This was probably already posted but i got myself a invader carbon fiber hood. and it says it recommends i use hood pins. The factory latch works fine and i rather not drill holes in it. Should i install the pins?
It's all personal preference. I used them when I had a cf hood on my '00 Z. I put them in because I drove on the freeway a lot and could see the hood bowing quite a bit and it scared me and I liked the way they looked.
A lot of people use them a lot of people don't.
$700 hood flying back on the highway or $20 hood pins.
My buddy has a 93 probe with a carbon funk hood and spacers in between his intake so the hood wouldn't lock all the way he drove it around for a wile and it was fine
He has so taken the spacers out so it can lock now but still has no pins
U say $700 hood $20 pins
I wouldn't drill any holes in a hood I payer 700 for
Duck tape it closed
J/k
Here is one way you can install the hood pins.
I did this on my stock hood to see how it would look and worked great.
But there's a better method
here.
Much easier to install this way and as you can see, the pics speak a thousand words on how to do the install.
I also eliminated the hood latch altogether for weight savings as I've gone heavily into weight reduction for more power to weight gains.
No issues with the hood or the pins going triple digits.
Installing the hood pins also helps the stock hood latch steady the hood which is a bit more flimsy than the steel factory hood too.
Nothing like having your hood flap around doing 80 and wondering if your hood latch is going to hold the hood or not.
Good luck with it.
Misnblu.com
Newbie member since 1999
Thank you Dave and JBO! 
I installed them in mine after mine was teetering at 40mph. id rather save the $700 hood with some pins rather than have it flip up on me. Better safe than sorry.
You cold also install them where the hood bumpers are. Dont need to drill through anything except the hood. Thats the way I did it on my other J, and it worked great, even on the dual snorkel hood I had at triple digits, and at normal highway speed (70-80 mph), but all i know is before that, I was on the highway, and it was flexing, and I went ahead and installed them. So just like everyone said. 700.00 hood or 20.00 hoodpins. Ur call buddy, but if/when it flies up and slams into ur windshield, and now ur hood, and windshield are busted. Whats worth it to you?
I've been in the triples with my cf invader hood and i didn't see any flexing
I don't think it makes any difference but I only bought the hood for $250 off of craigslist. Brand new, car was wrecked before hood ever went on.
I had mine flip up at 35 MPH.
Smashed my windsheild, sunroof, ruined hood, and gave my car roof damage
I actually cried ..... till my added insurance coverage paid for a new one, and fixed the car.
Then I installed hood pins on my new one!!!!!
Will never go without again!
This is one of the reasons I never got CF hood...I hate the way hood pins look. IMO it can ruin the look of an entire front end.
Now I can vouch for RK SPort fiberglass hoods...solid as hell. I drove w one on my car for months...115 miles everyday, mostly highway w speeds at or above 80 routinely...no pins. Ive known several others who had one and did the same without a problem.
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Ronin J wrote:This is one of the reasons I never got CF hood...I hate the way hood pins look. IMO it can ruin the look of an entire front end.
Now I can vouch for RK SPort fiberglass hoods...solid as hell. I drove w one on my car for months...115 miles everyday, mostly highway w speeds at or above 80 routinely...no pins. Ive known several others who had one and did the same without a problem.
This would hold true if you were hard parking or into the car shows but I'll take hood pins any day of the week even for fiberglass hoods.
Besides, in my quest for weight savings, I was able to eliminate the hood latch assembly for even further weight reductions so it was a win/ win situation for my setup.
And how is it that this looks so bad?
Notice the lack of hood latch mechanism under the hood which usually sticks out in this type of picture?
It's also cleaning up the looks when the hood is open and you don't have to look at all the latch assembly which to me clutters things up.
I've always considered the latch mechanism clutters up things much more than a couple of little hood pins.
To each their own I guess and I'll keep what I've got.
Misnblu.com
Newbie member since 1999
Thank you Dave and JBO!
Its alot easier to ignore the hood pins than it is to ignore the fact that you crashed your car.
I think most hood pins, on most cars, look ugly and out of place, but I still plan on installing
these (in cf), when my hood goes on. I'm not willing to put myself and others in danger because some guy on the internet told me my hood probably wont fly off.
Ronin J wrote:Now I can vouch for RK SPort fiberglass hoods...solid as hell. I drove w one on my car for months...115 miles everyday, mostly highway w speeds at or above 80 routinely...no pins. Ive known several others who had one and did the same without a problem.
Agreed... you get what you pay for with the RK Sport hoods.. I had a fibreglass Extractor hood for years... stock latch, no problems. I raced the car at the track many times over... was on three different cars of mine, never had a problem. But that thing was solidly built... not these cheap hoods that cost very little.
never had a problem with the VIS on the white car but then again it didnt get driven all to often but its seen 125+ without issue.
ill be doing pins on my 97's cf hood though, basically only cuz i wanna ditch the latch support piece. get them powdercoated black for a more stealthy look...
Oldsmobile all motor > Saab/Opel boosted
i also should add, mine was fiberglass
Allow me to summarize everything for you.
Your hood WON'T fly up with hoodpins.
Your hood MIGHT fly up without hoodpins.
If you don't have hoodpins and your hood pops up, your windshield will probably break, your hood will break, and your roof might get dented- possibly totalling the car. You will be blinded while driving, you might cause an accident causing further harm to others, possibly death.
If you have hoodpins, you "wont think they look right".
Decisions decisions...
I want to try and put these on my car
but... I dont understand the "locks"
how do they work?
Buddy Club Ecotec Cavalier
* More to come *
*edited*: Done some research and now I realize, most pins dont "lock" the hood like your factory latch would, and are meant to help hold the hood closed, as opposed to actually locking your hood. Please correct me if I'm wrong
Buddy Club Ecotec Cavalier
* More to come *
So by your description of being 'locked', you're meaning as you can't get under your hood unless you release the hatch from inside the car and no one can steal anything from under you hood?
I'm guessing that's what you're referring to in this.
And holding the hood down is the main purpose of hood pins as they're not just centrally located like the hood latch with a single point but usually use two points of hold down for a more secure hood.
I thought that was the purpose of having hood pins because some situations deem the use of them as the latch won't fully secure the hood because of it's lightness and tendency to 'flap' in the wind so to speak.
My reason for the hood pins was for just that, to eliminate my hood from bobbling around at highway speeds with the hood latch and later to eliminate the latch altogether in an effort of weight savings.
I've never really worried about anyone going under my hood to steal anything and it's not like they can steal my battery since it's been relocated anyway.
Anyway, good luck with our decision man.
Misnblu.com
Newbie member since 1999
Thank you Dave and JBO!
