Clamshell hood on an SRT?

[01sapphirebob]

How many people miss the clamshell hood. +1 here. I still think they could have done it. They did it on the copperhead concept. I would have thought they would have carried it over. Design in my opinion is pretty close. So what do you guys think.

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[ViperGeorge]

While I like the hood of the Gen 2s, the cost of replacement or repair was astronomical. I had heard once that for every 4 hoods they made they only got one good one. The others got scraped. Last time I looked Gen 2 hoods were something close to $20,000. A Gen 4 hood is like $1200. Economics don't work for me. I'd stick with current design philosophy.

 

[MarcRoth]

They stopped due to insurance reasons,to costly to replace when in an accident.

 

[Dom426h]

They stopped due to insurance reasons,to costly to replace when in an accident.

Where did you get this info from?
When we get into accidents and have to pay for a new hood through insurance, what does that have to do with Dodge? It dosnt cost them a dime. If anything they make more $$$$ by selling the marked up hoods...

 

[01sapphirebob]

I did hear cost was one issue but I also heard that in addition to that it was consumer input.

 

[Dom426h]

That pic of the copperhead. Who cares which way the hood opens? and would the SRT look any different with the hood opening the opposite way?

The Main feature that makes the Gen1/2 Hood look so beautifull is that the entire front fenders are part of the hood.
All one piece! No cracks/seams. Just 100% curves

 

[RTTTTed]

At the Conner Assy plant they told us that the Gen 1/2 hoods were too expensive. Tour guide also said that the windshields had a 50% failure rate and needed to be redesigned as well (to cut down on wastage).

Here in Canada the Clamshell hoods are worth either $28,000 or $38,000 (don't remember) - meaning that the car is almost a write off if only the hood is damaged.

My insurance (with an 18 year safe driver's record and 43% discount) is $3,200/annum.

Ted

 

[plumcrazy]

the hood is still one of the things that hasn't grown on me yet on the gen3/4. a clamshell would make it right

 

[RTTTTed]

Like you, I bought a Gen 2 because that's my preference. The GTS and coupes are the only models I'd buy though. I am sooooooooooooo happy that they re-introduced the coupe.

I do like the scoops on the Gen 4 hood and when I eventually get to talk to a fiberglass expert I want to add Gen4 scoops to my Gen 2 hood. That would give me better aerodynamics and cooling. The CC style hood just doesn't work for me.

Ted

 

[Nine Ball]

I've seen quite a few older generation Vipers with hoods that do not fit or align properly. I've never seen an SRT with a misaligned hood.

 

[MarcRoth]

Where did you get this info from?
When we get into accidents and have to pay for a new hood through insurance, what does that have to do with Dodge? It dosnt cost them a dime. If anything they make more $$$$ by selling the marked up hoods:


The cost to insure the car. Dodge wants to sell more cars and with the clam shell hood the rates were more hence new hood = less cost to insure.

 

[Immanuel]

Where did you get this info from?
When we get into accidents and have to pay for a new hood through insurance, what does that have to do with Dodge? It dosnt cost them a dime. If anything they make more $$$$ by selling the marked up hoods:


The cost to insure the car. Dodge wants to sell more cars and with the clam shell hood the rates were more hence new hood = less cost to insure.

True, but I still like the clamshell hood.

 

[RTTTTed]

I've seen quite a few older generation Vipers with hoods that do not fit or align properly. I've never seen an SRT with a misaligned hood.

Even at VOI X (400+ Vipers) I've never seen a misaligned hood on a Gen 2. Since it's so easy to align the hood (loosen bolts and move) it's an easy fix. And ... I've never seen a misaligned hood on the other Gens.

Plum ...
"-the hood is still one of the things that hasn't grown on me yet on the gen3/4. a clamshell would make it right"

I agree that the Clamshell (with the side scallops) on an '06 and up coupe would be back to the art of the GTS. 'Course then it would look nearly the same as the GTS and That is right!

Then I'd be lookin' at a new Viper.

Ted

 

[Austin]

You need an "I like the clam shell hood, but dont want it on the next Gen" option. The clam shell hood is beautiful, but IMO it wouldnt look so great on the SRT.

 

[GTSnake]

It was a manufacturing nightmare. It was probably put into production because the manufacturing engineers got trumped by the designers. They probably got "talked" into doing it. The result is something that looks great but you can't make it at a reasonable cost. There's a good chance that you'll never see something like that ever happening again.

 

[Solid Red 98]

Not to get off topic, but can gen 2 hoods be repaired to look right and still be strong?

 

[LifeIsGood]

The Main feature that makes the Gen1/2 Hood look so beautifull is that the entire front fenders are part of the hood.
All one piece! No cracks/seams. Just 100% curves

I like the way you think! I couldn't agree more .

 

[99 R/T 10]

Not to get off topic, but can gen 2 hoods be repaired to look right and still be strong?

All depends on the amount and severity of the damage. Easy fixes, probably.

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

It was a manufacturing nightmare. It was probably put into production because the manufacturing engineers got trumped by the designers. They probably got "talked" into doing it. The result is something that looks great but you can't make it at a reasonable cost. There's a good chance that you'll never see something like that ever happening again.

Yup. Amoco's chemical division was a primary partner, and since there were very, very few advertisements in the trade journals it was clear they were not too proud of the accomplishment.

 

[Warfang]

The result is something that looks great but you can't make it at a reasonable cost. There's a good chance that you'll never see something like that ever happening again.

What price do you put on perfection? I'd pay 10% more for a better looking hood. There are design compromises on everything. The hood shouldn't have been one of them. But you are correct... there will never be another car like it. Glad I got mine!

btw... didn't I read somewhere the the gen1-2 hood was the largest piece of fiberglass part ever made short of something on the space shuttle?

 

[MKvpr]

Hm, I just remembered the ad about Bob Lutz's GTS/R on top of the page. Think he could've had that fixed before the photo was taken?

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

While I like the hood of the Gen 2s, the cost of replacement or repair was astronomical. I had heard once that for every 4 hoods they made they only got one good one. The others got scraped. Last time I looked Gen 2 hoods were something close to $20,000. A Gen 4 hood is like $1200. Economics don't work for me. I'd stick with current design philosophy.

Considering the entire car, it is very weird to think a $50,000 Gen 2 Viper has a $20,000 hood and a $50,000 Gen 3 Viper has a $1200 hood. What does that say?

• The market forces buyers to pay $50,000 for a late model Gen 2 because it has a $20,000 hood?
• People bid up Gen 1-2 prices because of the expensive hood? (A good condition Gen 1 for $25,000 is worth $5000 without the hood?)
• That there is $18,800 worth of performance in a Gen 3 vs. Gen 2?

I do like the rounded curvy style, and perhaps the manufacturing concept wasn't up to the task at the time, but the economics can be mind boggling, considering what other things the price difference can pay for.

 

[SylvanSRT]

in '92 and '93 i heard it was more like 9 out of 12 got trashed to start and the rate got lower as prod went on. I appreciate that the cost of a gen 3/4 hood is like $1,200ish vs $15-20k the gen 3 was initially designed to have a clamshell style hood(look at body cut/design lines) and was changed in the name of money and IMHO i think it was a good choice they made

 

[anaconda666]

I like the way the clamshell hood looks in my office!

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[GTSnake]

Obviously they pushed the envelope of fiberglass manufacturing. There may be a material in the future that may lend itself to large single pieces that can be manufactured consistently and economically (carbon fiber composite???). But with fiberglass that just won't happen.

Of course there are always compromises to good design but where do you draw the line? The only reason why Chrysler approved the difficult hood was because they knew it was a low volume vehicle. If it was high volume they would have NEVER approved such a design.

 

[RTTTTed]

You can always buy a perfect used hood for about $5-6000. There are a few really nice aftermarlet hoods that (I think) sell for about $5-7000 as well.

The aftermarket hoods are usually about 40# lighter, not sure of CC hood?

Ted

 

[treesnake]

I always wondered why the Comp coupe hood wasn't adapted for the SRT.
You can see the SRT bodystyle with the "clamshell" hood off and on.....
Put the Gen 2 hood hdwe. on one of these....

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[EZ 2B Green]

If the manufacturing and/or insurance costs are too high, no clamshell please!

 

[SkyBob]

btw... didn't I read somewhere the the gen1-2 hood was the largest piece of fiberglass part ever made short of something on the space shuttle?

Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't boats made of fiberglass? They get pretty big and they must be strong because they take a hell of a pounding.

 

[SylvanSRT]

those CC hoods are where the orginal gen 3 hoods were supposed to open, look at the design lines on the body just above the scallop on the sides of the car.......it matches where the CC hood opens