Well I did my search'n but couldn't find exactly what i was look'n for. I intend on get'n pins in my new CF hood. I was going to put them in the outer bump stop place (like my search revealed some of you have did so), but now my body shop guy is say'n it's a no go cause i need bump stops for the hood to line up. I know i still have bump stops up front, but he's recomending nixing the whole pin idea and just latching it with my stock hood striker. After having my stock hood fly up on me going 80 down the highway, i'd feel alot better with pins. So any advice on how you guys got arround this would be apreciated.
thanks in advance.
IF you pull the black radiator shroud off you will see two existing holes there. Thats where i mounted my hood pins and then cut small holes for the pins to come up through the radiator shroud.
Use the inner bump stops. You will not need them to align your hood. They are only there to keep a snug fit to the latch. But that is what you have hood pins for now. YAY problem solved.
I used the outter ones, well they guy before me did.. i was able to align my hood in 5 mins i kid you not...
I had mine in the bumpstops no problems whatsoever
Well i contacted a "Carbon by Design" rep (where I bought the hood) and he asured me I could go without pins. He said they make their hoods to factory spec underneeth and that the bracket that the bolts go into that hold the hood striker is metal. So i checked it when i got to the body shop and sure enough it was a metal bracket threads and all. So i guess i'll take my chances. The rep said they are built like the stock hoods as they crush in an acident (hope it doesn't happen) in sync with the other front parts, and if I had pins it'd throw it all off. So i guess i'll take his word for it. Honestly though, after having my stock hood come up on me (striker bolts ripped out of the hood), i'm still a little gun shy. I'd be ly'n if i said i won't jimmy rig up a cable inside i can hook up to my engine mount and some strategicly placed location under the hood for a hidden insurance. I'm just not ready to take my chances at having another hood come up and take my windshield and roof out. Of course it's CF so i'm sure i'tll just explode on impact. Also it's a turbo sport style hood with the scoop so it'll have some what of a down force pushing it down anyway, but i'll take my chances. I'll post before and after pics when it's all said and done, probably this Thursday.
Well actually I can tell you what happens and why they fall back on the car. It does not really matter what design you have on the hood or what vent. The air that gets trapped in the engine is what forces the hood to fly up. Now the reason hoods fly up is because of stress cracks in the fiberglass or metal fatigue. The constant shaking of the hood causes the metal to wear out where they stricker goes or the same way the fiberglass to wear out were the whole metal stricker is fused in like in your hood. Now you can get away without running pins but you have already had it happen once before with a metal hood right? So a fiberglass bottom and carbon top hood could do the same thing. When the hood comes up it will do the same amount of damage also as a metal hood. I do not want you to be under a different impresion. It will maybe crack in half but not shatter. Any wich way all you have to do is keep an eye on it. You can run without them but just check to see if you start seeing stress cracks.
I should just do that e-bay hood hinge swap thing so the hood opens from the back so i can eliminate all my worries.
tell your body shop guy he's worthless, and put them on the outer bumpstops. i had them there on mine when i had the invader hood b/c when i tried using the inner ones the hood wouldnt shut all way due to the invader vent design over the throttle body. so i used the outer ones and the hood lined up perfectly.
^^ exactly.. looks better on most hoods too.. I do beleive u have to cut into the metal underneath it tho to access enough room to put the nut on the bottom of the pin and get a ratchet with a socket in there or sumthing to tighten it..Its what i planned to do for mine but i sold it before i did it.. still plan on doing it when i get my Carbon By Design C/F Hood.
wheres the pics??? (i know this post is two years old)
It doesn't look like there was ever pics in this post.
ive driven over 7000 miles with my hood on my car with no pins. altho my hood is full cf all the way through (not the crappy fiberglass structur) but where my hood latch is its about 5/16 thick of carbon fiber. i have done speeds of 90 for hours and not had a problem. but thats me. im not to worried about it. but if you are. by all means use pins. if not then dont.
Looks good MarkyB.
Your 1986 RS reminds me of my once 1986 Cavalier Z24 that I was restoring.
I miss that car.
Seeing yours makes me want another to restore and bring it up to better than 1986 standards.
Thanks for the pics and you did a great job in doing your pins.
Continued good luck with your old school Cavy man.
It's nice to see someone still love the old school and doing what they can to make it their own.
Misnblu.com
Newbie member since 1999
Thank you Dave and JBO! 
Slowly but surely its coming back! It needs alot of body work (rust removal) and the front bumper lower section is jacked up. And I'm going to try to make mine better then 80s standards too! I had a 87 z last january and I wish I still had it, I blew my transmission far from home and didnt have money to get it back so i had to leave it :-( I would have had valuable ext and int parts but Im gonna have to search like everyone else. Thanks again!
