A friend of mine wrecked his 97 SS and is getting rid of a few things. I myself am interested in his hood/air box (which were not hurt in the wreck), but i had a few questions for you all:

What is the weight difference between the stock hood and an aftermarket fiberglass hood? Is it considerable

Would you get better/worse gains from a CAI vs. the SS air box?

What do you think a good price for this set up (hood (i'll need it repainted) SS Ram air box w/K&N filter and K&N recharge kit)

I also hear nothing fits like a hood from the factory, searches show how people have had all kinds of problems with aftermarket fits.

 

Brent Franker's "4th gen F-Body Weights Page" says a stock 93-97 hood with insulation weighs 44 lbs. My fiberglass hood probably weighs in the neighborhood of 30 lbs. Not a huge weight savings, but it won't hurt.
Depends. Dyno tests have shown that a CAI, specifically the GMPP dual tube thing in the article I read, makes more power when there's less airflow into the nose of the car. Since the air running into an SS airbox has to make a full circle almost before it gets to the throttle body, that makes since to me.
Well, you can get an SS style hood and airbox from Suncoast Creations for $795. Guessing around $40-$50 for the K&N and the recharge kit came with my filter. You can draw your own conclusion, but a factory SS hood would draw a higher price than a replica, but since it's used....
I have a Suncoast Creations Z-Style hood, and I had no fitment problems. It was little too wide, but my body shop guy said that was good because it let him get a really good finish on the edges. He just smoothed everything out and painted it. I did all the fitment and hinge/latch modifications myself.

Hope this helps,
James

 

he's quoting me 600 for the setup. I donno though, i could go aftermarket for like 400, then get a CAI for like 100 used, and use the extra $ towards the paint. Maybe I can get him to throw in his car cover or something.

Anyone have a better idea of the gains/losses of a SS Ram air setup vs a CAI?

 

$600 for a factory SS hood and ram air box is a darn good deal. I wouldn't think that there is a HUGE difference in the HP/TQ from the CAI to the Ram Air setup - but if anything, I would expect the Ram Air to be on top.

And take this into thought - you are just going to have to get the stock SS hood painted, you know it fits right. Just about any aftermarket hood is going to have some bodywork needed, so you would come out better probably total cost with your buddy's setup.

 

Don't forget to take into consideration the shipping/handling charges. Personally, for all the great reasons these other people have already stated, I'd go ahead and buy your buddies hood. Can't argue with stock GM.

 

true, shipping on an aftermarket hood would be killer, when i could just drive the hour down to his place and pick up his. Now to do some budgeting to make sure I can put down that amount of cash and still have food/beer money :-) Ahhh, to be in college, it's a wonderful thing