• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Anyone have a source for a carbon fiber appx 5" "cowl" hood 70 Roadrunner?

biomedtechguy

Accelerati Rapidus Maximus
FBBO Gold Member
Local time
5:09 AM
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
Messages
33,604
Reaction score
53,207
Location
South Louisiana
I am going to need about a 5" high cowl the width and depth of the normal power bulge for my 70 Roadrunner.
I have been looking at fiberglass, but by the time I get it paint matched, I could get a carbon fiber hood. "Natural" dark gray/black with that beautiful deep clearcoat looking epoxy...
I'd also like to see what it would look like with the satin black factory stripes.
Thanks in advance to anyone who is kind enough to do this for me.
The biggest reason why I'm doing this is so I can incorporate the Air Grabber setup and airbox with this Weiand 6bbl intake.
20200604_135643.jpg

Some pix you may be able to work with
20191124_145920.jpg

20191012_113801.jpg

20191006_171142.jpg
 
If you go with cf, make sure you can see it before purchasing. I just saw a cf hood a guy bought for his late model Challenger. It was ridiculously wavy and he was disappointed with it. A poor fitting/appearing 'glass hood can be fixed with some work, cf not so much.
 
If you go with cf, make sure you can see it before purchasing. I just saw a cf hood a guy bought for his late model Challenger. It was ridiculously wavy and he was disappointed with it. A poor fitting/appearing 'glass hood can be fixed with some work, cf not so much.
Thanks a lot.
As far as I know, no one "makes" the hood I need. I have my paint and body guy, who does more than that with classic cars, but is exceptionally talented and most importantly trustworthy and reasonable working on sourcing the hood. So I don't see any way possible to see the hood I would actually get until it's done.
What I can do maybe is see other work that they have done. It HAS TO BE nice, and the kind of "color" and "finish" I'm looking for is like this:
Screenshot_20200626-233141_Chrome.jpg

Now I don't expect it to be "Speedkore Evolution Charger" nice, but I don't want a funky, blotchy, wavy piece of **** either.
 
I emailed Glasstek. They have a couple of "cowl" scoops that look ideal in that they do NOT have a center line, which is how it must be because of the Air Grabber door, at least flat except for the very front, which is like the factory hood.
The CF hood pic is the finish I want, and similar to what I'm thinking about.
GCS048-extra-wide-4-inch-flat-top-cowl-scoop-2-1024x768.jpg
GCS048-extra-wide-4-inch-flat-top-cowl-scoop-3-1024x768.jpg
IMG_4115.jpeg
 
The finish you want can be done at a wrap shop. The folks out here are doing steel hoods and bumpers. The is done so well that you can't tell. So you could use a scoop on your hood cut out the whole for the grabber then have the hood wrapped. The wrap holds up well and doesn't fade. Good luck bio on which way you go. Question is the cf hood a bolt on or lift off. Just thinking about the grabber stuff on a lift off hood. Keep us updated.
 
Bio, what ever you do remember that the grabber must be in the flat part of the scoop or trouble with the grabber can happen. It won't set flat with the scoop or it will stick up a little when closed. So please measure and measure again before you cut that open. I Know you have thought of this over and over. Put the costs together it maybe cheaper just to up grade to a fi-tech setup. Or do some work on your intake you have now. Having that big stroker engine in it and then you lift the hood and it looks stock going to twist some minds on how you did that. Then you don't loose your hood or grabber. But have a cold one then decide and go for it and don't look back your going to have a badass ride enjoy it. Thanks for listening bearman
 
The finish you want can be done at a wrap shop.
There are a number of really good wrap shops around the "greater" geographical location I'm in. Hydrographics would be ideal, because I've seen that and they truly do look like that deep, dimensional clear coat over the carbon fiber material, but I haven't seen that effect with a wrap, which to me, at least what I've seen, looks flatter, no polyethylene type deep clear..
Still, the ideal would be actual CF, but I'll make a few calls to wrap shops, tell them the look I want, and see if they have any examples of that work
Glasstek, I'm very very happy to say was wonderful on the phone compared to Unlimited, who didn't return a message I left with a live person. Then I spoke with them on a call I made, with the owner present, could tell they are afraid to sell me a hood, asked again for any pictures of their work, was told "not to buy their hood if I ever show my car" and still haven't got a call or pictures, so they are OUT and honestly I wish I could get the time back I wasted on the phone with them.
Glasstek OTOH was very friendly and enthusiastic. They have pictures of a couple of good scoop candidates, FLAT top with maybe a little center line peak right at the leading edge of the hood, just like the factory hood.
GCS048-extra-wide-4-inch-flat-top-cowl-scoop-3-1024x768.jpg
GCS048-extra-wide-4-inch-flat-top-cowl-scoop-2-1024x768.jpg

Question is the cf hood a bolt on or lift off. Just thinking about the grabber stuff on a lift off hood.
Definitely whatever the hood is made of, it is going to have to have provisions for the factory hood hinges (lighter spring) or at least those damn expensive but really nice billet hinges w/a light spring. It also has to accept the factory hood latch, even though I have hood pins.
what ever you do remember that the grabber must be in the flat part of the scoop or trouble with the grabber can happen. It won't set flat with the scoop or it will stick up a little when closed.
That is why I'm looking at what they call an extra wide cowl, which isn't terribly wide, but it has to be wide enough to accommodate the tallest parts of the airbox, at least part of it. I am going to mock up and measure as much as possible. Take a look at this, the blue lines:
This blue line square is the part that attaches to the hood frame for the air door:
Screenshot_20200702-013656_Gallery.jpg

And the upper (higher) parts of the airbox will have to have space in the cowl:
Screenshot_20200702-013955_Photo Editor.jpg
Screenshot_20200702-014056_Gallery.jpg

And I still need space for the vacuum can and actuating mechanisms and flap that blocks/opens the rectangular opening to underhood air. If need be, I may be able to use one or two small electric motors to lift the scoop and open or close the metal rectangular flap.
The BEST scenario is to be able to use all of the factory parts, not reinvent it, but make it work with the cowl. I have to be able to mount all of those parts as well.
It's a bit much for me to wrap my head around at this moment, but PLEASE keep the suggestions coming!
 
1) You already have a bunch of irons in the fire. I would take care of those things first and get back to the hood stuff later. You can always dyno it and drive it without a hood :).

2) Is the air grabber scoop an absolute "must-have" on the new hood? I would not do it. See my comments below in 4) with regards to the boundary layer effects on performance.

3) Why not bulge the hood as needed for clearance and then run fresh air ducting from behind the grille?

4) Why not fab up a forward facing scoop (6 pack style) that blends in with the hood bulge that need to be added anyway? If memory serves me, Direct Connection used to recommend a minimum of 30 square inches of scoop opening AND keep the bottom lip of the scoop opening (1/4"?) above the hood surface. The 1/4" will keep the bottom lip of the scoop opening above the boundary layer of air flowing back towards the scoop. This lip location is important for 2 reasons:
i) the boundary layer is slow moving, and
ii) the boundary layer is hotter than the "freestream" air.
In essence, you don't want slow, hot air going into your induction system... it's a performance killer.
 
1) You already have a bunch of irons in the fire. I would take care of those things first and get back to the hood stuff later. You can always dyno it and drive it without a hood :).

2) Is the air grabber scoop an absolute "must-have" on the new hood? I would not do it. See my comments below in 4) with regards to the boundary layer effects on performance.

3) Why not bulge the hood as needed for clearance and then run fresh air ducting from behind the grille?

4) Why not fab up a forward facing scoop (6 pack style) that blends in with the hood bulge that need to be added anyway? If memory serves me, Direct Connection used to recommend a minimum of 30 square inches of scoop opening AND keep the bottom lip of the scoop opening (1/4"?) above the hood surface. The 1/4" will keep the bottom lip of the scoop opening above the boundary layer of air flowing back towards the scoop. This lip location is important for 2 reasons:
i) the boundary layer is slow moving, and
ii) the boundary layer is hotter than the "freestream" air.
In essence, you don't want slow, hot air going into your induction system... it's a performance killer.
All greatly appreciated and worthy of further review as I certainly don't want to have the Air Grabber as a detriment to performance. I am strongly considering a K&N taller than stock Oval air filter because of this:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/knn-e-3840
I read somewhere that the factory paper element and stock height replacement K&N limit the airflow, and the author had it down to CFM. He actually listed a special order part # for a K&N taller than the 3" one I linked to, the linked filter is taller than the stock filters.
I have a ways to go before I actually buy the hood, but with all that is involved I'm trying to get a head start.
Also there's a big part of my brain that only thinks of this and how AWESOME it is!
 
One interesting thing I remember years and years ago, an article and I believe Hot Rod Magazine or one of them I can't remember, it was all about hood scoops and performance, the only ones that did any good were the ones way at the front of the hood or the cowl induction, all of the ones in the center including the air Grabber didn't really help performance hardly at all if any! the pressures in that area are all wrong for a scoop.

But they sure do look cool as hell
 
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top