Anyone upgrade the cowl supports at the rear of the hood?

It seems some of the cars have flimsy sheet aluminum brackets and others have robust steel ones. Anyone upgrade to the better ones? Is this something PAD would have?

The ones on our car...
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e158/cvbowers/Panoz%20Pics/IMG_0749.jpg

vs.

The better ones...
http://blog.954network.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/img_0244.jpg

It seems some of the cars have flimsy sheet aluminum brackets and others have robust steel ones. Anyone upgrade to the better ones? Is this something PAD would have?

The ones on our car...


vs.

The better ones...


Brian, I think they made those ones look "pretty" for display purposes...... Our car has the same ally ones as yours and they fit the racecar bill of being "just strong enough that they wont break".

We have only tested ours to 160mph several hundred times but I expect Brian G has the same ones that have been tested to 180mph+!

Will be interested to see how many main bearing webs/caps have parted from the block when you get the 347 apart. I spent hours deburring and polishing the block radius's around the main webs in the 347 I ran briefly as expected this would be where it would go.

Kel.

I've seen them on other GTSs than just this Penske display car though. Come to think of it, maybe it was just the LS1/T56 Penske cars when I was looking those over. I'm sure you're right that they'll continue to hold up. However, since I'm stripping it down to the bare frame I'm trying to upgrade everything as needed before I paint it (or send it to powdercoat should I decide to go that route).

I will be sure to take lots and lots of pictures of the engine once I get it out and on a stand. I'm curious if the bottom end failed or if the block failed from too much power. It was only making around 370 rwhp, but the shop that built it decided the issue was too much power for the stock 2-bolt block; even with a stud girdle. Also, they were the ones who tried to say the bottom end tick I posted up awhile back was just a lazy lifter. I wanted to smack them when they came over to my father i the paddock after the car shit the bed in February. If that was their opinion all along then why even build a road race engine out of that block to begin with? My father would have bought the appropriate parts had the recommendation been made. Water under the bridge... making the car reliable and new now.

Brian,
I was concerned about the hood flapping at high speed and the screw in fastners on that bracket. I modified mine by making a second shorter aluminum bracket that fit inside the taller one. I used that as the mounting point for hood pins that stuck through the taller bracket. Worked out very stable with minimum extra weight and a positive hood hold down. Send me your email to mduke8 at gmail.com and I'll send you a photo or two.

Mike

On our car I converted the four hood supports to supports and pins. No more flapping after I did that.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/562114_3839912847559_667029082_n.jpg

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/545065_3842031380521_1113254809_n.jpg

Every couple of seasons one of my flimsy ones fatigues and breaks. I make them myself and they are light and cheap and last long enough. I also changed the middle hood support to a threaded rod and wing nut and that solved all the problems.

Every couple of seasons one of my flimsy ones fatigues and breaks. I make them myself and they are light and cheap and last long enough. I also changed the middle hood support to a threaded rod and wing nut and that solved all the problems.
10-4... yeah I made the 4 other hood supports into hood pins a long time ago.