Gramma's Car: the new project!

[njsteve]

I am thinking of changing things up a little this winter and swapping to a shaker hood for Gramma's car since the Formula hood is so warped in the middle. I have a perfect 1971/2 functional shaker lid and a usable base from a non-shaker air cleaner that donated its snorkels years ago. I just need to find a nice 1971 to 1976 hood now. (In case anyone near me in Jersey has one to spare.) Here's a couple photos of the shaker unit and the donor base. Once I source a couple of the mounting tabs that tack weld to the base so the shaker can attach, I can get it powder coated.

(ignore the color-matched cat)

[njsteve]

I was perusing craigslist last week and this Formula hood popped up within driving distance. It was selling cheap and it is not bowed! It has at least six layers of paint on it. So I guess I have another repair project to play with. It has some minor cracks around the defroster grills but at least all the ribs are still in place. It was a real project getting it in the Suburban and even worse getting it out. It took about 45 minutes with me and the kids trying to keyhole it out the back. I had to remove the rear hatch interior trim to gain an extra 1/2" of clearance. It was like it grew wider once it got in the back of the truck.

I borrowed a buddy's pressure washer on Saturday and cleaned the underside. It got all the old grease and gunk off very nicely.

[markinnaples]

Cool. Are you going to prep and paint the dual scoop Formula hood and then store it and put the shaker and hood on it for a while?

[njsteve]

For some reason it seems difficult to find a nice shaker hood at the moment. Shipping $$$ is big deal breaker. So I may just paint the Formula hood and use that. I figured it couldn’t pass this one up since it was relatively cheap and nearby.

[Craig_Maiorana]

Have you tried Ron from Potomac Pontiac? We used to buy tons of used stuff from him.. 301-668-0101

[njsteve]

I have not, but the $150 or so dollars to truck freight and then praying for it to arrive undamaged is what really hurts. I've never been able to get something that big and flat shipped without it arriving either more flatter or more curved than when it began the trip.

This Formula hood was just across the bridge in Delaware which was a leisurely 2 hour drive. Maryland isn't that far away...just one additional state further south.

[njsteve]

I spent some time out in the garage today with the 73. I used it as a the guinea pig for the 75.

I did some measuring on the inside of the donor air cleaner base and although the outside height is the same as a shaker air cleaner base, the inside height is not the same. The donor base does not have the "drop base" to sit low on the carb so the shaker will sit too high on this base and hit the hood if I try to use it.

So it looks like I will need to find an actual shaker base either a repro 70-72 or a 73 to 79 and add the two mounting tabs I got from Norwood.

Oh well...anybody got a used shaker base from a 73 to 79 sitting around in the attic?

[markinnaples]

Nice.

[9999]

Steve, what are the major differences in Trans Am hoods of the second generation? I would like to build a wanna-be 1970-1973 T/A.

[njsteve]

The 70 to 76 hoods’ body lines are externally the same with minor underside bracing differences. 77 to 81 have a flatter body line to mate up with the 77 and newer urethane nose.