We ordered a new GM SS-style...
We ordered a new GM SS-style hood (PN PZ00652) from Original PartsGroup and had it shipped directly to the body shop. Once there, the hoodwas unboxed and carefully inspected for any shipping damage.
Most plain-jane cars from the '60s and '70s had regular production flat-type hoods that protected the engine but looked dopey. However, on some musclecars you could order a special performance-oriented hood that incorporated a cowl-induction scoop, a flip-up ram-air scoop, or even a raised-up bump that gave extra underhood clearance for a taller (high-rise) hi-po intake manifold. Although such optional performance hoods were rare, you can now fit a reproduction hood to your car, thus giving it that rare musclecar look.
We wanted to fit a new Super Sport-style hood to CC's Project Cheap Street Chevelle, so we began scouting through aftermarket parts catalogs. We found that Original Parts Group (OPG) offers a few different styles of hoods for our Chevelle, including new GM and reproduction SS-style and cowl-induction hoods. In addition, OPG offers new GM hood hinges and trim pieces, along with a host of different factory emblems. Installing a new hood is fairly straightforward, but to make sure that we didn't bungle the job, we turned to the experts at Brett's Paint & Body, who showed us the basics of what's needed for the retrofit.
 The new GM hood from OPG comes...  The new GM hood from OPG comes with a protective black coating thatprevents rust from forming on the bare sheetmetal. Brett Benson used ahigh-speed dual-action (D/A) rotary sander fitted with 80-grit sandpaperto prep the hood's surface before applying a few layers of primer. |  Although many car crafters...  Although many car crafters like the underside of their hoods to bepainted black, we wanted our SS hood to be painted body color--yellow,in our case. Because of the weird contours on the underside of the hood,Benson hand-sanded the surface with 80-grit sandpaper rather than usinga D/A sander. |  After sanding, Benson applied...  After sanding, Benson applied a few coats of primer. Because the newhood was straight (i.e., dentless), the primer only needed to beblock-sanded slightly with 80-grit sandpaper to generate an ultra-smoothfinish that was ready for paint. After sanding, the hood was cleanedusing wax and grease remover. Moments before Benson applied the paint,he wiped the hood with a tack cloth, which removes tiny particles ofdust and dirt. Benson applied four coats of paint and then allowed a fewhours for it to dry. |
 After the paint was dry, Benson...  After the paint was dry, Benson began wet-sanding the paint using1,200-grit sandpaper and plenty of water. Then the hood was buffed usinga high-speed rotary buffer and some buffing compound. |  The stock hinges on our '70...  The stock hinges on our '70 Chevelle were totally worn out, making thehood scrape into the nearby fender edges each time the hood was opened,so we installed new GM hood hinges (PN PZ00643 left, PZ00644 right),along with new hood springs that are all available from OPG. Because thehinges are adjustable in their mounting location, start by installingthem in the same position as the stock hinges that were removed. Lateron, slight adjustment may be needed to align the hood properly. |  Two guys can install the hood,...  Two guys can install the hood, but the process is tricky. You shouldrecruit an extra buddy to thread in the hood bolts while two peopleconcentrate on holding the hood in the proper position. |
 From underneath the hood,...  From underneath the hood, the mounting bolts install through holes inthe hood hinges and thread into the new SS hood. The hinges featureoblong-shaped holes that allow the hood to slide slightly back and forthand side to side, thus allowing the hood to be properly aligned. Startout by positioning the hood so that the mounting holes are in the centerof the hood hinge mounting holes, then thread in and tighten the bolts. |  Slowly close the hood and,...  Slowly close the hood and, as you do so, continually check to makesure that none of the edges come into contact with the front fenders.The front edge of the hood stuck out a bit, so the hood hinge bolts wereloosened, and then the hood was slid back slightly. |  Once the hood's alignment...  Once the hood's alignment was set, we noticed that the hood rearedges were slightly higher than the nearby fender edges. Thus, theportion of the hood hinges that bolt to the inside lip of the fenderwere loosened and slid down slightly. Then the hood was closed downagain, and the fit was rechecked. The alignment was much better, but itstill needed more adjustment. Remember to work slowly and continuallycheck clearances to prevent any scraping mishaps. |
 Master bodyman Brett "My '66...  Master bodyman Brett "My '66 Nova is way faster than CC stafferKiewicz's '66 Nova" Benson gives his official thumbs-up approval to thecool look of our new SS hood. We must agree that this SS hood (or even acowl-induction hood, for that matter) is much cooler-looking than astock flat-style factory hood. | | |