Ok, now we have some figures...
Compared to "repro" steel, the fiberglass hood saves maybe 10 lbs. and
costs $75 more (current sale price). It seems possible it will fit
better; at least not any worse. And it won't rust (not that hood rusting
is a big problem). Seems reasonable.
One concern I might have is how the main latch and safety catch are
attached. The MGB main latch has a well-documented tendency to fly open
at speed. On the original aluminum hood the safety catch would just pull
the rivets out of the aluminum at this point, allowing the hood to slap
up against the windshield, to the detriment of everyone involved. At
least the steel hood had some chance of holding the safety catch rivets.
I would hope that the fiberglass hood uses some kind of captive nuts or
metal plate for both the latch and the safety catch.
Now that I think of it, the fiberglass hoods provided for muscle cars
almost always require the use of racing-style hood lock pins, rather than
relying on the factory hardware. I don't know if this is an intrinsic
property of fiberglass hoods or just a preference of the market.
Jon Lind had this to say:
>I keep hearing "it's not worth the extra money for the 'glass", but what
>extra money? It's $225 for the Smoothline, which is less than than the $400
>OEM replacement, and only $75 more than the steel replacements which
>everyone here says stinks.
>
>Sounds like a bargain to me. Of course, that's only until the end of this
>year, at which time the price goes back to being more than the steel OEM.
>
><<
>OK, I can buy that. But does anyone have any actual weight figures for
>hoods? I would be interested in knowing how much I would be paying per
>pound saved, as it were.
>>>
>
>
--
Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149
If you're near Mountain View, CA,
it's the red one with the silver bootlid.
|