Just for the record, my original unrestored 70 RA Formula with it's original date coded hood is unbraced, and it's nice and flat, no bows, no cracking. I've owned the car 30 years and never even knew it was a thing until I read about it here a few years ago.

I have another 70 hood I picked up 30 years ago hanging on the wall that is also nice and flat. I always thought I'd hit a dear with mine at some point since I drive it all the time.

Honestly I can't even recall seeing a bowed hood in my lifetime. What I see most often are broken rear corners from people standing them up, or broken rear cowl vent ribs.

I was always under the assumption the 70 only had no bracing, and starting in 71 we saw the riveted steel plates on the edges. I suppose very early 71 cars could have a 70 hood?

I have a original 70 uncut hood hanging on the wall. Surprisingly it's not bowed like most are.

hood bowing
 

here's what the bowing looks like, this a 71 and i believe it ahs the bracing, i need to check to confirm...you'll see it raised towards the back of the hood, just forward of the hood bracket

That is how mine looks on my 72

And you guys have braced hoods that are bowed?? That's the opposite of what's supposed to happen according to what I've been reading here.

The braced hoods can still bow pretty nasty.

It's been my observation that the braced hoods are more often bowed. It's possible those braces were added for some other reason than preventing bowing.
And for the record, my '70 Formula's original unbraced hood also has perfect flushness to the fenders - no bowing at all.

Interesting idea. I always thought they are too thin to be braces. Maybe they are a safety add on. Perhaps to keep the plastic hood from splitting in two pieces during a crash and coming though the windshield.

I've also wondered why is mostly the passenger side of the hood warps more than the driver side. At least that has been my observation. Maybe the chassis twist flexes the hood in this direction.

my 71 hood
 

interesting thing is about 12 inches above the hinge the "brace" appears wavey...appears better in the pass pic than the driv pic...that bracing is VERY thin, no doubt its usefulness to minimize bowing is quite low....imo

I became friends with 2 brothers in Santa Rosa area and the younger one had his 73 hood repaired then added Slightly thicker reinforced sides. Another idea would be to pic a more ridged material that doesn't allow hood to.flex as much or will keep it firm. The heat from engine and forces on it from.air flowing through it probably cause it to bow, along with weak hinge area..

So, I have a 70 RAIII M21 3.73 car. It has the reinforced hood. It's probably not the original, but where exactly would I find a date code? It's also bent more prominently on the passenger side. This car is a project and I have the phs for those who are curious if it's real.

date code
 

It's my understanding that the early style inner braced 70 hood was of poor design and the hoods would break where it bolted to the hinged and bow and 1st seen mid 1970. It is possible that your car was under warranty and the dealer installed the better version of the hoods. I'm curious if the snorkles are cut open. Please share pics of opening along with any stickers like "ram air", or boot rings and screens. If it has these then yours wsd probably a warranty hood and technically a service dealer replacement my guess. I'm no expert and still learning this stuff. They date was written by hand and anyone can write a date on it with a yellow crayon that's easy.I have see hand written dates on drivers side I think.

date code
 

It's my understanding that the early style inner braced 70 hood was of poor design and the hoods would break where it bolted to the hinged and bow and 1st seen mid 1970. It is possible that your car was under warranty and the dealer installed the better version of the hoods. I'm curious if the snorkles are cut open. Please share pics of opening along with any stickers like "ram air", or boot rings and screens. If it has these then yours was probably a warranty hood and technically a service dealer replacement my guess. I'm no expert and still learning this stuff. They date was written by hand and anyone can write a date on it with a yellow crayon that's easy.I have see hand written dates on drivers side I think.

So, this hood has had the inlets opened because there's no ridge or signs of the screens, therefore not a ram air hood? The hood would also be incorrect for my 4/07/70 ship date because of the reinforcements? If all true, being 1 of 189, I'll be looking for the correct hood.

correct
 

I too own a low production 1970 ra3 formula. My hood got stolen and created a nightmare for me. IM throwing in the towle on "correct ". I original was going to custom paint and restoring it. Now back to stock and it's frustrating. Don't worry about it being 100% correct I'm not ever selling my car but can imagine how some wait or hint me selling. If you plan to build to sell they will buy it with either hood or enjoy it. I got a friend from Facebook that has a 4 speed and his original hood has bowed and he will probably get 1 of my extras. These cars are older than me and I'm 51. If your hood is flat run it man. The steel reinforced hoods where service replacement hoods to the inner steel structured braced hood that would break, simular to the crappy thin lipped amp shakers. I will never date code again it's very challenging plus time consuming. If your car is more or less original then I bet hood got eirhet stolen like mine or broke and replaced. The hoods are the same screened or not made from same mold. Only difference is some one used a couping saw and cut it out.

Does anyone have a picture of a Formula hood that was on a relatively decent car - that has broken ?
I've never seen one broken from a hood hinge related incident.

I could see maybe a whacked out parts car left sitting with seized hinges getting abused enough to crack maybe .

The finger slots at the cowl seem to be prone to damage - and not sure why or how.

Yep ... that hood has been opened up by someone. Factory Ram Air scoop openings have a very defined ridge around the opening. Yours is also missing the small holes that would have been left by the screws that held the scoop grilles in place.

Nope. Over many years of experience with these cars and talking to other owners, I have heard of no issues with the '70 hoods breaking like that, either.

This is precisely one of the points I was trying to make clear;
He was told this story, and now he's repeating it as though it's gospel.

Several of his assertions have no factual basis - they are only conjecture.

And yet after these posts - in spite of these two members (whom I hold in very high regard) agreeing on this point, he seemed to dig in his heels and again self-declare this as a 1970-only part.
It is absolutely a correct for 1970 part, but it is not a 1970-only part.

@ RAIV70TA;
I have no doubt that 'nacho has the best of intentions, but please take his assertions with a degree of skepticism.
This is not the first time he has created a thread and seemed to argue himself into a corner.

I recently sold the original hood to my car (I say original because of the paint layers all matching the rest of my car);
My hood needed extensive repair after an accident that I got in it with in 2002 - after which I took it off the road;
My hood, was assuredly unbraced - and mine car was built June 1970 (the date you shared was a little unclear; M/D/Y or D/M/Y).

In addition to the bracing present (not correct/original for 1970), the edges from the cast in place block off being completely removed from the hood opening (never done that nicely from the factory), it is also painted wrong;
Original body paint went to the sides with overspray along the ends of the underside - the rest of the underside should be a satin black like shown by 'SD455DJ' in posts #23 & #26, or 'tdavidl' in post #49.
Odds are that for what ever the reason, the hood was changed when it got a repaint.

I would love to hear more about your car.
Several years ago I went and looked at a red '70 RAIII/4spd Formula for a member here which was being sold a short distance for me... I really should dig out those photos and save them to my hard drive.

hey I like you and apologize if I upset you. I own a real ram air car and it was basically stock. I made the mistake of showing my car to a total stranger and he stole my hood. Now I got 5 hoods. I have learned and read what people say about the non braced hood being 70 only. I have seen them advertised on Facebook and Craigslist and are harder to fi d. Im.not 100% sure but trust what people say that it's a 70 part.. I will run the 73 screened hood thou because it's got all.the hardware. like I said I.dont care if it's correct or not. I never been to a show and wo.der if everyone bashes each other over correct and incorrect parts in person. I did the date code engine parts and that took too. long. I will start restoring soon. And I know my hood is incorrect if I run the brown one. Im.not worrying about it any more. I was more curious of infact the brown one was a real ra3 hood as advertised since all boot retainers look original and screens. once again I apologize if I upset you and I don't have followers lol. Guys like Mike Ransom are very wise and teach me. There experience is proof enough and I listen to there stories of wisdom. Don't get obsessed with 100% correct it's not worth it. My 2 cents.