I see many 914 with hood pins. All have 4 pins. Why? 2 on the front of the hood next to the lights and 2 above the lights.

Any ideas?

I only have 2. I don't see the need for 4. I think that 2 is still more secure then the single latch.

That said, my car is not a race car.

Zach

I agree with Zach....I have two and think that's enough. My hood is steel and wouldn't flex as much as a fg.... The only reason for four would be if the whole lid comes off and has pins in four corners....or I could see six, two in *hinge* side, four in front around headlights as seen here.

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Some of the FG hoods are a bit flimsy, so my guess would be that the corners above the buckets can catch air and bend up at speed ...

Andy

I have a Getty FG hood. It fits great but flexes quite a bit. With only 2 pins close to the center the edges by the buckets can lift. At 100+ the wind would rip the hood off. FG shreds into pieces in the blink of an eye.

Didn't the factory GT cars use 4 instead of 2?

I have Sheridan, (http://ultimate914.com) fiberglass hood and only two pins. Works fine at 125 mph.

I have the Getty GT type lid which as Andy says is extremely thin/flexible. You do not want air getting under it at 120mph ... bye-bye lid.

Accordingly, 4 pins, factory GT style:

My car has a steel hood. I put pins on as I modified my bumpers, and they can no longer be removed without opening the hood. Which means I would have been in a LOT of trouble had my release cable broken.

If you are running a steel hood, 2 is fine, but for FG or Carbon, I'd use 4.

Zach

Hood Pins.....

Nipple Rings for Cars!!

Steel = two, fg = four

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Have fun!

Best? Fifteen, of course, and they should be made of magnesium for weight savings.

The Cap'n

as previously stated. there are many variations to the FG hood. some FG hoods are like a potato chip, thin. the fg hood I have is medium thin with coromat core and teh structural factory style ribs underneath. the single skin type or that see thru sickness that Chris shows above should have 4 pins. the thick FG with the rib structure are OK with 2. some guys run a front cooler or radiator. if your front trunk is getting presurized by a foward air inlet then 4 should be used.

our hood flexes at speed. I feared that the stock latch, dependent of fore/aft alignment, would release and cost us a hood.

I concur - I used two of the captive pin types for years with the steel lid and had no worries at all.

It's all about flex and your willingness to accept risk. Four also allows a backup pair should one set fail. Personally, I'll extra pins before a risk damage to the body from a flying hood. Did you look at Chris's car, Mike?

Since I can see through Chris's hood. I think if it came loose it would be in a billion pieces. I don't have a FG hood and I sold my FG trunk lid. I think I'm OK with just two. Main reason is the PO cut all structure below the latch( for air flow to radiator). The front gasket and latch area is lifting because there is nothing to hold it to the bottom of the car. The hood lifts from the gasket pushing back at it. With pins, it will hold the hood down flust with the headlight buckets.

Dear Mike,

I use as many pens as it takes.

Depending on the car, some hoods may require more or less pens.

Unfortunately it didn't and it did some serious metal bending in the cowl seam area. With a steel hood, you're probably fine with two. Get quality clips. They can fail. I've seen a lot of damage from flying hoods, and I've seen hood fly up on the freeway.

I care a lot less about hood/body damage than I do about crashing at 125mph because I can't see past the hood blocking my windshield