I'm in the market for a SS hood for my front end conversion. I've been reading a lot on the aftermarket hoods and there seem to be varying degrees of quality in terms of fit and finish and even some of the structural aspects, like how thick the fibeglass is.

I don't want to spend $1800 for a new ss hood, but what options exist that are reasonable quality and fit and finish in the 500-800 range? I wouldn't mind spending $800 for a better fit /quality then spend 500 and then give the body shop more to make it look right.

THoughts?

 

I haven't had any problems with anything on my Harwood Cowl Hood. Check out picture in sig.

 

No problems with fitment on the Z-roc / Stinger hood.

 

i didnt have any issues with the spyder3 ram air hood that i have on my car

 

Since you are doing a front end swap you might search for a used OEM SS hood. They are considerably cheaper than OEM LT1 SS's because they made so many more of them. I think they usually don't go for much more than 5-650and trust me it would be worth it in fit and quality. If you buy a cheaper aftermarket hood a body man can easily spend a lot of time and your money on getting it to fit and it'll probably end up costing more and not looking as good as an OEM one.

 

This is where I think I need to go. I've been watching ebay, SS hoods are in the 800 range on ebay. I'll have to keep an eye out, but I think I would prefer OEM for all those reasons.

 

I have an aftermarket SS hood, only fitament issue i have is in the corner nearest the driver seat. I have made no attempts to fix it yet though - isnt even painted the right color right now.

 

I'd get an OEM if I were to do it over again. The body shop spent 8hrs fitting my hood (Harwood) and now it looks very good, but not perfect. If your really **** like me then go OEM otherwise save a few bucks and get a Harwood.

 

I got mine from FFI, no fitment problems, and hardly any filler was needed, been using stock struts for 3 years now, and still holding up.
Happy fellow here.

 

I got my hood from American Sports Car Design. Even though it was pricey, the quality is unmatched, except OEM.

 

Pretty much every aftermarket hood falls in your price range. I dont have any complaints with my SLP ultraZ hood.

 

I just ran across a good deal on a rksport hood directly from RKsport, we'll see how it fits when it gets in.

 

Anyone ever have any problems with the VFN 4 inch. Ram Air bolt on hood for LT1 Trans Ams?

 

I have the VFN 4" hood on my LT1 Camaro and the fit and finish was perfect. I can't begin to say how great the hood is, to prove it I bought the hood for my LS1 Camaro from VFN as well.
I HIGHLY recomand them!!

 

thats good to hear! I was going to buy it anyways, just wanted to make sure there are no real problems with VFN hoods! thanks for the info