4th gen aftermarket hood design
03-07-2009, 08:01 PM
#1
4th gen aftermarket hood design
Thought some of you might find this interesting if it has not been covered before. *background* Someone backed into my kid's 1997 Max, offered to just pay for the damage and we would take care of it outside of the insurance companies.
First estimate from a body shop was for using USED OEM parts (junkyard) 2nd estimate was less money, and involved using new parts, but non-OEM. Chose door number 2 and got the new hood.
A slight design difference in the aftermarket hood, but both my son and I liked it better.
Here is a shot of the original hood (before it was damaged)
Note that the accent lines are a very shallow "ridgeline" on each side of the hood.
New hood. The accent lines are actually grooves in the hood and stand out much more. Sorry about the moisture on the hood, I was in a hurry to get to work.
The brand new hood (part only) was $220 including delivery to the body shop. I think Ebay has them for $169 plus over a hundred for delivery.
So got a new right headlight and corner light, new hood, and re-worked the right fender. Got the rear bumper painted since he had the matching paint out, now the car is better then it was before.
First estimate from a body shop was for using USED OEM parts (junkyard) 2nd estimate was less money, and involved using new parts, but non-OEM. Chose door number 2 and got the new hood.
A slight design difference in the aftermarket hood, but both my son and I liked it better.
Here is a shot of the original hood (before it was damaged)
Note that the accent lines are a very shallow "ridgeline" on each side of the hood.
New hood. The accent lines are actually grooves in the hood and stand out much more. Sorry about the moisture on the hood, I was in a hurry to get to work.
The brand new hood (part only) was $220 including delivery to the body shop. I think Ebay has them for $169 plus over a hundred for delivery.
So got a new right headlight and corner light, new hood, and re-worked the right fender. Got the rear bumper painted since he had the matching paint out, now the car is better then it was before.
03-07-2009, 10:04 PM
#6
You definately have to take care of them, although my last two were cheap brands so hopefully the VIS will hold out.
03-08-2009, 07:15 AM
#7
03-08-2009, 10:06 AM
#8
The second hood was an Importfan hood, they were supposed to be of good quality. It had the rolled edges, but it too began losing its clear coat.
Both of those hoods had the typical thin underside with just the skeletal structure bracing. Te VIS is actually sealed up underneath making it much more sturdy. Im also sure that helps with block some of the heat. I think thats also what helped make the clearcoat go bad on the others.
03-08-2009, 12:19 PM
#10
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Sayreville, nj
Posts: 46
nice i like it, i had a similar situation and found a supposed jdm hood on ebay. the guy didnt speak english so im sure he wasnt legal since i said cops and he said nonono and handed me a wad of cash to fix my car. been looking for another with no luck. its fiberglass and i love it just would rather make a lift up hood then the pins. makes checking quick things a *****.
03-08-2009, 06:59 PM
#14
nice i like it, i had a similar situation and found a supposed jdm hood on ebay. the guy didnt speak english so im sure he wasnt legal since i said cops and he said nonono and handed me a wad of cash to fix my car. been looking for another with no luck. its fiberglass and i love it just would rather make a lift up hood then the pins. makes checking quick things a *****.
03-08-2009, 07:27 PM
#15
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Silicon Valley
Posts: 655
I wouldn't go for aftermarket hoods at all. OEM hood is designed to buckle in certain way and work with the rest of the front end to protect the occupants. Without these design features, the car will not be safe.
03-08-2009, 08:23 PM
#17
The only issue with a hood is that it has to be able to buckle and bow up in the middle, so that in a collision the back of the hood does not try to come in thru the windshield. The aftermarket ones have the same design in that spot that all OEM ones do. If anything the aftermarket ones are a bit flimsier than OEM ones and will collapse even easier than the original was supposed to.
Last edited by trooplewis; 03-08-2009 at 08:33 PM.
03-08-2009, 09:18 PM
#22
The hood is supposed to die an early death in a front end collision, and fold into a nice "A" shape.
Just like this, even though just a mild hit
Last edited by trooplewis; 03-08-2009 at 09:23 PM.
03-08-2009, 09:38 PM
#23
No, I ment the front end stronger. If the front end was stronger, like if it had a impact bar or something, it wont be too hard on the front end.
I had my hole hood up, you couldnt even see outta the windsheild, I dont want it to happen again. Look at how mine was, after I hit the rear of an 08 chevy truck, didnt ruin the guys bumper, made like 2 or one small dent.
You see how the top of the rad. support, how it just gave away to quickly? I wanna get like a metal bar right under the top of the rad. support, wear theres some sort of wiring harness.
I had my hole hood up, you couldnt even see outta the windsheild, I dont want it to happen again. Look at how mine was, after I hit the rear of an 08 chevy truck, didnt ruin the guys bumper, made like 2 or one small dent.
You see how the top of the rad. support, how it just gave away to quickly? I wanna get like a metal bar right under the top of the rad. support, wear theres some sort of wiring harness.
03-08-2009, 09:53 PM
#24
Hey, your hood did just what it was supposed to do..
Hard to re-inforce unibody cars and still stay safe. They are supposed to collapse in spots, but yours went under and the part that is supposed to start the action (the bumper) missed all the fun.
Pretty common in accidents where both vehicles were braking hard and one rear-ends the other.
I actually had to pull a Toyota hitch cover out of my daughter's I30 grill once, it did $2500 damage to her car, $0 to the truck.
Hard to re-inforce unibody cars and still stay safe. They are supposed to collapse in spots, but yours went under and the part that is supposed to start the action (the bumper) missed all the fun.
Pretty common in accidents where both vehicles were braking hard and one rear-ends the other.
I actually had to pull a Toyota hitch cover out of my daughter's I30 grill once, it did $2500 damage to her car, $0 to the truck.
03-08-2009, 09:58 PM
#25
You understand the car is supposed to crumple that way for two reasons. One to save your life by transferring the energy of the crash into the crumple zones (of course the truck bumper wasn't hurt it's solid steel at the end of the strong frame rails). Two, if you were to strengthen the top rail you'd do additional damage to the car as much more energy would transfer to the frame and body.
03-09-2009, 05:27 AM
#26
Alls I know, if it gets into another wreck, it will be totalled out. Last time, the motor was on its way to e ruined, the fan shroud was like 2 milimeters from the valve cover.
I like OEM just for the fact the its OEM, and its safer, but its kinda plain and boring, the after market hoods are better to look at, they have a style.
I like OEM just for the fact the its OEM, and its safer, but its kinda plain and boring, the after market hoods are better to look at, they have a style.
03-09-2009, 12:04 PM
#27
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Rockford, Michigan
Posts: 328
No, I ment the front end stronger. If the front end was stronger, like if it had a impact bar or something, it wont be too hard on the front end.
I had my hole hood up, you couldnt even see outta the windsheild, I dont want it to happen again. Look at how mine was, after I hit the rear of an 08 chevy truck, didnt ruin the guys bumper, made like 2 or one small dent.
You see how the top of the rad. support, how it just gave away to quickly? I wanna get like a metal bar right under the top of the rad. support, wear theres some sort of wiring harness.
I had my hole hood up, you couldnt even see outta the windsheild, I dont want it to happen again. Look at how mine was, after I hit the rear of an 08 chevy truck, didnt ruin the guys bumper, made like 2 or one small dent.
You see how the top of the rad. support, how it just gave away to quickly? I wanna get like a metal bar right under the top of the rad. support, wear theres some sort of wiring harness.
03-09-2009, 02:02 PM
#28
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Silicon Valley
Posts: 655
Aftermarket parts have the same general crush-zones as OEM; c'mon, you think the gov't would let bodyshops put unsafe parts on your car?? (tongue-in-cheek)
The only issue with a hood is that it has to be able to buckle and bow up in the middle, so that in a collision the back of the hood does not try to come in thru the windshield. The aftermarket ones have the same design in that spot that all OEM ones do. If anything the aftermarket ones are a bit flimsier than OEM ones and will collapse even easier than the original was supposed to.
The only issue with a hood is that it has to be able to buckle and bow up in the middle, so that in a collision the back of the hood does not try to come in thru the windshield. The aftermarket ones have the same design in that spot that all OEM ones do. If anything the aftermarket ones are a bit flimsier than OEM ones and will collapse even easier than the original was supposed to.
BUT WILL YOU PUT YOUR SON IN A CAR WITH AN AFTER MARKET HOOD THAT YOU DON'T KNOW FOR SURE BEEN TESTED PROPERLY?
03-09-2009, 09:41 PM
#30
Frankly, it surprises me that you would make the statement above; trying to guilt me out???
Find me ANY accident where a serious injury or fatality was caused by aftermarket 'cheap' body panels and then I might feel a little guilty about it.
Aftermarket body panels are a non-issue in the safety arena. Do some research.
You guys sure like to spend money out of fear and misinformation.
03-09-2009, 09:46 PM
#31
03-09-2009, 10:11 PM
#33
Where can I get a cheap after market hood that looks just like that? Did it come primed and ready for paint, or already painted?
03-09-2009, 10:20 PM
#34
03-10-2009, 01:51 PM
#36
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Silicon Valley
Posts: 655
What research will tell you any aftermarket hood had been tested. That's the problem. The stamping shop in China would waste a car on a 2000 piece production run?
Is softer hood better or harder hood better? Who knows, who can tell? Even the steel Nissan selected is matched to the bends in the stamping to get the right strength or bending under impact.
The issue with hoods is that it is not a bolt on air dam or something like that. It is a piece of structural panel that Nissan probably crashed 5 cars to get right in the first place.
What does a small surgery cost today as compared to the cost difference between OEM and AM hoods? Sure most of us are insured. What would be the out of pocket.
I had a niece who fell asleep at the wheel and rear ended another car on a freeway and she walked away unharmed. That's what all parents want in peace of mind.
Your decision is already made and your son may never crash the car. But being a good driver is not good enough as other people on the road may not be good drivers.
Last edited by SVI30; 03-10-2009 at 01:55 PM.
03-10-2009, 05:10 PM
#37
Haha there is much more to crash safety then just a hood, like if his son gets rear-ended, his seats and head rest are going to be the ones protecting his life, if he gets hit on the side, his doors are going to be the one protecting his life.
Mostly likely his hood is going to be safer or just as safe as any other hood... like carbon fiber hoods for example, lots of people have them and they are stronger and lighter than normal hoods. Which would increase its chances of flying through a window, but there hasn't been any reported cases of anyone getting decapitated by carbon fiber hoods.
I might be just whistling out of my *** about the carbon fiber. But I think people should do whatever they want, as long as it doesn't pose a direct threat to their life.
And uhh... no offense to anyone
Mostly likely his hood is going to be safer or just as safe as any other hood... like carbon fiber hoods for example, lots of people have them and they are stronger and lighter than normal hoods. Which would increase its chances of flying through a window, but there hasn't been any reported cases of anyone getting decapitated by carbon fiber hoods.
I might be just whistling out of my *** about the carbon fiber. But I think people should do whatever they want, as long as it doesn't pose a direct threat to their life.
And uhh... no offense to anyone
03-10-2009, 06:55 PM
#38
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Sayreville, nj
Posts: 46
hey im a transformers fan what can i say. whats wrong with my hood i get many compliments on it. i think it give a much meaner look to the car. although i do like the first one posted too. gives it a bit a refinement i think.
03-10-2009, 07:07 PM
#39
Interesting, I like the deeper grooves of the aftermarket hood up close but when you see the car from farther away I think it looks pretty cheap. The very subtle angles of the stock hood look better.
Glad you like it though! The fitment looks pretty good for aftermarket (not perfect, although it looks as though you could adjust the rubber bumpers under the front of the hood to raise it so it's closer to flush).
Glad you like it though! The fitment looks pretty good for aftermarket (not perfect, although it looks as though you could adjust the rubber bumpers under the front of the hood to raise it so it's closer to flush).
03-11-2009, 01:43 AM
#40
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Sayreville, nj
Posts: 46
oh it definitly needs to be adjusted. i just havent had the time to do it yet. i can see what you mean from far out, but up close its mean lol. i hope to get a weekend off soon so i can realign it and paint the car. but then again will all the ot im netting ill probably keep modding