I have a original shaker hood and trim ring (I think). Problem is the ring doesnt line up at all with the holes in the hood. I am not sure if the ring is from a Cuda or a Challenger. Did these things line up with the studs this bad from the factory or is something wrong here.....

Cuda and Challenger trim rings are different, the center lines in the Cuda ring will be sharp/pointed/peaked, where as the challengers front peak will have a broad flat across the top,....are you sure the ring is an original, are the studs threaded steel, or cast posts?

Here is the trim ring, I am pretty sure its factory. it has threaded studs.

Another Shot

Those studs sure look long. Do they screw into or are they cast as part of the Shaker ring?

One More

That's a Challenger ring, and a Challenger hood, i can't see the posts too well, but if they are threaded rod cast into the ring, it's a repro ring, the threaded studs on some of the repro rings leave a lot to be desired, an original ring will have posts cast WITH the ring, meaning a 1 pc construction, not embedded, an original "stud" will be somewhat tapered in construction, and cut with a speed nut type fastner, not a machine thread nut

They are cast part of the trim ring.....

That appears to me an original Trim ring, but as noted the studs look too long, if it is original it will have a very small cast in part number on the underside of the rear mating flange surface. If you are certain the hood and trim ring are original start looking for modifications to either the hood flange inset holes, or that possibly one or more of the studs have been replaced and put in a slightly off position, proper placement was highly criticle in getting them to work with the rest of the studs. Even when all was right these hoods/rings did not fit perfectly, there was a bit of slop in the gaps around most originals I've looked at.

another hopefully larger shot

More Pics Coming, does it look Factory?

More....

Hood??

Another of the hood.

The hood itself seems to be authentic, it has the correct features for a Challenger hood, there is a possibility that someone used one of the kits I used to sell to build that hood, they also had the correct shape and feature (no other kit or hood on the market has them right) but based on the assembly details I can see it's either a masterful installation of the kit or it's the real deal.

Most or all of those studs appear to be replacements on the trim ring, and accordingly are off slightly on the locations. The pics that follow are of a Cuda ring with all of it's original cast in studs, the studs should look the same and are in the same locations on Challenger versions

Scott -Is there a aftermarket trim ring that would line up with my factory holes? I really do not like the idea of modifying the hood to fit the ring.

My money would be on the trim ring studs being in the wrong place, I agree, I wouldn't drill the hood to fit a bad ring. The problem is that your options are somewhat limited, no trim ring on the market will fit or look as nice as the original in terms of it's overall size and shape(although the reproductions I used to sell were pretty close). You could find someone to remove and properly relocate your studs, or try to find a good replacement original ring with good studs.

*Did you find the cast in part# on the rear?

Quote:

---

*Did you find the cast in part# on the rear?

---

No, I have nothing like that stamped into the ring. I must have a very old aftermarket replacment. This ring has been around for a while.

Thoughts on this ring? Its on Shakerhood.com for $100.00?

As I said before, there are NO reproductions out there as accurate as your original, that one is no exception. The one I used to sell wasn't bad, but it too fell short of an original, however the stud placement was pretty close (best out there as AFAIK) and MIGHT fit an original hood, you can buy them here: www.restorick.com