[BR57]

Originally Posted by Norwood

"I am not debating that the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics later became NASA. I am stating that the duct in the hood is called a NACA duct, not a NASA duct. Thus the hood being called a NACA hood. Thanks

GM can call the darn hood whatever it wants. While the duct is properly called a NACA duct, if GM wanted to market that hood as "The Ugliest Damn GTO Hood Ever Sold" or TUDGTOHES hood, they could just like they marketed it as a NASA hood in the Canadian Sales Literature I referenced. I think the name of the hood is up to the people who sell it. Regardless it is one of the most desireable pieces for the 73-75 cars. I have one but it sure is funny looking imo. People seem to love it though.

[jodan66]

do you want to sell that hood???

[jodan66]

Originally Posted by 74 SD455 Formula

If your looking for a NASA Hood for your 1975 LeMans wagon I know some one who has one for sale.PM me for his Phone number if you are interested.Good luck with your project.

iam looking for a 73 gto hood anyone that has one please let me know.

[Norwood]

I for one like it. Yes it is a moot point, you are totaly correct.

[BR57]

Lots of talk about buying one but lets get a read on how many there can possibly be out there. If 1973 GTO production is 4,806, (not sure if that includes Oshawa production which could add another few hundred) the lowest ever and the hood was optional on other LeMans cars plus the Grand Am, then in 74 and 75 it was optional only except in Canada there is the 75 Canada Cup car which had the hood and adds another 1800 or so, How many can be left after 30 plus years? Also factor in the 2 styles, cowl vents and then no cowl vents. This has to be one of the hardest to find parts for these cars because of these production numbers. I've only seen one, a 73 with the hood other than mine at cruises over the past 5 years and it wasn't a 73 vented cowl hood.

I know where there are some but to get them to the US from here would easily be $1000 with freight, then body work to fix holes , paint, inserts, installation. Is this hood really worth $2000 to you jordan66? Why not buy some inserts off e-bay,(some right now at $20) cut the hood you have and bolt them in. It is pretty obvious when you see one that's all GM did. If you want pictures to guide you let me know.

[77 Canamman]

The NASA openings had a slight lip to them, and would be difficult to reproduce them and have it turn out well. Then the bracing under the hood is different. I would just try to find one...

As for hood prices, I paid about $3000 for a nice Air Grabber hood for my '71 Road Runner a couple of years ago, then I spent some time and money to refinish it. After all was said and done, I had about $3700 into the hood and the vacuum system to open the scoop...

[BR57]

Originally Posted by 77 Canamman

The NASA openings had a slight lip to them, and would be difficult to reproduce them and have it turn out well. Then the bracing under the hood is different. I would just try to find one...

As for hood prices, I paid about $3000 for a nice Air Grabber hood for my '71 Road Runner a couple of years ago, then I spent some time and money to refinish it. After all was said and done, I had about $3700 into the hood and the vacuum system to open the scoop...

I think that you could forget trying to make that 1/4" lip and a few pieces of angle steel tack welded underneath would replicate the bracing and attachment points. If you're saying the hood is going to cost $3700 to do then I'd try the modifications if I didn't have one. Unless of course if Santa left a sack of gold bars under the tree. Still pretty hard to imagine spending more on the hood than for an entire car. Come to think of it not why not buy an entire car and just take the hood. I saw an entire 73 GTO on e-bay not sell for a starting bid of $800. It was near Watkins Glen.

[77 Canamman]

The Watkins Glen car was a pile of rust/bondo that looked like a GTO. The hood wasn't very good on that one, nor was much else...

[74 SD455 Formula]

You guy's act like that is such a hard item to find.Well I have two of them one of each style.I have offered them up for sale and givin the phone # to a couple of you ,but KNOWONE has stepped up to the plate.I also have the Tach and Gauges for these cars.Do you want to talk about it or own it.I have never owned a Grand Am with out this stuff.They are beutiful cars when done.

[jodan66]

well just send me your phone number and ill call you asp.
my email is lucky66day@yahoo.com
and i will buy both of your hoods if they are nice and the price is right.

[Brian Baker]

Originally Posted by 74 SD455 Formula

You guy's act like that is such a hard item to find.Well I have two of them one of each style.I have offered them up for sale and givin the phone # to a couple of you ,but KNOWONE has stepped up to the plate.

That's because for the most part, Pontiac enthusiasts that are into the 73-77 A bodies are, by and large, cheap f@$ks. That's right, I said it...cheap f@$ks. I love the '73-'77 body style. First car I ever owned was a '73 Luxury LeMans. Never had a problem with spending money for NOS parts for it. There's a couple others out there that feel the same way (Scott Weddle comes to mind), but for the most part, these guys are cheap f@$ks. Gave them an opportunity not once, but TWICE to own an accurate reproduction of the '73 ram-air package that was never officially released. Would have taken about 50 orders at around $500 each to get it done. I had (and still have) access to a complete system to do the repro's from. I got 6 replies of interest the first time, and 2 the second. That's really sad. I know there's more than 8 owners out there of '73-'75 Pontiac A-bodies with this hood...they just don't want to get off of $500 for a reproduction of a rare factory ram-air package.

[77 Canamman]

Originally Posted by Brain Braker

That's because for the most part, Pontiac enthusiasts that are into the 73-77 A bodies are, by and large, cheap f@$ks. That's right, I said it...cheap f@$ks. I love the '73-'77 body style. First car I ever owned was a '73 Luxury LeMans. Never had a problem with spending money for NOS parts for it. There's a couple others out there that feel the same way (Scott Weddle comes to mind), but for the most part, these guys are cheap f@$ks. Gave them an opportunity not once, but TWICE to own an accurate reproduction of the '73 ram-air package that was never officially released. Would have taken about 50 orders at around $500 each to get it done. I had (and still have) access to a complete system to do the repro's from. I got 6 replies of interest the first time, and 2 the second. That's really sad. I know there's more than 8 owners out there of '73-'75 Pontiac A-bodies with this hood...they just don't want to get off of $500 for a reproduction of a rare factory ram-air package.

Don't hold back, tell us exactly how you feel...

If I still had a '73 GTO, I would be happy to spend $500 for a nice looking repro Ram-Air system.

I guess I can't be put into your "cheap f@$k" category, since I was foolish enough to fork over $3700 for a functioning Air Grabber system for my Mopar...

[74 SD455 Formula]

Hey 77 Canamman,
Do you want a 1973 Grand Am with that hood.I have one of those ? Then you could buy one of those Repo Ram Air packages.The car needs to be restored but it is rust free from out west.....There is a possibility I may have 6 of these cars all Grand Am's.Only a couple have the Hood.All are in real nice restoreable shape.If you are interested PM me and I'll give you a phone #.

[billygoatii]

Originally Posted by 74 SD455 Formula

Hey 77 Canamman,
Do you want a 1973 Grand Am with that hood.I have one of those ? Then you could buy one of those Repo Ram Air packages.The car needs to be restored but it is rust free from out west.....There is a possibility I may have 6 of these cars all Grand Am's.Only a couple have the Hood.All are in real nice restoreable shape.If you are interested PM me and I'll give you a phone #.

Check with Jordan66 at this thread: http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...d.php?t=504306
He might be interested.

[mike nixon]

brian's right. it's ,imo, why so few resto parts are offered for these cars.

i was one of the people interested in baker's project. i may still be when i section the naca area into the other car's sheetmetal.

i offered my 74 g/am up for sale [cheap] and got no serious hits for the car. the floors and the nose are the major problems with the car. i've decided to part the car for another project i'm going to build. it's going to be cut up when i'm done with it.

i've got a buddy with a 73 lemans sport with the non-louvered 1/4's and he's not had any serious offers on the solid body shell of it either. 1500.00 would buy it but no takers.

there are a few serious restorers of these cars but most people aren't. it's a shame as they're great cars in their own right.

mike

[billygoatii]

Originally Posted by Brian Baker

That's because for the most part, Pontiac enthusiasts that are into the 73-77 A bodies are, by and large, cheap f@$ks. That's right, I said it...cheap f@$ks. I love the '73-'77 body style. First car I ever owned was a '73 Luxury LeMans. Never had a problem with spending money for NOS parts for it. There's a couple others out there that feel the same way (Scott Weddle comes to mind), but for the most part, these guys are cheap f@$ks. Gave them an opportunity not once, but TWICE to own an accurate reproduction of the '73 ram-air package that was never officially released. Would have taken about 50 orders at around $500 each to get it done. I had (and still have) access to a complete system to do the repro's from. I got 6 replies of interest the first time, and 2 the second. That's really sad. I know there's more than 8 owners out there of '73-'75 Pontiac A-bodies with this hood...they just don't want to get off of $500 for a reproduction of a rare factory ram-air package.

I am in the same postion as 77 Canamman, I don't have a 73. If I had a 73-75 with that hood (and maybe even before I obtained a NACA/NASA hood), I would pony up the $500 in a flash. Until owners are willing to spend money, the value of these cars will never go up much; IMHO.

[77 Canamman]

Originally Posted by 74 SD455 Formula

Hey 77 Canamman,
Do you want a 1973 Grand Am with that hood.I have one of those ? Then you could buy one of those Repo Ram Air packages.The car needs to be restored but it is rust free from out west.....There is a possibility I may have 6 of these cars all Grand Am's.Only a couple have the Hood.All are in real nice restoreable shape.If you are interested PM me and I'll give you a phone #.

Thanks for the offer, but I have a Can Am that I am working on to get ready for Norwalk, and the Enforcer which has been put into storage.

[2 73's]

Well Mr. Baker if you say we're cheap f@$ks, well then we must be cheap f@$ks even though I have absolutely no interest in this ram air set up, an can think of many other things to spend $500 on, so if that makes me a cheap f@$k well so be it.

[Brian Baker]

Nah...I'm not a cheap f@$k. Dumb f@$k would be more like it...for spending (so far) in excess of $25K on a nostalgia funny car project, and it's still just a pile of parts on my garage floor (LOL).

I also pissed away quite a bit of money starting a frame off restoration on my '73 back in 1989. By 1994 I lost interest and eventually sold the car as a rolling shell. Probably could have bought a nice, complete, late 60's GTO (at 1994 prices) for what I pissed away into that '73.

And there are two statements that have been made since I posted "cheap f@$k" that are the reason why there are no reproductions parts for these cars:

"I have absolutely no interest...and can think of many other things to spend $500 on"

"It's, imo, why so few resto parts are offered for these cars."

No interest + lack of willingness to spend money = no repro parts for 73-77 A-bodies.

[bastard]

Brian, I don't mean to impune your fabrication skills or business sense, but it seems kind of silly to ask people to pay that much for a reproduction of a part that was never even factory installed on any of these cars. And since you are (or were) basically offering an aftermarket product that looks like original equipment, I can see how the market offered little support since there are already quality products of this nature available at a lower cost.
I don't mean to start a whole big thing here about factory restoration vs. performance modification, but since what you were offering to build is essentially an aftermarket product, and products of this nature are already available, why would you expect someone to pay more just so it looks stock even though anyone who knows these cars would know it isn't?
Also concerning the price you guys are asking for "body shells," I paid $1000 for my 1976 Sport Coupe complete with a running 1968 400 in it. It won't win any beauty contests, but it is solid and complete. $1500 for just a shell seems a bit steep. Unless by shell you mean a complete car that is only missing an engine.
It is just simple economics that these cars are not worth as much as a 1967 GTO or Firebird. Those cars were in very high demand when they were new during the (dare I say) Performance Years era. The cars in this section fall into the Smog Years era. While their actual performance potential engine wise is the same, since the "true Pontiac engines" pretty much interchange through the later years of production, the desirability of the smog era cars is diminished by the original perception of them as overweight and underpowered mere shadows of their former selves.
However, the aftermarket thrives on producing parts to hop up these cars to make them run competitively with their older siblings.
Who guessed 5000 pounds for a Can Am? My car only weighs 3800. I can't imagine that a fiberglass spoiler and a shaker would bump the weight up that much. Those must be some really heavy stripes.