[carbuff]

Has anyone here had any experience with the pin-on or bolt-on hoods that VFN makes for the 2nd gen Firebirds? I'm thinking about getting one for my car (the shaker version) both due to the difficulty in finding a steel one and for the weight savings. I haven't been able to find any real world experiences with them though.

Thanx for any feedback!

[soupman]

I just got one for my 74. It fit great, contours were right on and dimensionally was exact match to the factory hood. I have the bolt on one and the hood latch steel anchor is molded in the fiberglass.
Nice piece very happy,

[triathlonx13]

Originally Posted by carbuff

Has anyone here had any experience with the pin-on or bolt-on hoods that VFN makes for the 2nd gen Firebirds? I'm thinking about getting one for my car (the shaker version) both due to the difficulty in finding a steel one and for the weight savings. I haven't been able to find any real world experiences with them though.

Thanx for any feedback!

Hi,

Go to http://www.vfnfiberglass.com/site.htm and click on gallery and click page 15 and sccroll down - you will see HTR's 1979 TA. VFN fiberglass front end and pin on hood.


Chris

[carbuff]

Thanx guys...

Soupman, glad to hear your are happy with your choice. You also touched on a question that I had about how the latch worked. I assume from your comment that it's similar to the factory latch. You wouldn't by chance have any pictures would you?

Chris, it's hard to tell from those pictures how good the fit actually is. I'm assuming the different colors amplify the edges, but it almost looks wavy along the front and fender lines.

[triathlonx13]

Originally Posted by carbuff

Thanx guys...

Soupman, glad to hear your are happy with your choice. You also touched on a question that I had about how the latch worked. I assume from your comment that it's similar to the factory latch. You wouldn't by chance have any pictures would you?

Chris, it's hard to tell from those pictures how good the fit actually is. I'm assuming the different colors amplify the edges, but it almost looks wavy along the front and fender lines.

Yah - those pictures are before I had the hood painted.

If you go with the hinge-able hood you might want to think ablout re-enforcing the hood latch striker by expoxy bonding a thin piece of metal that conforms to the latch strike area on the hood. Other wise the fiber glass can get chewed-up. Also, some guys add hood pins for extra security.

You'll be happy with the shape of the hoods - good quality work. Plan on 6-8 weeks for delivery. Most items are built to order and not on the shelf for sale.

.

[carbuff]

Appreciate the input. I am likely going to use pins, and I do plan on the bolt-on option. I wasn't sure how 'strong' the latch area was on these hoods, and I presume they are not adjustable, just like the factory units.

Thanx again. I just received (a couple of days ago) a fiberglass nose from VFN that I haven't had time to take out of the box to even check out yet. Plan to do that today...

[cutrone]

I have a VFN bolt on for my 71 bird .
I plan on using pins just for safety sake .


Fit and construction seem very good.
I thought of getting different hood springs as the stock spings would not work.

I added 1 inch of chain link to the back of the stock spring (adding to the overall length of the spring)
That took just enough tension off to give the perfect rate.(opens and closes like butter)

Let me know if you want me to post any pics of the hood ?

[carbuff]

Thanx! I have actually purchased a set of Fesler billet hinges and 'glass gas tubes that I'm going to use, but your idea on the spring is interesting.

If you have pictures, I would love to see them. Post here or you can email them to me.

[x-bird2]

anyone have an idea of the weight difference between the stock and the fiberglass (hinge style).

[cutrone]

Not sure what a steel hood weighs but VFN lists this on their site .

70-76 Shaker Flat Pin On Hood. Price=299.00 Weight=13 Ship: Truck Freight.



70-76 Shaker flat Bolt On Hood. Price=399.00 Weight=24Ship: Truck Freight.

[soupman]

The hood is actually lighter than they say, that is the shipping weight with the box. My hinge style weight was probably 15 lbs.

VFN already reinforces the hood latch area for you. The fiberglass does not get chewed up. The imbed a steel piece so the hood latch catches it fine.
Mine was not wavy on the edges, had agreat contour.

[cutrone]

Here are some pics :

[ramair3formula]

Needs block sanding but fit is right on. Actually lined up better than my factory formula hood.

[66bonne]

Just my 2 cents on VFN: I have one of their 'glass hoods on my 65 Catalina. I'd buy another in a second. Good quality.

Jim

[Formula8]

I have the T/A hood and it is probably well above average for a fiberglass hood. But being Fiberglass, don't expect it to go on the car with just a scuff and prime. If you look at the photo Cutrone posted, the middle is unsupported and very flexible while the supported part you can practically stand on. Unfortunately, when you are blocking the top, the transition is darn near impossible to get straight.

The rear and sides were perfect. My bumper may not have been right and I needed to epoxy a 1/8" strip of balsa wood on the right side front between the corner and center of the hood. I fiberglassed over the strip and filled it until it was perfect. Also, the cowl vents left impressions in the mold which carried over to the hood. Nothing a little glazing didn't take care of but all in all, I have about 20 hours into the hood and it still isn't right where the supported area stops. I will probably spend all Saturday with that area again.

[Formula8]

Almost forgot. I used some Harwood springs especially made for F-body applications with Fiberglass hoods. They went on easily and work perfect. I picked them up from Summit for like $25. There are two part numbers to choose from and my springs are the ones that weren't gold. Excuse the dust, my car was just sprung from paint prison.

[LeighP]

Nice work!

[carbuff]

Formula8,

Thanx for the pictures! Looks like you are doing a great job! A couple of quick questions...

Any chance you have a picture of the radiator support, specifically of where you have your pins mounted? I would likely do a set of pins also.

Are you going to use the factory latch at all, or just the pins?

Thanx again!

[Formula8]

Thanks for the compliments. This is not my profession nor do I claim to be good at it but it seems to be coming out very well. A pro could probably knock this work out in a day or so but me.....not so much.

I am using both the pins and the latch. I have had a glass hood come up on me back in the day. The metal of the hood latch mechanism will eventualy wear through the fiberglass of the hood. Unfortunately, this creates a bit of a problem 'cause the hood deforms a tiny bit when latched. I have done all of my blocking with the hood latched so when it is not latched, the deformation will probably be noticeable in the hood. My plan is to eventually epoxy a "U" shaped strip of metal into the hood to give the latch something to latch onto that is not going to wear out. I probably should have though of that earlier but as you can see, I have had other priorities at the moment.

I had to fabricate some brackets for the pins and notch the radiator support. They are nothing elaborate and I made them with a bench vise and hammer. I did need to notch the radiator support a bit though. Otherwise, the pins would need to be located about 10" further away from the front edge of the hood to avoid cutting into either the hood reinforcement or the part of the radiator support you cannot reach the bottom of the hood pins with a locking bolt. Hard to describe but it sounds like you know what I mean otherwise you wouldn't be asking.

I reblocked the hood for the fifth time after I spotted in three coats of Featherfill and think I have it right this time. I installed the front bumper and brought the fenders out a bit. I'll get back to the shop later this week and take some picks. I am very happy with the gaps now and the hood matches the original contours pretty well. There is a tiny high area on the left side along the front of the hood (the area I didn't mess with and you can see it on RamAirForumula's picture from the front so the issue appears to be in the mold. Now that I am looking at it, it may drive me bananas that I didn't take care of it so maybe back to the drawing board) and the right side edge along the fender raises up maybe 1/16-1/8" above the fender but that may be an issue with my hood hinge.

I know this is soundling like a lot of work but I will say the fit of the VFN hood out of the box is superior to my factory Formula hood. I'll get some pics up later in the week.

[carbuff]

The metal of the hood latch mechanism will eventualy wear through the fiberglass of the hood.

Hmm, this was something I was trying to determine from your pictures. So there is no metal support or 'latch' on the hood? It's just fiberglass in the catch area?

Regarding the pins, your explanation pretty much makes sense. I was looking at my formula hood last night, and it seemed I would have to drill through the front support to install the pins on the radiator support, so I was wondering how you managed that.

Another thing I was looking at... The formula hood has metal strips that are riveted to the side supports. I was wondering if doing something like that on a VFN hood would help the problem you mentioned of lack of support in the middle between the hinge and the front bumpers. Hmm...

On your shaker, did you make your own round base? And which fiberglass shaker are you using? When the hood is closed, it looks like your shaker is pretty close to the hood. Are you going to use the factory seal around the shaker to seal it to the hood?

Thanx again, I really appreciate the info and pictures!