Cowl Hoods

[Sammy]

There is not as many folks running cowl hoods as I would have thought. Even fewer GMC's. What is everyone's thinking on them? Just too expensive at around $400? Takes away from the looks? Worried about the fitting issues?

[BarryB]

My opinion they don't belong on a truck, just doesn't look right. IMHO

[white 67]

I like cowl hoods, but the only ones i have seen are all 2", or fiberglass. If i could get a 3" steel cowl hood i would be sold.

[6772owner]

The steel cowl that came with my truck fits like crap, not sure of the brand, but it is horrible. The sides of the hood are taller than the fender in the middle and it seems that it "bows" up from front to back. Hard to explain, but I could get you some pics if you are interested. I believe that some of this is poor fitment of the front clip (fenders, cowl, grille shell, etc.) but the hood should have never been painted with the poor fitment that it has. I probably will go back to stock when the truck is redone again. Oh and btw its a 67' K10, in case it matters.

[c10crazy]

Every one I have seen was the same way with a slight bow that makes it sit a little higher than the fenders.

[fine69]

I like them on the 67-68 trucks. But not on the 69-72. The 69-72 looks like crap because of the front edge of the hood.

I have a cowl hood on my 98 GMC. Looks *****en'. Totally makes the truck look better.

[Sammy]

Thanks for the comments. More?

[RBC67]

I have a fiberglass one that came with the truck. For what it is worth I like the look, however my friend and I spent way to much time getting it to look decent.

It does bow a little in the back center, but we did get it to look flush on the fenders. What really bothers me is the sides of the hood in reference to the fenders. It can be fixed and made to look right with some reenforcement and body work.
Although.... I did I just buy a real nice original steel hood that I going to use instead.

[RBC67]

Maybe a picture helps describe what I'm failing to say....

[Piece of Work]

I have one, it was on the truck when I bought it. The fit is fine, but I don't know who the manufacturer was. As for the look, it's all a matter of taste and what look you want.

[71HUGGER396]

I agree with FINE 69, I love them on the 67-68, but not on the 69-72.

[Dieselwrencher]

I like the look but hate most of the aftermarket hoods I have installed and tried to make fit decent. That is why I installed a scoop on my hood. It is just in primer, but I think it looks good.

[QKENUF4U]

loved the cowl on my 71.... it fit excellent and looked sweet IMHO....dont know the manuf. since i bought a bunch of stuff from a woman that was gonna redo a blazer but never did....

[bigsnookmaster]

I have one on my 68, I like it, but it took alot of work to make it fit

[70stroker]

I like them. I couldnt find one big enough to take my blower underneath, so i had to cut a hole.

[leddzepp]

I don't like them on our trucks. In my opinion, they don't flow well with the lines of the body.

[4tiresngas]

I like 'em. I don't remember what brand I bought, but I got it from the Truck Shop in Orange County. It wasn't cheap. I agree I could not get it to fit good, but the body shop that painted my truck did a pretty good job.

[nds1968]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

i don't like them on our trucks. In my opinion, they don't flow well with the lines of the body.

x2 ^^

[Sammy]

I have heard the fiberglass ones are worse than the steel as far as fitting. Just wondering now if a certain manufacture should be avoided. I'm not a perfectionist by no means but if your paying $350-$400 for something it would be nice to be very close to fitting. I noticed the edge distance above in one of the pics on RCB67 truck. Shame with such a decent paint job it didn't at least maintain the edge distance down the fender line. If you know the manufacture maybe myself and others could avoid the inferior product. Thanks again for everyones responses so folks can make an educated guess on if they want to go this route or not.

[white 67]

I think http://www.usbody.com/ makes the fiberglass hoods.

I dont mean to change the subject but do stock after market hood fit any better than the cowl hoods.

[Sammy]

Originally Posted by white 67

I think http://www.usbody.com/ makes the fiberglass hoods.

I dont mean to change the subject but do stock after market hood fit any better than the cowl hoods.

I haven't seen any replacement stock hoods personally but maybe someone can answer that for you.
I know from experance that bad rivet pins in the hinges can cause some issues in the rear of the hood. But shouldn't play a part in the fender gap.

[AusTx68]

I picked up an steel cowl hood from site vendor Tri-Pro Automotive. Looks damn good. I hope to get my front clip on this weekend. If it happens I'll let you know how it fit.

[Dynomutt]

I pick mine up Saturday but not convinced that I'm using it yet. I will paint both just in case.

I like em on longbeds better than I do shortbeds.

[68Stepbed]

Well, I always loved the look of them. I couldn't wait to get one for my 68. When I restored it, I got one. Now that I have it, I don't like it. Like some have mentioned, they take away from the lines of the trucks. IMO, these trucks have the best and most beautiful lines and contours of any other truck. The cowl hood just adds another dimension that doesn't belong, especially on a stepside. I will say that I think they look better of fleetsides than stepsides. I may eventually look into trying to trade out for a nice stock original hood in the future.

Here's a good example of what I'm talking about.

[john8746]

I love the look and fit of my cow hood it was maid by goodmark we put one on my sons's 70 and one on my 69 both were good fits