made with the passion of the designer. If you could find a used on , they are going for between 2000 and 2500 dollars. You dont need hood pins, or delete the struts. It the " exact " same dimensions as the factory hood, but in Carbon fiber
It's ten pounds lighter than factory, its carbon fiber, its DOT approved and the big thing for a bottom breathing hot running ( by design ) C5 its a heat extracting hood. Since the C5 motor runs in the 190 to 230 F range, having a real heat extracting hood is extremely desirable.
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including Styrene, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer, and Bisphenol A which is known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov. https://andersoncomposites.com/colle...et-corvette-c5
03-24-2019, 02:45 PM
How hard is it to install an aftermarket hood?
