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Fiberglass hood in the winter?

Old Dec 9, 2014 | 08:08 PM
  #1  
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Fiberglass hood in the winter?

I've been wondering about getting a fiberglass hood for my Mustang recently. Now that we are entering winter with all the lovely cold and snow it got me thinking how well an aftermarket fiberglass hood would take to winter.

How would it handle -20 to -30*C or colder temperatures? Could it be more likely to crack?

Would there be any issue with heat extractors like on a GT in falling snow? What about with a functional hood scoop during a snow storm?

Just something I've been thinking about.
Old Dec 9, 2014 | 09:22 PM
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Keep the orignal on for the winter and put the fiberglass one on in the summer. Best of both worlds.
Old Dec 10, 2014 | 03:29 AM
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I've seen Corvettes driving in the winter, not the smartest choice, but I've seen it. I don't think snow is a big deal for the hood scoop or extractors either, you drive them in the rain and everything still works OK.
Old Dec 13, 2014 | 12:52 AM
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I don't think I'd be too worried about it. There are plenty of cars out there that people drive year round with fibreglass on them. As AP said, I'm sure if the extractors are ok in rain they should be fine in snow. If you are worried you could always build some cardboard "winter fronts" for them.
Old Dec 14, 2014 | 08:14 PM
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The '99 to '04 mustangs have composite/fiberglass hoods, and trunk lids, and they seem to survive the cold winters over the years pretty good.
It's not so much the fiberglass, its the quality of of the product in my opinion. Basically you get what you pay for. If you want one to stand up to all kinds of weather, don't be shy to spend the extra on a good quality piece.In the long run it will worth it.
Old Dec 17, 2014 | 06:55 PM
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Thanks for the input everyone.

The reason I was thinking about a fiberglass hood is because the factory one is starting to bubble and corrode and was considering my options.

The dealership has gotten approval to fix the hood under warranty so I think I'll be sticking with that for now.
Old Dec 18, 2014 | 07:33 PM
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Good to hear. Aluminum hoods on the stangs, and F 150's have been giving owners that typical issue. Wonder how the all aluminum body on the latest genration F150 will hold out.
Old Apr 27, 2015 | 08:06 PM
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Originally Posted by car_designer
Thanks for the input everyone.

The reason I was thinking about a fiberglass hood is because the factory one is starting to bubble and corrode and was considering my options.

The dealership has gotten approval to fix the hood under warranty so I think I'll be sticking with that for now.
My hood is the same, bubbling paint and oxidized aluminum. I hear any fix is only temporary. I have a 2007 and it's horrible. Not sure what to do.
Old Apr 8, 2016 | 09:50 AM
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Originally Posted by Godman
My hood is the same, bubbling paint and oxidized aluminum. I hear any fix is only temporary. I have a 2007 and it's horrible. Not sure what to do.
Exact same problem here. Not sure how the fiberglass will hold up to Winnipeg winters but will have to pull the trigger at some point. Anyone purchased from themustangshop.ca before? Curious how others with the hood/trunk lid bubbling issues ended up solving their problems. Buy online?
Old Apr 9, 2016 | 07:37 AM
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I never did buy a fiberglass hood so I can't answer your questions.

In the end, the dealership repainted the hood in January 2015 I think (or late December 2014) and the bubbling came back and they repainted it a second time in December 2015, one year later!


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