why hoods so expensive?

[robiferretti]

looked on ebay for c5 hoods and a dozen carbon fiber ones came up for $600ish what makes these bad vs the ones available from tuners for $1500-$2500? I am waiting on a mallett hood, so I am not in the market anymore, just curious though.

[JoeClams9]

In my eyes....the simple reason a tuner hood is so expensive is because they take the time to make something that is supposed to fit very well...like factory. That and they want more money from you since you bought an expensive car.

[Javelin]

A friend of mine bough a cheap carbon fiber hood (for an Eclipse) off ebay a couple years ago. After a while it started to yellow. It may not be true for all of the inexpensive hoods, but some of them are cheaper because they're using lower quality materials.

[mcss383]

"Corvette tax"

On any other Chevy car $600 will get you a very good fiberglass hood.

[robiferretti]

i know a bunch of it is probably the vette tax, but with so many available from this company on ebay i was almost positive someone on one of the boards would have tried one out by now

[spdrcrj]

Even the expensive hoods like mine have fit issues. I have a small "dip" in the front edge of my MCM hood that is quite annoying. I would have expected better fit for $2100. If anyone wants to see the gap Im talking about, let me know and I'll take a photo and post it up.

[bigbadbevo]

Originally Posted by spdrcrj

Even the expensive hoods like mine have fit issues. I have a small "dip" in the front edge of my MCM hood that is quite annoying. I would have expected better fit for $2100. If anyone wants to see the gap Im talking about, let me know and I'll take a photo and post it up.

I'd like to see it just out of curiousity. The MCM hood is my favorite aftermarket hood and I had heard it fit pretty well.

[Grim Reaper]

IMO and others, the ACP hood has a superior fit.

You do not want your hood to look like a cooked potatoe chip. I would be very wary of ebay.

[SMFCPACFP]

They have a high markup and anyone who would replace a perfectly good hood, has money burning a hole in their pocket.

[spdrcrj]

This circled area is where there is a dip in the hood. It's plainly obvious to the touch when you rub your hand over that area.

[robiferretti]

Originally Posted by SMFCPACFP

They have a high markup and anyone who would replace a perfectly good hood, has money burning a hole in their pocket.

thats on the list of other perfectly good parts i've replaced on my car
shocks
brakes
motor
exhaust system
interior
seats
airbags(replaced with saftery monkey)
steering wheel
seatbelts
you get the point...

[2001Z06]

$2000 is not all that bad when you compare it with the viper hood assembly that is somewhere in the $8K to $10K range.

[Kens06]

I see the dip and that is the first defect on an MCM that I've seen published!!
Mine bolted up without a problem and minor adjustments!! Check "my garage"!
I know :oo: I paid 2K for the hood, 2K for the paint and blend and I have this dimple I see everytime I drive the car

Sorry?
Ken

[Now what]

My ACI hood was almost exactly the same cost as a replacement stock hood from GM. The body shop that installed it told me they thought it was a very quality part when they got it delivered. I didnt want anything that looked too radical, just needed to fit a Magnusson under it. I think my hood was priced very fairly. Sounds like some of you guys spent a lot money on the hood mod, I never even thought about spending that much. It's just a hood.

Re: fit and quality :A lot of the "fit" of the hood has to do with who is installing it. I've seen Z's with same hood I have (at my dealership) that look terrible. Higher on one side, uneven gaps, etc. Luckily the owner of the shop I dealt with was a serious Vette guy (had his built/restored '67 sitting next to my car) and told me he spent 6 hours getting the fit perfect, with the bumpers and other adjustments. Any concerns I had about an aftermarket hood fit went away when I saw what he had done. He didnt charge me extra for the time, he just wanted it to look right.

I think I got better results getting the hood installed and painted by a Body shop that was very into Vettes, rather than leaving it to my tuner's guy. Once the hood was on, all the tuner had to do was focus on the Mag install.

[SMFCPACFP]

Originally Posted by robiferretti

thats on the list of other perfectly good parts i've replaced on my car
shocks
brakes
motor
exhaust system
interior
seats
airbags(replaced with saftery monkey)
steering wheel
seatbelts
you get the point...

You might just as well go into the car building business.