EvoTuned

Note to Moderators: This is NOT a Group Buy and is simply to determine the level of interest to see if it’s worth putting one together. If enough interest is shown I will go through the proper channels and there will be an official thread. No payments of any kind will be made until the GB is official.

For a while now I’ve been interested in sporting a more aggressive hood on my SC but don’t like the carbon fiber look on a Lexus. For the past week I’ve been in contact with Class Glass & Performance, Inc. in MD. They’ve agreed to make a mold in whatever vented style we decide as long as we have 5 definite buyers. I’m counted as one of the 5 so WE NEED 4 OTHERS. Each buyer will have the choice of Fiberglass OR Carbon Fiber. The style of the vent itself cannot change once we come to a conclusion of what we’d like it to be. 5 buyers are necessary to get the cost of the mold ($800) to be completely FREE! A $100 deposit is necessary from each buyer before the mold can be made. This deposit will be redeemed from the purchase price. I’m going with fiberglass but the choice is yours. The carbon fiber hood is clear-coated and guaranteed against any defects but is not pure carbon fiber. The weight of both hoods is approximately 25-30bls. Pure carbon fiber hoods are available upon request but ARE NOT recommended for street applications. They must be held down with hood pins and are specifically for race use!


Pricing would be as followed:

Fiberglass (unpainted) - $395

Coated Carbon Fiber - $595

Pure Carbon Fiber – Price not set.

Shipping would be Yellow Freight approx. $115 per hood unless going to the same destination or picking up in person. Location is approx. 2 hrs from DC.

Note: There may be an additional $25 charge on each hood unless I can find one cheap to make the mold. The hood will be need for 3-4 weeks if anyone is interested in donating for that time period.
Also, price does not include the fee Club Lexus will charge per hood.

Again, this thread is NOT a Group Buy and is to simply gauge interest and give you an idea of what would be involved. More information would be available in an official GB. Personally I’m very excited in this one time opportunity to have something we’ve all seen on other cars but to my knowledge has never been offered for ours. Let me know what you think.

Chris


This is one vented style I’ve seen. The company does have several styles from other hoods but we may make up our own if we like. Just get me a pic, drawing, etc.

Neal Rikal

i tried to get this going along time ago, and was unsucessful. You can make me number 2. That price sounds great. Will their be predrilled holes for windsheild washer sprayers?

sc300lover

I had a couple questions so I pm'd you.. I might be interested in a fiberglass version.

Neal Rikal

post your questions so we don't have to all ask them individually

EvoTuned

To my knowledge, the hoods would come ready to paint (unless CF) and be installed. I will check on Monday to have a definite answer. Also, When the first $100 will be due depends on the time it takes to find 5 definite buyers. The rest of the cost will be due once the mold is made. The quicker you pay, the faster you’ll receive your hood. Mold time is 3-4 weeks. To give an idea, it takes 5-6 weeks after the mold time to make 10 hoods. So we’re at least looking at a couple months. If it looks like 4 others are ready to go, I’ll work on getting an official Group Buy going.

Neal Rikal

answer my question and i'm pretty much in if i like your answer.

Neal Rikal

how about something crazy like this supra hood:

sc300lover

My question was basically only on when the money was due/how long it takes to make them and he's already answered my questions as he just told us how long to make the mold and how long to make the hoods..

Neal Rikal

good deal, i'm goin to work i'll be back later tonight round 12 central time. lets see if we can get this deal rollin

sc300lover

I really like the BN Sports hood at the top(The white car) but here's a Run Racing hood for a FD3S(93+ rx7) which has pretty cool vents.

http://store2.yimg.com/I/rotorworks_1698_11755304

I'll be back later to check and see if you guys have any more designs and who else is in as well. Just as a general note I might be in depending on the design.

Neal Rikal

no offense but i think that rx7 hood looks weird

EvoTuned

Virtually any style can be made as long as we all agree it is the best. There’s certain criteria or objectives I’d like to have met with whatever we choice.

1) The vent should be functional. No matter if air is being rammed in or air is allowed to escape towards the rear, it needs to be more than just looks.

2) I’d like the vent to go smoothly with the lines of the car. It should not look out of place. If the design permits I want the two lines we have now to remain. I’m referring to the lines extending from just inside the high beams to the outer edges of the windshield.

3) I’m looking into putting a wire mesh in the vent. Rain is an issue I’ve heard with vented hoods so I’d like to have made a piece of painted sheet metal to fit in the inside of the vent for those weeks when the rain just won’t let up.

4) This is the hardest objective to meet because it varies by personal preference. The final product should add to the overall appearance of the car and not detract from it. A wild vent design would probably fit an application with an aggressive body kit while a more subtle vent would look good with stock or even the 97+ bumper / side skirts. I believe the best design to go for is one that has a certain elegance with a sleek sports car look.

I encourage anyone reading this post who has vented hood pictures to share them or share the links to help us better decide.

Now just a couple quick notes: After the first $100 is paid the rest wouldn't be due for at least a month so there would be time for anyone that would like a little extra. For once we finish the design and the GB is started and we still can't put tegether 5 will do some advertising outside Club Lexus and probably list a ticket to purchase one on eBay. This is only if we need one or at most 2. So let’s put together the design!

Neal Rikal

Here is my terrible rendition of the airflow in a reverse style vented hood on our car. Yes it looks nice i won't fight that b/c it is my favorite style but on the performance end in the last group buy we determined it will cause an air pocket for all of the heat off the engine. Obviously their will be better airflow then the oem hood but their are much more beneficial styles than the reverse vented style. Here we go, sorry about my microsoft paint skills:

Neal Rikal

i'll try that again:

Neal Rikal

BUT WAIT!...THERES MORE. Here is what the airflow of the hood i posted would do, notice that the vents extend over the engine so the heat can rise out of the engine bay.