81pilot

I have decided instead of fabbing my own, i will just add an L88 scoop to my hood and graft it in properly this winter. I have seen several on the internet, but does anyone here have experience on where I can get a good quality glass one so I can cut my hood and graft it in place? Looking to gain a few inches in height and be able to use the cold air functionality if I want to. Thanks! Jeff

69Vett

you might think twice about that, it is very difficult to to complete the glass job,
without after effects of ...cracking around the joined areas over time.
buy a hood their avaliable.

81pilot

I have done a lot of glass work and never had a single crack. I really enjoy the process, and if done right is stronger than it really needs to be. But thanks for the advice.

Roco71

Here is a link to a thread I started with the L88 hood scoop I installed. Follow the thread down for more details

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...-l88-hood.html

sheldonbaker

i just did my hood and its not hard if you can do body work ,,
first vette bond the scoop to the hood and screw it down
after the vette bond is hard remove the screws fill screw holes with vette bond
then flip the hood and cut the under side out ,, \ lay fiberglass mat across the hole under side of hood and scoop my your scoop thicker ,, need heat to alot of heat ,,so the resin drys thats the thing is resin drying .. and flip the hood and do the same ,, i dont know how to put pics in this form so look under my pics

sheldonbaker

i put some pics on my home pic page hope they help .. and if done right it will not crack at all heat heat heat is the trick and your hood will fit like a dream


there will be no 10 hr work to fit////// like you will a aftermarket hood they dont fit right at all just take your time i have about 4 days working on it h and about 7 hrs

bluegtp

I have a long l88 scoop for sale if you're interested.

Curby

Be careful what you use. Your car is SMC and most hood scoops are fiberglass. You need a special bonding agent and filler so you don't have cracks or have the seams "reveal".

You might want to consider getting an older hood to add the scoop to.

81pilot

I have bonded Glass parts to metal even and had no issues if done right, I will use the correct stuff thanks for the advice!

81pilot

I am interested, shoot me the details via PM, Thanks!

Clubby99

I'm adding an L88 scoop right now. I bought the Eckler's scoop for $219 (less than $200 after 15% discount). Costs more but contour of scoop matches hood exactly so the fiberglass work is easier and the end result looks better. Fiberglassing a scoop is not very hard to do. In my opinion, easier than getting an aftermaket hood to fit. Done right, it will never crack.

I use body filler instead of screws to temporarily mount the hood before fiberglassing the back. Easy to knock off the body filler later and no holes to fill.

Roco71

Take a few photos as you go and post them. Your are right about the contours of the hood not being the same on some of the cheaper (generic) hood scoops. Mine took a little more effort to get right but still very pleased with the results.

flynnd_33

what year is your car? im having a hard time finding a L88 scoop for the long hoods i have found plenty that work with short hoods that just stop flat next to the wiper door but none that contour next to the windshield for long hoods. maybe im just looking in the wrong place. u think someone would make them.

Curby

Call Josh at Custom Image Corvettes. He has a mold for a long L88 hood. We talked earlier this week. He is not really happy with the hood mold, but I think he can use it to modify his short L88 hood mold to come up with a good fitting long L88 hood.

Custom Image Corvettes (507) 581-3076

I have 2 of the long L88 hoods, but they are in Orlando being bonded together and trimmed out by a friend. Depending on how they fit, I may use one and sell the other one on ebay. I am afraid these are the ones that don't fit very well. My first test-fit was OK, but it looked like it needed some work to look right.

yellow 72

So you're saying fiberglass can't be properly repaired....who would have thunk it. .

Curby

It is true, Fiberglass and SMC are very hard to bond together without the seam revealing itself later. They expand and contract at different rates. It is much easier to buy an aftermarket hood and do the necessary bodywork to make it fit the car. it just costs more.

yellow 72

Oh now I see it's an 81....don't know much about those new fangled Corvettes

81pilot

OK it may be true if the seams are butt jointed. But the way most do it, the scoop is glued to the hood and then floated together with glass and resin. with the cut made on the bottom and glassed there as well.(as posted in a recent thread) It basically becomes a part of the hood structure, no seam at all that one would need worry about. Besides SMC is still glass it just has more plastic in it, and there are plenty of products made specifically for bonding it with fiberglass. And if you use a glass impregnated bondo for a final skim and float the seam will never show. I had a huge scoop on a 69 Chevelle I had, it was even butt seamed to the aftermarket SMC hood and we raced the crap out of it and the seams never revealed. I am not at all worried about that happening, but I suppose in theory with poor prep it could happen. It is always easier to just go buy something, but for me it is far more gratifying to do it myself. But I understand your point.

jnb5101

position the scoop on the hood, scribe the outline with a marker, then make a groove in the hood's glass (i used an electric drill with a sanding disc) and thin the bonding surface of the scoop from the underside. that will give you a feather edge instead of a butt edge. use epoxy and screws to set the scoop inplace, then add a few layers of glass cloth to reinforce, and finish with body filler. it will be nicely contoured and strong. see "my rat" in my garage for the finished product.

81pilot

Very interested please shoot me the info, thanks.