bigj884 said:
The back is lower in the front by ~1/4 inch. I could have added washers as spacers to line it up but it wasn't worth the effort.
The distance between hood and fenders is close and even on both sides.
The front overlap is a bit short but I don't think anyone would really notice. We'll see once I get it in front of some friends.
The install was quick and painless! It definitely requires 2 people. It took me 7 hours to remove old hood, wash old hood, package old hood for storage, install weatherstripping on new hood, install new hood, and wax the new hood.
The only concern i have is in the amount of effort it takes to get the hood latch to engage. I must apply ~15 pounds of force over the front latch to get it to connect. I don't think it is a bump stop issue and I don't see the hood touching anything else. I'm just wondering if I should have to physically push down on the hood to get it to latch. The pre-latch (1st click) happens just by the weight of the hood so I know that is OK.
I went out for a test drive tonight and was VERY pleased at how rigid the hood is over bumpy roads and at highway speeds. I really have to look closley to see any movement at all. I'm really happy with this.
I scared myself coming out of my driveway. I have to get into boost to make it up a hill in front of my house and the sound of the turbo is very noticeable. The turkey positively screams now. I LOVE IT!
Oh, and with regards to heat....ambient temp average for 35 minute drive was 60 degrees. The fan never came on...not at stoplights, not in rush hour traffic, not after staying at high rpm/boost around the neighborhood. The hood itself got warm and I could really feel the heat coming out of the vents with the engine idling.
This product rocks. Thanks again to Niv for getting it made for us!
