1969 camaro hood

[Dick Butler]

Billy, I am truly impressed with your data. Thanks. Wonder why NHRA took 40? years to look into this? I can only guess a competitor with a slower combination. Probably will still be slower but I must admit if it didn't come on it or not available as an option on it then it shouldn't be allowed. Now apply the same reasoning to all the other small parts, fins, wings etc. people have mentioned within a month or so and all will be fair.

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by 69Cobra

What I'm saying is if that engine/hp combo didn't have the option for a cowl hood then how can you run it? With that being said I think its funny how pretty much every 67-69 F-body stocker does not run a rear wing yet 95% of the ones that were ever on the street had them. I'm not a F-body guru and I'm sure the reason they get away with that is GM had the rear wings as an option but was that rear wing an option on cars that had Cowl hoods or was it part of the package?

The spoilers were options.

[HandOverFist]

Spoilers (D80): The spoiler option was not available in 1967 on any Camaro. It became available as an option on all cars (except those with a rear antenna) in 68-69. It was not mandatory on any car, except for the 69 pace car replicas and later 69 Z's. The narrower 68 spoiler was used on the 69 Camaro up to January - March of 69, when the wider 69 spoiler was phased in. One of the torsion bars on an original spoiler equipped car will be of larger diameter to compensate for the weight of the spoiler. The front center of the 69 subframe will have a drilled hole to mount the center brace of the front spoiler.

Cowl hood (ZL2): The cowl hood was an option on SS and Z28 models in 1969 and was included on all COPO's and Pace Cars. It was introduced midyear 69. #1 ZL1, built 12E at Norwood is one of the first Camaros to have a factory ZL2 hood. A late December LOS-built Z28 with ZL2 has also been documented.
The ZL2 option included a solenoid and flapper in the hood. The wiring for the solenoid was routed through a special hole in firewall above the fuseblock. Only 10,026 cars received cowl hoods in 69 and about half of those went to COPO's and Pace Cars, meaning there were only 5,000 Z28's and SS's (out of about 20,000 Z28's and 30,000 non-Pacer SS's) that received the cowl hood.

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Dick Butler

Billy, I am truly impressed with your data. Thanks. Wonder why NHRA took 40? years to look into this? I can only guess a competitor with a slower combination. Probably will still be slower but I must admit if it didn't come on it or not available as an option on it then it shouldn't be allowed. Now apply the same reasoning to all the other small parts, fins, wings etc. people have mentioned within a month or so and all will be fair.

The thing that has always bugged me about the way NHRA does things is that they, quite simply, won't use the wealth of available knowledge that they and their Racers have. Just look at the old pics that Tom Kasch and others have posted on here. Don't you think that if a 66/67 Street Hemi Belvidere had a hood scoop available that Jere Stahl would have had one? Look at all of the old 6-Pack factory Challengers and Cudas. Why did Landy's car have a Shaker hood? Why wasn't the 390 Ford a competitive car when they were new? And do you realize that EVERY 1971 and later carbureted 350 Chevy combustion chamber number is wrong EXCEPT for one? The 350 truck is correct. How, at this point can NHRA fix that? It's been wrong since 71 but that is what was submitted. None of the other Manufacturers have clean hands in this either.

[Rick Schilling]

Are there any back to back performance comparisons available between the cowl hood and the flat?

A number of them would have been changed back by now.

[HandOverFist]

Originally Posted by Rick Schilling

Are there any back to back performance comparisons available between the cowl hood and the flat?

A number of them would have been changed back by now.

I have not queried my buddy who used to run one on his '69 and had to swap to a flat due to protests. My guess is there would be little difference...maybe a slight advantage to the cowl under certain weather conditions.

[Jason]

Originally Posted by Rick Schilling

Are there any back to back performance comparisons available between the cowl hood and the flat?

A number of them would have been changed back by now.

Maybe the guys running S/S with a 350/255 could tell us. They probably had to remove some carb spacers to get the flat hood to fit.

[Dick Butler]

Advantage of the tall hood is spacer ht and carb clearance. Some negative to air flow if used with or without ac as I understand.

[Alex Denysenko]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

The thing that has always bugged me about the way NHRA does things is that they, quite simply, won't use the wealth of available knowledge that they and their Racers have. Just look at the old pics that Tom Kasch and others have posted on here. Don't you think that if a 66/67 Street Hemi Belvidere had a hood scoop available that Jere Stahl would have had one? Look at all of the old 6-Pack factory Challengers and Cudas. Why did Landy's car have a Shaker hood? Why wasn't the 390 Ford a competitive car when they were new? And do you realize that EVERY 1971 and later carbureted 350 Chevy combustion chamber number is wrong EXCEPT for one? The 350 truck is correct. How, at this point can NHRA fix that? It's been wrong since 71 but that is what was submitted. None of the other Manufacturers have clean hands in this either.

-I agree Billy, and they also allow 70-71 440 six packs to run aluminum intakes when they only came on th 69 A-12 cars but back then Chrysler was funneling lots of money to NHRA, I asked for and was not so politely denied a Shelby scooped hood for my SS 65 Mustang. I'd love to hear Jerry Mcneish's take on this hood issue

[HandOverFist]

With a maximum of two stock base gaskets allowed I don't think that has any bearing on either hood.