Best fitting aftermarket hood replacement

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L-60

Member
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Dec 22, 2016
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Location
Alabama
My Car
1972 Mustang 302
Hello, my original hood is beat up and rusted out, I'm looking for an aftermarket replacement hood,, GoodMark and Dynacorn are 2 that come to mind,, contacted a guy in California who sells ram air hoods says he buys from a company that makes them in California but wouldn't tell me the company name,, went on to tell me they are a perfect fit. Anyways what company puts out the best fitting hoods (your opinions please). Also there seems to me 3 different style hoods. 1) a naca hood 2) a ram air hood and 3) a nasa hood,, question is do the air scoop inserts interchange with one another? thanks William

 
I believe NACA, NASA and RAM AIR are different names for the same hood style. There were only two hood styles. With (NACA, NASA, RAM AIR) or without scoops (Plain flat hood). The hoods with scoops go by all three of those names, they either had blank off plates in the scoops or a ram air set up. As for who makes the best fit, I am curious as well. The vert I bought will need a hood at some point.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Jason is correct there about NASA/NACA/RAM AIR hoods.

They're the same hood. If you intend to install a Ram Air system, your metal insert openings will team up with flapper mechanisms that open and close to let air flow in or not. If no Ram Air system is on board, then you go back to using conventional metal inserts with the blocked off honeycomb grille setups.

IMO - I believe the best quality and fit - repro hoods are made by Dynacorn industries.

'Thanks,

Greg.:)

 
Wow fast reply time! So the hood scoop issue has been answered,, all scoop inserts will interchange then,, 1 vote for Dynacorn I hope a few more folks will add there opinion before I buy a hood. Will post a few before and after pictures of the Mustang,, comment on fitment. thks

 
My opinion is, aftermarket is purely a crap shoot.

One brand, regardless of price, may fit perfectly on one application (or production run for that particular part), and another may fit horribly on another.

I work in the aftermarket business. Not necessarily vintage Mustang specifically, but we do sell (some sporadic) vintage replacement parts as well as current late model stuff. The only consistency that I've noticed is the inconsistency, and it just isn't in sheetmetal parts (ie. lights, wheels, fender liners, etc.). Unfortunately, that's just the way it is, and most likely is going to be. On the bright side, a vast majority of the parts that go out of our door daily fit and function very, very well. Sometimes, better than OE, as I have seen poor fitting OE sheetmetal right out of the box first hand.

I would absolutely suggest buying a large item such as a '71-73 hood from a local vendor that will allow you to inspect for shipping damage (very common) and fit to your particular car to avoid bad feelings about the purchase. I plan on a fiberglass hood for my car. I fully expect to have a somewhat large amount of time getting the gaps correct and removing waves in the surface. What I don't expect to do is repair heavily damaged corners or fragmented edges from being dropped on the edge of a dock or similar.

I would also expect a sheetmetal hood to have few (or none if you're lucky) of those issues if I were buying one.

Certainly not meaning to confuse things here, but would much rather you be aware of what I've experienced.

 
I think one of your questions was about did the right and left die cast hood scoops fit either side? No they do not there is a right and a left.

To my knowledge there is only one set of dies for making the repo NASA hoods and that is Dynacorn. No hood even factory will fit perfect. Dynacorn does not weld the inner panel to the outer panel to allow you to adjust the arch in the hood front to back easier. Yes people actually take bow out or put bow in. Lots of people shim the fenders excessive but you can also alter the hood.

The line workers in the assembly plant would twist, hit with BFH, put blocks under one side and push down to make them fit better.

I have a video that shows them actually bending trunks on the assembly line at Ford to fit. They had a big air operated fixture that they would swing into place and actually bend the trunk lid. This was in the 50's.

I would go to Ford plants in the last 15 years and they still twist and bend doors and hoods for final fit.

You will also need to find a pair of flat spring hood hinges especially if you add the ram air package to keep the hood open. Stronger hinge spring on the NASA hoods.

 
I have sold quite a few of the repro NASA hoods with no issues other than occasional shipping damage. As with any truck freight order you need to inspect your parts BEFORE signing off on the drivers shipping ticket.

349.95 + truck freight

I carry Dynacorn

Don

 
Interesting,, my OEM hood curvature doesn't match the fender contour on one side,, was wondering how to fix that problem on my new hood if it arose,, anyone have a BFH for sell? My Mustang has a plain, no scoop hood,, will the existing hinges work or do I need the heavier hinges as suggested,, I will not be using a ram air system,, my scoops will be blocked off,, William

 
Nevermind about the hinge question,, Internet search revealed hinges are the same,. 2 types of springs used,, a round spring used for plain hoods and a heavy duty square spring used for ram air hoods,, a hard to find item,, will use the hinges I have and hope they hold the hood up,, also will buy a Dynacorn hood because of its malleable characteristics,, thanks everyone for your valued comments,, William

 
You should only need the heavier springs if installing a ram air system. If not then the stock standard springs should be fine.
We installed the aftermarket springs that Don @ Ohio Mustang sells on my uncles car with a complete functioning ram air set up with no issues at all holding the hood up.

 
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