I don't currently own a Viper but I am looking to get into a GEN I Viper. I have looked at a few in person and have seen a lot of pictures in ads. One thing I have noticed is that the fit of the front hoods on the GEN 1 Vipers varies greatly. What I mean by that is the spacing where the hood meets the front bumper and over the headlights can be significantly different on each side of the hood. I have seen pictures of a few Vipers that have good fitting hoods (usually the ones with low mileage). Can anyone give me any insight to this? Is this a common problem? I have read that Dodge had problems with the hoods in 93 but I have seen this issue on the 94's and 95's. Is it possible to realign the hood to get a better fit?
Question about GEN 1 Viper hood
- Thread starter ap227
- Start date
V10SpeedLuvr
Enthusiast
Some gaps are from accidents, but most are just the beauty of a handbuilt car. Some adjustment is possible, but its a PITA and may or may not make a big difference.
Tom F&L GoR
Enthusiast
You don't notice from the inside.
snampro
Enthusiast
mine fits nicely, I wouldn't buy one with fitment issues because they look ********, but that's just me. none of them are perfect, but some are worse than others.
its also important to note that this is not limited to GenI, I've seen this more on GenII's...
almost all the cars will have a little of the eyebrow effect above the headlights, but what gets me is the massive gaps some cars have on the outside of the headlights, those are sometimes 1+ inches wide...
its also important to note that this is not limited to GenI, I've seen this more on GenII's...
almost all the cars will have a little of the eyebrow effect above the headlights, but what gets me is the massive gaps some cars have on the outside of the headlights, those are sometimes 1+ inches wide...
ViperJames
Enthusiast
All I can say is if you are looking for a sweet GEN 1....Ronniej from this site is selling his all hooked up.....I believe the price is around $37k
snampro
Enthusiast
SEASNAKE
Enthusiast
There were a lot of problems with the 94 hoods. Especially with the dark colors. The factory was putting on lots of filler to smooth out the hoods and it caused some of the hoods to develop significant cracks. I had a '94 and had to have the hood reworked to correct this. THe body shop removed about 1/2" of filler off the hood in some areas.
The funny thing was I bought the car used and the cracks did not show up until I started driving it daily.
The funny thing was I bought the car used and the cracks did not show up until I started driving it daily.
Tom F&L GoR
Enthusiast
I would say they look like worm tracks, especially in the rear center. Fine line wrinkles, aging handsomely.
G
grcforce327
Guest
No issues here!!!
Donuts4me9
Enthusiast
ap227, check your PM
Jeff Torrey
Enthusiast
Very early on the gen 1 hoods were fitted snug. But they learned that because of body flex while driving, this will cause stress and can damage the hoods, scuff the cowl and head lamp lenses.
Some space is a good thing.
Some space is a good thing.
randy lindberg
Enthusiast
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I put a new hood on my '94 and the hood is not really adjustable, but the front fascia is. I was able to fit mine better than any stock I've seen with supuport braces that run from the radiator support (they are slotted at the fascia and allow for a lot of movement), and spacers (flat washers) where the fascia connects just below the front of the hood. These cars are far from perfect, but therein lies the charm!
