95-01 fiberglass cowl hood

[BonesDT]

is it just me, but i like the steel hoods better than fiberglass? they seem more durable and truck like. is a steel cowl/scooped hood even a rarer item than a fiberglass?

theres a lot of talk about replacing fenders and hoods with fiberglass. what is the significance. is it for weight? doesnt seem like it would lighten up an off-road explorer significantly. or is it just price and ease of making?

could anyone send or repost the earlier pics of the hood, the pics are down, thank you. james.fitzgerald@villanova.edu

it would be cool to get the cowl hood with a supercharger underneath and put a "supercharged" emblem on the side of the cowl scoop lettin everyone know how bad ass your ex is!

 

[Hartman]

At this point, most on this board take what we can get, whether it be a fiberglass or steel hood.

 

[CougarX]

yes, but i would like to find something other than a cowl hood, somethin with a small scoop or intakes like Troll's

 

[Alec]

Originally posted by BonesDT
it would be cool to get the cowl hood with a supercharger underneath and put a "supercharged" emblem on the side of the cowl scoop lettin everyone know how bad ass your ex is!

That's exactly what I plan on doing. I used to have some on my fenders but those of course went the way of my stock fenders. When I install my scoop I'll get some new ones:

Dead Link Removed

I had #5.

 

[X24]

Hmmmm I dont really like any of those styles. But I dont have a supercharger, so I dont really have to worry about that.

 

[expo5.0]

heres my 2 cents- i can't think of anything funnier than a slow as hell explorer with a cowl hood. to each his own, but unless you can back up the look (backing it up means having enough power that the awesome engine you run doesn't even fit under the hood, purpony comes to mind or troll as examples of who can back it up) i really don't think its a good plan. you may as well put cobra emblems on your stock ohv

 

[X24]

So, let me get this straight Drew... You are trying to convince me that its a bad idea to put my blister on my hood because I cant back it up so you can buy it from me. Is that what youre trying to do???

 

[expo5.0]

nope! i'm fine with no hood ornamentation and i will stand by that position for the near future unless i either blow my motor and go with a 347 or buy a charger.

 

[ExplorGM]

Many reasons...

While I agree that "supercharged", "5.0", "Racing" etc., emblems should be backed up with performance or an actual supercharger for example, I don't agree that cosmetic items like custom hoods, fender flares, airdams, and the like need to be backed up by power. If this was so, many millions of dollars would not have been spent by those wishing to simply add a more unique look to their vehicles.

The airdams and ground effects seen on many of the Explorers that are posted here are good examples. Even with blowers or V8s, airdams are more cosmetic than effective at surface street speeds. Even a stoplight racer benefits very little from a front airdam. Some small benefits are provided by channeling air more effectively to the cooling system or brakes under extreme high performance conditions and reducing lift at 100+mph, but for the most part the addition of these items by the aftermarket, owners and manufacturers is mainly cosmetic. (my understanding is that airdams and the like are used primarily by high speed racing vehicles to reduce lift, manage under body airflow for better aerodynamics, (the undercarriage of most vehicles is the "dirtiest" part of most vehicles aerodynamically speaking) and provide a means to direct air flow to various mechanical systems that need cooling or cool air or around tires/wheels. Most of this is most effective at speeds exceeding 100-150mph which is not usually done by responsible citizens on our streets and highways...)

For my money, there is nothing wrong with individualizing your vehicle to fit your tastes. This applies to our Explorers specifically because if speed and acceleration were your only goals, your money would be better spent on a different, smaller, lighter more streamlined vehicle.

As far as my truck is concerned, I think the addition of a cowl hood would improve the appearance as well as provide an effective release of underhood heat. Especially here in Arizona!

And yes, I am green with envy of those with real 5.0s under their hoods!

To each his own!

 

[DocVijay]

Re: Many reasons...

Originally posted by ExplorGM
As far as my truck is concerned, I think the addition of a cowl hood would improve the appearance as well as provide an effective release of underhood heat. Especially here in Arizona!

Just switch Texas for Arizone and that's pretty much my reasoning. That's also why I added an auxillary oil cooler and an auxillary tranny cooler. Heat kills. Cowl hood helps to rid engine of heat. Engine happy.

 

[aldive]

Ditto, the Sunshine State.

 

[CHH777]

How about a full fiberglass front clip that flips open forward (or can be removed completely)?

 

[DocVijay]

Originally posted by CHH777
How about a full fiberglass front clip that flips open forward (or can be removed completely)?

That might look nice, but I think it would be a bit unwieldy. Just to check your oil level you'd have to flip the whole thing forwards. You might be able to mold in more cooling vents or light fictures, etc., but it's a lot of work for little benefit (well other than potential looks). I think I'll stick with a regularly opening hood.

 

[CHH777]

Originally posted by DocVijay
That might look nice, but I think it would be a bit unwieldy. Just to check your oil level you'd have to flip the whole thing forwards...

Hmm, good point. Sure would have been nice when I was installing my headers though...

 

[DocVijay]

Originally posted by CHH777
Hmm, good point. Sure would have been nice when I was installing my headers though...

Now that I will definitely agree with!

 

[ExplorGM]

One Piece Front End

I installed a Fiberglass one piece front end on my Jeep and it was pretty cool. Yes, it was not as easy to open as flipping a hood latch, but with lockable pins it was not too bad. It tilted forward so the complete access to the V6 was nice.
Not much lighter than the stock fenders and hood for that application though. If getting custom hoods is tough for us, imagine the odds of someone making a complete fiberglass front end!

 

[expo5.0]

to my way of thinking an air dam is a tool to mount lights and to improve styling, while a cowl hood is a tool to mount larger than stock engine components (either a larger motor or a blower) and to improve styling. many of us have fog and/or driving lights, but how many of us have engine components that won't fit under the hood? also, the cooling effect of the cowl hood is a bunch of crap imo! if you really wanted to keep your engine cool you would figure out how to suck air into the engine from under the front bumper where its colder (something i'm working hard on right now). cowl hoods can be effective tools to keep engine temperature down, but they aren't really applicable to an explorer because keeping your underhood temp a few degrees colder won't help that much (and there is not a problem with overheating with our trucks- i never had a problem in my time in phoenix at all) rather, what we need is a colder air in our intake if we are trying to improve performance.

this was my next two cents, i don't care if someone disagrees or what not, but don't look for a cowl on my truck until i put out close to purpony's numbers

 

[DocVijay]

Originally posted by expo5.0
also, the cooling effect of the cowl hood is a bunch of crap imo! if you really wanted to keep your engine cool you would figure out how to suck air into the engine from under the front bumper where its colder (something i'm working hard on right now).

Actually, if you look at the mechanics behind it, the airflow creates a slight vacuum right where the hood meets the windshield (coincidentally right where the vents of the cowl hood are). This draws air out of the engine bay, creating a net negative pressure in there. This draws more air in from the front of the car. So the hood does indeed help to cool the engine. As for how beneficial that is, is up for discussion.

 

[X24]

I actually thought the air went up the hood and then circled around and if the hood was open it would go in. The older style chevy cavaliers that have the cowls on the hood are actually functional. They suck air in and the air is funneled thru the hood and comes out of a hole right above the airfilter. Kinda neat if you ask me.

 

[aldive]

Has anyone actually measured in engine bay temp? I know it gets pretty hot in there.