The Dodge Challenger Message Board

Hi all - it's been a while and I must firstly apologise for not staying in contact with everyone. I have just about rebuilt everything mechanical on my car and recently installed the re-built 318 (30 thou over now with flat top pistons etc etc). The intake is a Weiand 'action plus' (dual plane, and I have a Holley 600 with vac secondaries to install. A good friend did some work on the stock heads (larger stainless valves and mild polish to the ports etc) and I have been connecting everything up and admiring the overall look in the repainted engine bay. My dilemma is: there's no way that my standard flat hood will accommodate the now taller intake and carby set-up, let alone a "mopar performance" air cleaner, as the carb is sitting flush with the top level of the fenders. I wonder how many other people before me have gone through this and made this discovery eh? Will a rallye stlye hood greatly increase my "clearance" height for the engine and if so by how much.
yes- Dave - I promise to send some pics of it all and also include some of my trip. I am sorry for not having done so yet - just flat-out with the business and family committments, as should be obvious by the time it's taken me to get this far with my pride and joy.

Thanks for any help

Yeah Roger the dual scoop hood gives you more height over the carb. I think from memory the six pack air cleaner is flush with the fenders or even slightly higher. I will see if I can get a photo looking across the fender tops with the hood up for you.

If I remeber right there are also "low clearence" cleaners around. Dont remeber who makes them but can ask my son who reads every catalog containing MOPAR parts page to page. Let me know. / Lars

The six pack air cleaner sticks up above the fender tops but with the R/T style hood there is still a lot of clearence between the air cleaner lid and the underside of the hood.

Thanks for the quick replies, suggestions and photo too.

I can see that your set-up sits slightly higher than the fenders Dave and I am not surprised given you have a "raised block" and 3 carb set-up. I'm not sure whether my problem stem from the new engine mounts or what, but others I have spoken to who have made a similar conversion over to a 4bbl from the original set-up on a small block, have said that the standard hood should be fine. I've taken a couple of pics to show you what I mean, then I'll let you experts decide which way would be best for me to go. I've always like the meaner appearance that the r/t style hood gives the car, so will probably opt for this, however I have also liked the wolf in sheep's clothing approach too.
Anyhow - as usual I really appreciate your comments and suggestions. I will look for an air cleaner base with a deeper dish and rebate, so it sits lower, however I am doubtful that even this will solve my dilemma Lars, as the top of the carby sits taller than the fenders, and I havn't even got gasket materials or a spacer under it yet. As you can see, I still have to bolt on the power steering pump, alternator and aircon compressor (lying down on the left and still connected), but am pleased with the work I have done so far. I've learned heaps from this project and can't wait to fire her up. I've decided to keep the original exhaust manifolds to avoid possible dramas with extractors leaking and clearance issues with the starter etc. The rebuild on the power steering box was the only thing that cost the earth here in oz at almost $1000 or about US$700 - a hefty price to pay and in hindsight I would have been better to go with manual steering, however I can always change over at a later date. The trans is next and I have met a fellow on the net who lives not far from me who had a 904 rebuilt, fitted with a "stage 3" shift kit, deep pan sump and is asking only $400 for it complete and unused (he sold the drag car he had it built for). I plan to buy it as a replacement for the original trans I still have which is a little sloppy in the changes, however I'm unsure I need a "stage 3" shift kit (whatever that may be) as I only intend to use my car for cruising and weekend touring with the missus and tin-lids, not racing down the strip.

Well thanks once again for your opinions and advice - it's truly appreciated.

Cheers...Roger

Roger,

I had the same problem, ended up with a Low Profile Air Cleaner from Holley, and the replacement hood. Good Luck!

Well I suppose there's nothing else for it, except to invest in a rallye hood. I've had to convince my wife by showing her the answers to my questions on this thread. Thanks guys for helping me win over my financial controller
Nice looking ride you have insurance guy - neat as a pin in the engine bay.
So where is the best place to buy the hood, inserts, underhood pad, clips and anything else I may have forgotten?
Cheers...R

I may be wrong, and someone will correct me if I am, but i think Goodmark makes good repo steel r/t hoods.

Thanks for the tip spitfire. I visited their website: http://www.goodmarkindustries.com/homeinfo.htm and have contacted them re: delivery to Australia (sometimes no one wants to know us downunder). I'll let others know the outcome in due course. Their hood is US$90 cheaper than Year One, and they include the outer and inner parts for the hood scoops (bezel and blank infill) at the same price as YO charges for just the bezels. I also noticed that they're just about to market repro rubber Chrysler dealer's floor mats (front & rear) which are a one-piece item that goes over the trans hump and across the floor from one side to the other (front and rear are separate). Not cheap at $129 - but will save the carpet and look great too. The things they don't sell which I would still need for this change-over are: underhood pad, hood pins & dodge letters for the front (although I'm unsure if this was standard for the 1971 model). These I can order through YO and will do so. If you can think of anything I may have overlooked, please let me know.
Cheers...Roger

how about the t/a snorkel you can get a steel one from a guy on www.moparts.com ,i think his name is scott harms,maybe cheapr to ship than the r/t hood.

don`t show this reply to the missus

www.harmsauto.com

they are $599 each

$479 on ebay + shipping ( door-to-door shipping is about $250 to Sweden , I have asked).
I don´t know if the seller is good or bad though...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... gory=10076

Thanks guys for all the positive and helpful feedback. I had a look at the all steel T/A scoop Bryan - very nice indeed, but as a bit of a purist, I suppose I would like to keep my '71 as realistically original as possible and as you probably already know, there was only ever a picture of a '71 T/A, with no proof of production ever. That's not to say I don't like the idea as I think that this hood is one of the most attractive ever made for a muscle car. Having said this, I also love the look of the R/T style hood too.
I tried contacting the seller of the $479 R/T hood Christer, as this is $20 cheaper than the best price I have found elsewhere (Goodmark) and I liked the shipping fee you quoted (maybe a little more for me in Aus). The seller's ISP has listed EBay as a source of possible spam so filters all email and bounced my message to him. I have used alternative means to contact him and will post the outcome of all my efforts here so others may benefit from this exercise and perhaps we can establish a thread dedicated to this common change-over from a flat hood to an R/T hood (Dave?).
Cheers...Roger

Well I finally heard back from Goodmark, and surprise, surprise -

"We do not ship outside the USA. We can ship to a freight forwarder, or you can order from one of our distributors who ships internationally…try Year One at www.yearone.com. - Goodmark".

As predicted eh? I will pursue all other avenues available to me, as an aquaintance of mine might have a container leaving from Georgia in a few weeks (depending on circumstances), in which case I'll get the hood from Goodmark sent to Atlanta and his container. Alternatively, I'll have to bite the bullet and pay Year One's excessive parts costs and shipping fees.

Roger,

I just spoke to a compay called The Paddock who will ship to Pemberton, est cost 400-500 us. Hood is 549 and the hood inserts are 129 us.

http://www.paddockparts.com/Paddock/pro ... AD185AF9C2

Hope this helps that bad girl lookin good!

Todd

Hey Todd - thanks for the research. The Paddock were next on my list and I've tried to use their on-line purchase facility, however the form is not very user friendly for us "foreigners" and kept on rejecting me as an invalid shipping destination (and I am registered with them and logged on too). To add insult to injury, there's no email contact details for these people either, and I don't fancy staying up half the night so I can phone them during their business hours. It never ceases to amaze me how few US based companies cater to the needs of off-shore customers (with the exception of Guam, Puerto Rico and in some cases Canada). It's almost as if there are no customers beyond continental USA that are worth dealing with... So much for the so called "global economy". My country is just about to endorse a "free trade agreement" with the US, however I doubt that this will make things easier for me or my fellow car enthusiasts when it comes to ordering parts over the internet. I may have to wait to see if my friend plans to ship a container from the US in the immediate future, and use this as my last option for this oversize item. I contacted Year One four days ago requesting info about shipping this item to Australia. Still no reply, so I can only assume they're either extremely busy or not interested. If anyone else has gone through this saga and can shed some light on the best way of ordering a hood for an overseas destination, I would appreciate your input, as I'm feeling rather frustrated and beginning to look at other options like cutting a hole in my flat hood and putting a scoop on it as a final solution (although not ideal it will solve the problem).
Cheers...Roger

Would this guy be able to order you a hood?

http://www.mopartsracing.com/aus/index.html

Todd

Hi Todd,

I'll contact as many people over here as I know of who may be able to help. I'm also posting a 'wanted to buy' ad on http://www.moparmarket.com - a local mopar buy and sell site that's really good. I'll give Jim Bucknor at Year One the benefit of another couple of days before I forget about them and look at other options. It's just really frustrating knowing what you need, seeing it available and wanting to pay for it and have it delivered, yet suppliers not seeming to care about conducting business with you. I've even contacted two vendors of hoods on EBay, but with a similar outcome - not interested - too hard blah blah blah. I'm sure something will come up and I'm still hopeful that my friend Renato (who owns a 72 Cuda, 69 Roadrunner, 67 mustang, Porsche 911 targa and a Fiat bambino) is going to have a container available to add to in Georgia. Fingers crossed and thanks once again for your help. I'll keep you posted.
Cheers...Roger

The latest in the saga...
I've taken a punt and written an email to "info@paddockparts.com" which so far has not been returned as "undeliverable" so I assume it will reach someone there. I find it surprising that they do not publish an email address, although they must have a reason for this.

I'll let everyone know how I get on with them and how cooperative they are (or not - as the case may be). At this stage I'm very deflated and pissed-off about this whole issue, however I'll keep my fingers crossed that the Paddock will "come good" and I'll eventually get my Rallye style hood after all.

The one and only time I ordered from the paddock (a rear bumper) they would only ship to an airport. I had to get the thing through customs and pick it up myself which turned out to be a bit tricky.

This was a few years ago now though.

how about a fibreglass one,these guys are supposed to be very good

www.aarqualityfiberglass.com

Thanks to everyone who has offered some advice. I have resolved the issue so to speak, as my friend will be shipping a container from Houston, so I plan to add one Rallye style hood to his shipment (purchased from Goodmark who are about US$100 cheaper than all the other places). All things being equal, I should receive my hood by Christmas.
Two things I have learned from this exercise:
1 - The paddock is not interested in any foreign customers whatsoever (as is the case with many US based suppliers).
2 - Year One charges astronomical shipping fees (they quoted me almost US$700 for shipping and I had to collect from the airport some 250 miles from me - that's more than the price of the hood!)

The moral to this story is, don't make any changes to your flat hood Challenger engine, unless you have the intention and means to purchase a rallye hood to accommodate the additional height of the induction system, and then make your plans a year in advance so you can be assured of having the hood delivered, painted and ready to install.

But with an air cleaner that drops lower over the carb the stock hood would have fitted would it not?

dave-r wrote:But with an air cleaner that drops lower over the carb the stock hood would have fitted would it not?

yup, I am a bit puzzled over your problems too, Roger. The Weiand intake you are using, shouldn´t be much higher than the stock intake, should it? The carburator is also of a stock type. So where does all this height come from?

Christer that intake is a lot higher than the stock intake. I think there are air cleaners that would have fitted under the stock hood. Although I personally would have used the situation to convince my wife I needed the R/T hood!

My M-1 Mopar intake, even with the low profile air cleaner left me less than 4 cm of clearance, even with the new hood. I would have gotten the new hood regardless, but it was nice to have the excuse!

dave-r wrote:Christer that intake is a lot higher than the stock intake. I think there are air cleaners that would have fitted under the stock hood. Although I personally would have used the situation to convince my wife I needed the R/T hood!

I made the comment because the intake (Rogers) doesn´t seem to be a lot higher than a stock intake by looking at the photos, but that is apparently wrong. (Not easy to draw any conclusions from a photo.)

I took a closer look at my own car yesterday and even the stock intake with a low profile air cleaner is a close fit (between flat hood and air cleaner).

Yes - you're right. The 4 bbl Weiand dual plane intake manifold is considerably taller than the stock cast iron 2bbl one. Even without any air filter attached, no gasket between carby and manifold (no spacer either) the top of the carby sits slightly higher than the tops of the fenders. I know that there is a modest rise in the profile of the flat hood, but not sufficient enough to accommodate the 4bbl set-up even with an air filter of less than 1" or 24mm in height. This must have been the reason Dodge offered the R/T or rallye style hood with all their performance models (4bbl and 6 pack). Am I right in making this assumption or not?
This has been an interesting exercise and it draws to an end pretty soon. I have been quoted US$499 + $115 from Goodmark to purchase and ship the hood to Houston, inclusive of pallet charges, another US$200 contribution to the container costs to Fremantle (the port city of Perth), then import duty, customs charges for quarantine (why I have no idea) and finally GST (goods and services tax) - total for me - approx AUD$1200 + my time & fuel to collect the hood 500 miles round trip to Perth and back home. Not a cheap exercise by any means so my advice for anyone else considering this is to think things out carefully and keep all costs to yourself - don't tell the missus!
Oh - and the real downer about all this - I won't get it until approx Christmas so loose out on 4 months of cruising time

Bung a plastic scoop on the stock hood until Christmas mate.

Even cheaper. Just cut a hole in the thing.

I was experimenting with mine the other day to see if I could squeeze two filter elements into the air cleaner.

The stock six pack filter does not flow enough for an engine with as much power as mine and it looked like there is at least an inch if not more clearence between the underside of the R/T hood and the air cleaner lid. A six pack filter is 2 inches tall.

But there must be less than that under the hood because the hood would not quite shut.

Maybe that is what this guy has done?