Can someone explain the different charger hoods?

[charger440sixpac]

Apr 25, 2013 21:58:26 GMT -5 stevess said:

Holy Monkeys. No wonder I was confused.

I updated my first post with some additional notes from the experts here as well as information from some other forums I found. Hopefully, we can arrive at a better understanding of how our cars were originally built.

My R/T, built in Jan 71, has the vents with the gap.



I've never come across any indication that this wasn't the original hood but since I'm not the original owner, I can't say for sure.

BTW, in case anyone is thinking 'What the heck, who cares about the hood vents anyway?' The question usually comes up when someone starts thinking about adding R/T striping to their car. If you look at the hood stripe, it is designed to 'fit' to the outside edges of the hood vents. Although I haven't measured one, it appears the distance from the hood side edge to the first stamped vent opening is the same on all 71-73 hoods (looking closely at Dave's 73 hood photo). The R/T hood stripe should work on the 73 PB hood. Even though there are no vents on the 74 hoods, I've seen the R/T striping on a 74 and it looks fine.

Now, as far as interchange, I always thought the hood panel size was the same for all four years and they are all interchangeable. Anyone have any first hand experience mixing and matching 3rd Gen Charger hoods? Paging Nacho, Nacho, customer service, line 1...

[odzking]

I have saved my SE hood and will be using mostly a 71 Super Bee hood with the insert and simply changing the emblems to "400 Magnum".
That is the plan so I will let you know ... that should be a couple weeks, as engine install is this weekend.
I did however attach a pic of last year at the shop.
Fit perfectly.

[brigond]

I have what appears to be a 1973 hood on my 1971. It fits well. Ive called performance car graphics about placement of RT stripes on all bulge hoods. The owner says there is no issue accross the years as far as the cowl vents. He also says that each year, there were less vents. Just like you all have stated here.

[brigond]

I also think , as stated earlier that the different hoods could depend on the time of year the car was built or maybe part availability.

I had to change the water valve on my car , only NOS was available . Come to find out that they used different water valves earlier in the year than than they did later in the production year. I know a water valve and a hood are at both ends of the earth. One is very aesthetic and the other hardly seen at all. That probably weren't as stringent back then .

[stevess]

My be I have this figured out. Flat hoods vary in the number of cowl vents. The fresh air hood could be ordered on the R/T and Super bee. Standard on the Hemi.

The inserts which were confusing me are horizontal vents opening to the rear on an R/T and Longitudinal on the Super Bee. The engine call outs on a Super Bee are inside the insert.

[DynoDave]

Apr 28, 2013 11:19:11 GMT -5 stevess said:

My be I have this figured out. Flat hoods vary in the number of cowl vents. The fresh air hood could be ordered on the R/T, Super Bee, and Rallye. Standard on the Hemi.

The inserts which were confusing me are horizontal vents opening to the rear on an R/T and Longitudinal on the Super Bee. The engine call outs on a Super Bee are inside the insert.

Updated.

[odzking]

OK, as mentioned previously in my other post, we aligned the hood and as we were closing ever so gently we noticed that it would NOT close all the way. Why, there is a lip on the 71 hood that hits the collision brackets on the 73 bumper.

[odzking]

Once removed, the hood will close all the way.
Difficult to say exactly how much it interferes with the 71 hood but it really doesn't do much and as I suspect it was a 73 slow impact collision thing anyway.
They are in a bag in the trunk if I ever decide to put on my original 73 hood.

[Deleted]

Have you tried to mount the impact collision thing on the underside (bottom instead of top) of where it mounts to the fender?

[odzking]

It was mounted on the bottom. Only way it will.