It's been bugging me for a while, what are these?

[Alex.]

what are these 'things' on the hood of this skline?

ive seen then any times before, some on he ferrari FXX, and some on american muscle, what s their purpose?

 

[-Fred-]

Hood pins. They hold the hood (bonnet) shut, but most of the ones you'll see are more show oriented than anything. The latch system on most cars will not work with a carbon fiber bonnet, so people put those pins to hold it down. It's also quicker to open the bonnet with these on, so for racing applications they make a lot of sense.

 

[Alex.]

thanks

 

[skip0110]

Certain race series also mandate hood pins on cars, e.g. NHRA requires them on cars in the 10's or faster.

 

[Keef]

...beacause hoodpins only close one way, and are more reliable than a latch.

 

[Tornado]

My dad's Duster 340 has hood pins on it.

 

[skip0110]

My dad's Duster 340 has hood pins on it.

Any pictures? I like the "fuselage" look of the 70-up A-bodies.

 

[Tornado]

Any pictures? I like the "fuselage" look of the 70-up A-bodies.

I dunno. Its rather embarassing. Enough rust that he had to replace the entire floor of the car when he bought it (put-your-entire-arm-through-the-rear-quarter-panel bad). He's currently in the process of rebuilding it after putting it off for 3 years when he last stopped.

 

[YSSMAN]

Hood pins, IMO, only look good on certain cars. American muscle cars? Makes sense. Import tuners? Not so much...

Of note are the Chevelle SS models that all had hood pins in the late 1960s (and early '70s), the Mustang BOSS 302, and even the great HEMI 'Cuda all had them. Our friend who did a ZZ4 swap into an old MGA even has them on his car, and although they do pass for "right," they do look a bit odd.

IMO, I'd rather have a plain looking hood. It just looks "clean," and thats the way I like it.

 

[Perfect Balance]

Hood pins, IMO, only look good on certain cars. American muscle cars? Makes sense. Import tuners? Not so much...

You should change that to "ricers." On a 800HP Supra or a 600HP rx-7, they don't look so out of place.