orrrr you could have an install party, and use the 300 you were gonna spend on the install on the hood.

and dont you dare tie a hood to your roof, you have people that would help, or if i remember correctly, casey fit a 4th gen hood in his 4th gen so that might work for you too.

you do not need springs.

My advice: get a $5 carb cap, complete the needed repairs on the car (I will make you a list if you want), when they are completed the car will be ready to drive on a more consistant basis. At that time you can evaluate your financial situation and if the budget allows you can buy a hood, if not you could always do a rivet on hood scoop, it may be tacky but it will get the job done while you are getting the money together for the hood you want.

strut and shock install on third gen - $150-$200

ps- i have manual spring compressors if you wanna do that install party.

I will be ordering a Pin on VFN 4.5 inch cowl hood tomorrow. The it takes two- five weeks to come in, so that will give me enough time for at least half of it being payed off. When I get It back from shocks and struts and the car is inspected, expect to see a formula style bumper cover on the front, with satin black headlight's and 4.5 inch cowl hood.

:banana:
dont you think thats a little tall matt? i would go for the smallest thing that was compatable with my motor
i also have the spring compressors if you wana do the install in the driveway.

matt......lca's and panhard too man

No need for compressors on a 3rd gen....just stick a jack under the control arm. I did struts / springs in my driveway like that with no issues at all.

4th gen is another story though....

- Justin

im not really up to date on this project, but is the car going to be a drag only car? if not i would highly recommend a bolt on hood, pin-ons can be a real PITA.
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yeah matt you wont be able to open your hood without a friend.... and 4.5 may not pass inspection

i believe 2.5" is the max legal height in NJ, so unless you have a friend as the station you may have issues.

Will the new motor even pass inspection?
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I have no clue if it will pass inspection. I heard the weight of the hood is 15 LBS why would I need a friend? I guess Ill just spring for the bolt on... I want the 4.5 because its the only hood Ive actually seen on a trans am. I don't think it looks the best But then again I really don't want a cowl hood at all, but need the clearance.

I want to have the head lights and hood satin black with true fire on the sides of the cowl. I'm gonna get an airbrush and start practicing.

Matt, 4.5" is too tall, you will fail NJ inspection. IIRC the legal limit is like 3" Friend #1: get you a sticker

Listen to these guys, hinges are useful on a street car. You can just do away with the lift struts, keep the OE hinges and keep a small prop rod in the car. taking a hood off by yourself can be tough - paint scratches. Plus if it is windy it can be trouble (I've seen the fly, lol). Friend #2: help remove the hood safely.

Hey, scooter might have a hood that might help. I thought he said he had a ram air style 3rd gne hood, maybe that will clear it.

you dont need that much matt, the hood closes with no air cleaner, so you only need somthing that will clear an air cleaner.......2.5 to 3 inches tops and yes scooter had one for sale

edit heres the link..........http://www.njfboa.org/forums/showthread.php?t=28804

YOU EVEN POSTED IN THE THREAD

I gotta agree with the rest of the guys go with a smaller hood unless its a drag only car... and id do bolt on to the only 2 reasons i went with a lift off is

A. it was 120 bucks and the exact hood i wanted
B. my car is going to be pretty much drag only not to mention there is always someone around my house to give me a hand if i need it

how tall are you I'm 6'4 and had a hard time seeing over the Ram Air I hood I had on my old 3rd gen and it was 2.5 in cowl

in the long run you may want to wait and do the right thing instead of the cheap and quick thing

it is a light hood, but its also friggen huge, very awkward for 1 person, and you may crack it trying to lift it from one side.

Early camaros, 82-83 maybe, had a factory fiberglass hood, and lighter hood shocks to go with them, they are what im using and they work great, prop-rods suck!


I have the performer RPM air gap manifold, 1" spacer, 4150 holly carb, flat base air cleaner and a 4" element, and the 4.5" cowl just barely clears it.

So minus the spacer, and use 3" element, even with a flat base air cleaner, and you are down to a 2.5" cowl, if you can use a drop base cleaner, maybe only a inch or so and use a K&N cleaner lid, you could probably go with an even smaller cowl, i think Harwood makes a 2". I dont know what extra room the RA-II hoods offer, but you may be able to go that route, though i think they look awful on a 3rd gen.

harwood makes 3 inch cowls that would probably be exactly what he needs

you are correct, and it would be perfect, maybe even legal

Im ordering a harwood cowl hood and KYB GR-2 rear shocks through summit tomorrow. YAY for being broke!

4.5" Is just going to look plain ol' stupid. Unless your packing some serious big block heat under the hood that is way over kill. Get the car running right before you deal with that. I drove my 85 T/A for a year with the stock hood and had a tiny flex in the hood where i gutted some of the hood to clear a cheap summit air cleaner and only the stud touched and poked a little into the hood, but it still closed and saved me a butt load of money in the long run.

alex his hood hits the carb without a filter or stud

Wow if I knew that I never would have suggested the drop base air cleaner...