Re: life with an A12 hood?
[Re: Hank]
#1588463
03/05/14 02:50 PM
03/05/14 02:50 PM
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 18,582 Rust Belt, SW PA
Silver70
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 18,582
Rust Belt, SW PA
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Well my car wasn't an a12, but had the hood and to me it was good and bad at times... not fun to remove the hood to check oil or something simple. However it was really nice at other times to not have a hood to hit my head on or hinges to avoid.
68 Road Runner, 69 Belvedere, 71 Challenger Vert 340 barracuda, 01 Ram CTD, 95 Ram, 04 Ram, 85 Daytona turbo Z 66 GTO, 06 Magnum RT AWD. 07 Ram CTD, 07 Ram
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Re: life with an A12 hood?
[Re: Hank]
#1588465
03/05/14 04:37 PM
03/05/14 04:37 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,704 N.E. OHIO, USA
A12
Too Many Posts
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Too Many Posts
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,704
N.E. OHIO, USA
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Quote:
Hey A12 owners. Simple question: is living with an A12 hood a complete pain in the butt? Seems like anything from a oil change to a simple roadside repair would be complicated. And if you had to get to a problem under the hood quickly…? How do you deal with it?
Rob, good question but for the most part there were two main reasons the A12's got a hood with no hood hinges....and it was all a result of a personal reason by engineer Dick Maxwell and his engineering buddies. There's rumor, folklore or whatever you want to term it that there was a rush to production for '69 when the 440+6 was really supposed to be a 1970 model year car and not a '69-1/2 "package". Rumor had it that the test mule 440 6bbl GTX was spotted at a Woodward hangout by some GM people in the Fall of '68. So in order to get the 3x2 440 out there they scrambled for parts and that meant getting a non-inhouse company to make an intake manifold (Edelbrock) and a hood that would feed more air than the '69 hood. The situation with the Edelbrock 3x2 ALUMINUM manifold bears out as to this day it is considered a better intake than the '70+ cast iron (some will say not but who is making a CAST IRON intake that anyone is BUYING ). Being better and not using it for '70+ models was because Chrysler only needed a temporay supply for '69-1/2 production. The LOH on the '69 A12's is the only mass PRODUCTION car that I know of that didn't have hood hinges or a way of mechanically (cable, lever, etc) or by vacuum closing off the outside fresh air access.
So the rush to production for mid year '69 had a lot to do with the A12 "package" and the second or best reason was that Dick Maxwell told me "Mike this was the last BADAZZ street car we were ever going to be able to build". And what better thing to do for a race car but to have a light weight fiberglass hood that could be lifted off and moved out of the way to tune between runs and to cool down the engine as best as possible. The hood was for a purpose or purposes; tuning, cooling, weight savings, ram air. Note that the scoop opening is above the hood surface as the intake air into the scoop moves faster than the "boundry layer" air close to the hood's surface.
It was a race inspired hood that somehow got into production and Dick Maxwell and another two engineers even "hosed down" the hood with GARDEN HOSES to prove to upper management that the A12 could survive and not shut down in a heavy rain or down pour That is right from Dick Maxwell
For the few that suffered and still suffer many took advantage of the LIFT-OFF-RACE-HOOD on the LAST BADAZS STREET CAR and the poster child of the musclecar era
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Re: life with an A12 hood?
[Re: Kidsixpack]
#1588467
03/05/14 04:40 PM
03/05/14 04:40 PM
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,963 Wisconsin
Stewpar
master
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master
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,963
Wisconsin
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Removing the hood by yourself is relatively easy, unless it's windy! Grab it inside the scoop next to the center support and put your hip into the front center, lift up and away you go. I have never had any issues on my own. What you do gain is the ease of working on the engine bay w/o worrying about hitting you head on the hood!!!
Last edited by Stewpar; 03/06/14 03:57 PM.
Admiration For Multiple Carburetor Vehicles...
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Re: life with an A12 hood?
[Re: Stewpar]
#1588468
03/05/14 05:44 PM
03/05/14 05:44 PM
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,634 Motor City
6PKRTSE
master
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master
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 4,634
Motor City
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I made clear 1" dia. stanchions with hood pins to set the hood on whenever I needed to work on it. helped alot by not finding a place to set the hood or scratch it across the roof.
1963 Belvedere 440 Max Wedge Tribute 1970 Charger R/T S.E. 440 Six Pack 1970 Challenger R/T, 528 Hemi 1970 Charger 500 S.E. 440 4 BBL 1970 Plymouth Road Runner 383 1974 Chrysler New Yorker 440 1996 2500 RAM 488 V-10 4X4 2004 3500 Dually Cummins 4x4 2012 Challenger R/T Classic.
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Re: life with an A12 hood?
[Re: 6PKRTSE]
#1588469
03/05/14 06:05 PM
03/05/14 06:05 PM
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,446 NJ-USA
HPMike
master
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master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,446
NJ-USA
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Whatever small issues there are its worth it...Coolest option ever.. Anyway... Taller guys have an advantage ..Im short so it is a bit of a PITA, I dont own an A12 but have worked on dozens of them...One thing that every A12 owner should own is a folding tubular stand like the bodyshops use...Put some foam on it so it doesnt damage the hood...I dont like putting the hood on the roof...Ive heard of hoods falling down off the roof-yes, even with the vinyl top... MB
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Re: life with an A12 hood?
[Re: AZ_A12_BEE]
#1588472
03/05/14 11:17 PM
03/05/14 11:17 PM
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 119 Washington state
pinkmeepmeep
member
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member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 119
Washington state
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Call me, well... call me whatever you want, but I loved pulling the hood off of my a12 superbee. Liken it unto a ritual that few ever get to experience. It always initiated a conversation, and an opportunity to meet people. An avenue by which the minions could catch a glimpse of how truly unique and awesome these machines really are. An opportunity to enlighten the uneducated, and share in the beauty. We know all about these cars, and in some sense we can become almost desensitized, or callous as to just how over the top they are. Many people have never even seen or heard of one of these cars! It is exciting to be able to see that "light" come on in someone's eyes for the first time. I think of taking the hood off as an "event", an unveiling, so to speak. I remember pulling into a gas station and it was like, "showtime". I am a left handed artist, and musician so that's how I roll. That being said, I was always worried about wind, and concerned about damage occurring to the hood when it was off. For what its worth... Just one more opportunity to admire that sexy thing. If it weren't for 9/11, I would still have mine. God bless
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Re: life with an A12 hood?
[Re: Hank]
#1588474
03/05/14 11:40 PM
03/05/14 11:40 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,704 N.E. OHIO, USA
A12
Too Many Posts
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Too Many Posts
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,704
N.E. OHIO, USA
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Oh the stories those hoods could tell..... My original A12 hood was supposedly victim of the "Oh $#!T I forgot to re-pin the hood" and run over by a Chevelle that was getting beat by the A12 (Gary Tsuperbee you have to back me on that one) and then there's the story of someone's wife driving the husband's A12 to the gas station back in the day when they pumped the gas, cleaned your windshield AND checked your oil.......yep pulled only the front two hood pin clips out and tried to open it with the rear two pins still in . Okay we need some more...A12 sail hood stories
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Re: life with an A12 hood?
[Re: AlexP]
#1588479
03/06/14 07:11 AM
03/06/14 07:11 AM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,032 Ohio
dobie
super stock
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super stock
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,032
Ohio
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My car obviously isnt an A12 car..('68 RR), but I've had a lift off hood since Ive ben driving it. Its a pain in the butt for routine things, like checking oil, connecting battery cables, and even in the garage since my space is limited. Over the last couple of years Ive been fighting a wiring issue as well. After shutting it off, sometimes the car has no power at all, anywhere, and I have to jiggle the bulkhead wiring to make the connection. At a gas station, finding a place for the hood can be a pain. With all of that however, Im still very happy with my set up. These fiberglass hoods are fairly lightweight and its relatively easy for me to remove/replace by myself. On the occasions when Im actually working on something, its fantastic to be able to have an unobstructed work area underneath the "hood." Oh, and I agree that its just plain "badazz" having that huge, functional scoop that looks so cool. It's definitely something that drew me into this hobby.
1968 Plymouth Road Runner
383 4 speed
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Re: life with an A12 hood?
[Re: HPMike]
#1588481
03/06/14 01:21 PM
03/06/14 01:21 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,268 NY
70440+6bbl
master
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master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,268
NY
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Quote:
Eh...if you have ever gotten your skull impaled on the typical E/B body secondary hood catch hook, then you will be thankful you have a liftoff...
MB
Ha! I just sold my A12 Bee and now have a '70 Bee, and wouldn't you know it, I have just about drawn blood twice already with that @#%&*@ meat hook on the hood!!!
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