Any 73 NOS hood insulation?

[William M.]

My very original 73 454 had what I believe to be the original hood insulation blanket. It is fairly thick, greenish black and a fuzzy fiberglass looking material. It was pretty beat up after 35 years, so I searched for a new one. Got one from Eckler's and it wasn't even close. Paragon told me theirs was like original, so I ordered one from them. It's a much smoother texture, thinner and more black in appearance. Also 2 of the mounting holes were about a half inch off on both Eckler's and Paragon. Anyone know where I can get NOS or a correct repro?

[Harmon C.]

Re: Any 73 NOS hood insulation?

[quote=William Mehrkens (23149);341361]My very original 73 454 had what I believe to be the original hood insulation blanket. It is fairly thick, greenish black and a fuzzy fiberglass looking material. It was pretty beat up after 35 years, so I searched for a new one. Got one from Eckler's and it wasn't even close. Paragon told me theirs was like original, so I ordered one from them. It's a much smoother texture, thinner and more black in appearance. Also 2 of the mounting holes were about a half inch off on both Eckler's and Paragon. Anyone know where I can get NOS or a correct repro?[/quot


GM sold the insulation blanket and it sometimes had the holes off a little but the washers covered this up. I would say the fuzzy part and thickness was caused by age and the color of a GM replacement varied in color from black to green. If what you got from Paragon was molded it may be the best you can find. I think the GM part is discontinued and I have not seen a molded reproduction.

[William M.]

Re: Any 73 NOS hood insulation?

I was wondering if the "fuzzyness" was caused by wear / age or that's the way they were new. The reproductions sure look different than the one I took off.

[Mike M.]

Re: Any 73 NOS hood insulation?

i got a NOS one from GM for our 74 about 15 years ago. try GM although i'm not optimistic.mike

[Jack H.]

Re: Any 73 NOS hood insulation?

This is untested, but it's been my experience that it's pretty much a snowball's chance in Hades that old Zora spent his scarce tooling $$$ on parts that weren't required for Corvette styling or performance....

Following that logic, I'd bet there's a decent chance that the same under hood blanket material was used on some other GM car/truck of of the era. If so, you might be able walk the scrap yards and find a donor that would supply enough 'virgin' blanket material for you to hand cut a replacement for your Corvette....

[Harmon C.]

Re: Any 73 NOS hood insulation?

That won't work on a 73 Jack as the part is molded to a shape it is not flat.

[William M.]

Re: Any 73 NOS hood insulation?

That won't work on a 73 Jack as the part is molded to a shape it is not flat.

Yup, it's a pretty complicated molded shape that would be next to impossible to duplicate from a flat piece.

[Joe L.]

Re: Any 73 NOS hood insulation?

Yup, it's a pretty complicated molded shape that would be next to impossible to duplicate from a flat piece.

William-----


GM #6263599. Still available from GM for about $135, GM list.

[Don G.]

Re: Any 73 NOS hood insulation?

It is true that GM still sells this part but, like many other GM Reproduction parts, they are a functional replacement and don't have the original appearance. As others have noted, the originals were molded and all the recent replacements I have seen are die cut. I believe the Paragon part is the same as the current GM part but I could be wrong. Bottom line is I know of no source for an original part. As a judge, I would rather see an original part with some condition problems than a reproduction that isn't even close. Rule # 1: Never throw away an original part!

[Thomas O.]

Re: Any 73 NOS hood insulation?

I also believe the hood insulation on my 73 sb is original. Having seen some of the replacements available I chose to clean the fiberglass with a dust removing procedure i.e. pounding lightly in a light wind, Most of the dust came out and insulation looks reasonably good. also, cleaned up the washers as they had oxidized some. Fortunately no oil or grease was in the insulation. tom

[William M.]

Re: Any 73 NOS hood insulation?

It is true that GM still sells this part but, like many other GM Reproduction parts, they are a functional replacement and don't have the original appearance. As others have noted, the originals were molded and all the recent replacements I have seen are die cut. I believe the Paragon part is the same as the current GM part but I could be wrong. Bottom line is I know of no source for an original part. As a judge, I would rather see an original part with some condition problems than a reproduction that isn't even close. Rule # 1: Never throw away an original part!

I have a chunk missing from my original where it meets the upper radiator hose. Would it be better to just put the old one back on despite the condition? Sounds like a yes.

[Harmon C.]

Re: Any 73 NOS hood insulation?

It's up to you and if you are going for a Bowtie leave the old one their. I think the molded hood insulation I got from my local GM dealer looks close to what the original would have looked like. I doubt that the hood insulation is on a seperate line on the judging sheet so the points assigned to it would be small. I like the clean look of the new part on a restored car. It may lose the same or less points than a torn old part that catches the judges eye. It is a big first look part for those looking at your car and most old hood insulation looks real ugly and is full of dirt ready to fall on the engine every time you close the hood.

[William M.]

Re: Any 73 NOS hood insulation?

It is a big first look part for those looking at your car and most old hood insulation looks real ugly and is full of dirt ready to fall on the engine every time you close the hood.

My feelings exactly. I'll keep the repro on for now unless I find a more accurate replacement. This is what I'm struggling with having just bought a very original car - how much do you replace based on condition? I want everything to look good and presentable but also want to maintain the originality as much as possible.

[Harmon C.]

Re: Any 73 NOS hood insulation?

Did your replacement come in a large flat box with the GM logo on it?

[William M.]

Re: Any 73 NOS hood insulation?

Did your replacement come in a large flat box with the GM logo on it?

Yes, it's a FUNCTIONAL replacement