While cruising the streets or enduring track-test punishment, our ugly duckling '72 Nova performs flawlessly. However, sporting three different hues of blue and some gray primer, it lacks the looks to back up its performance. In an effort to fit the roots-type Weiand-142 supercharger, a 1-inch spacer, and the Holley 730-cfm carburetor, we went old-school on the hood. Although it wasn't pretty, we made a template and Sawzall'd a hole into the hood. We didn't need much in height clearance, but the factory hood wouldn't shut without our modification, and a new hood wasn't in the budget at the time. But we certainly weren't willing to give up the extra 100 hp we gained on the dyno.
While our backyard speed hole made for a cool ram-air effect, it did little for the looks
When it came down to finally doing something about the air cleaner sticking through the hood, at first we thought a 1-inch cowl would do the trick, but upon closer inspection we realized a 1-inch would not clear the air cleaner assembly, even with a drop-base setup. Next up was the 2-inch cowl option. Not only would this give us the clearance we needed, but it would also satisfy our hunger for a more muscular look. Browsing through Auto Metal Direct's (AMD) website, we came across exactly what we were after: a 2-inch aluminum cowl hood. It would even come shipped to our door ready for paint. We upgraded our hood springs at the same time since the factory ones are made for the steel hood.
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To remove the old, steel hood, we loosened the fasteners with a 9/16-inch wrench. There's
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Removing the old spring was a cinch. With the hood off, we made sure each hinge was in the
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Each aluminum hood from Auto Metal Direct comes with a new set of lighter hood hinge sprin
Obviously, the AMD hood looks great and fits perfectly, but there's another feature that really shined for us-its low weight. Our old, steel hood was twice as portly at 46 pounds; that's right, the aluminum hood weighs in at a petite 23 pounds. Suffice it to say, our old hood served us well, but we're happy to welcome the new look. Still, you be the judge and let us know if you like what you see.
Quick Notes
What We Did
Replaced the factory hood with an aluminum cowl piece and hood springs
Bottom Line
It's lightweight, fits perfectly, and looks the part
Cost (Approx)
$600
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AMD's hood has all the same ribbing and structural support that the factory hood came with
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All holes are drilled and threaded to make the transition a breeze. We used a 7/16-inch so
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Another nice feature of this hood is its styling. Unlike some DIY cowl hoods, AMD's cowl e
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Also, the 2-inch cowl is vented to allow underhood heat to escape. If a larger cowl is wha
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Taking it a step further, we removed the upper trim from the old hood and transferred it o
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We installed the new hood with the original factory hardware. After we tightened the bolts
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A new cowl hood can really improve the aesthetics of any car. Not only does our Nova hood