Hood pins, Rice, or NOT Rice. Hear me out first...

[float_6969]

OK, before you just vote rice, hear me out. Because of where I want to put my intercooler, the stock hood latch is very much blocking much of the potential air to my intercooler. That leaves me two options. I can either

1. Sell the intercooler and change my plans.OR2. Remove the stock hood latch and install some hood pins.

The second option is much easier and won't force me to change plans. But I'm trying to keep the Rice to a minimum.

So what do you guys think, too Rice, or NOT too Rice?

[c-rad]

You're a fackin ricer and you KNOW it.

[USsil80]

that is a big diffrance between what a rIcer does and what a rAcer does to his car... something that is done to go faster ... rAcer.. take out the hood latch and add hood pins... i am going to put my bumber on with clips ( the ones you open and close with a flat head) becouse i am going to trailor it to events..

[btustison]

It isn't rice if it is functional, I am getting sick of looking at oversized intercoolers hacked into the front of every 240sx I see. I have installed those kits on customer cars, but my FMIC is going to be black and tucked under my core support similar to what is sounds like you are doing.

[fanta]

You can always have them color matched if the thought of brightly polished bits on your hood put you off

[fanta]

that is a big diffrance between what a rIcer does and what a rAcer does to his car... something that is done to go faster ... rAcer.. take out the hood latch and add hood pins... i am going to put my bumber on with clips ( the ones you open and close with a flat head) becouse i am going to trailor it to events..

Dzus fasteners, awesome method.

Make sure to go with locking pins.

[flohtingPoint]

My S13 back in the states had hood pins on the shell when I bought it. I didnt think it looked too bad so I just left them. I say go for it =)

[sdtouge]

probably a little over kill but what ive seen some people do is put 4 hood pins, one on eack corner and they just pull the hood off instead of popping it....

[float_6969]

It isn't rice if it is functional, I am getting sick of looking at oversized intercoolers hacked into the front of every 240sx I see. I have installed those kits on customer cars, but my FMIC is going to be black and tucked under my core support similar to what is sounds like you are doing.

That is exactly what I'm doing and the reason for the need of the hood pins. Thanks for the input guys!!!

[r34 gtr]

my intercooler is a custom job designed to fit the opening in my stock bumper perfectly. theres no need for a huge one unless you plan on making a thousand horsepower.

go with the hood pins and if someone makes fun of you, blow the doors off them. still ricey as hell though, but ill cut you some slack because i love ya thiiiiiiiissss much!

- tim

[fanta]

Believe these were powdercoated.

[float_6969]

now I've just got to find a decent set...

[CA19DET]

well seeing that my hood blew open the other night at about 130mph i think they are a fantastic idea... seeing that now i need to replace my hood, windscreen and left wing mirror as well as apint everything over...

and thats just cause i had the grill removed, the hood was closed properly, i think it was one of the hinges were not tightened properly after assembly from painting a few weeks ago and as my hood was raised for venting at the back, it porbably was enought to make it pop open, the right hinge bolts were completely gone and the hood flipped in the air and the corner came through the driverside of the windscreen... scary to say the least...

i got mine

[float_6969]

Ouch. Nobody hurt I hope?

[Dattebayo]

That happened to me too! God was I scared, but I was going 80mph in some traffic on a Interstate. Yeesh, did it break one of the hood hinges or what, cause Im trying to figure out how you damaged the mirror with the hood...

Back on topic, the only thing bad about hood pins is that they are more dangerous to the driver in the case of an accident than a hood latch when the rear hinges are removed. 2 pins just in the front is perfectly fine assuming that you have a need for them (functionality).

[r34 gtr]

i would just use the 2 hood pins at the front. make sure they arent cheap ones or anything. i would try checking race car supply stores for them, as i wouldnt want anything that wasnt FIA approved.....unless you made them yourself (even better than FIA spec in my book)

on a side note, is everyone's factory s13 hood as crappy as mine? mine is so terrible i dont even want to give it the honor of painting it with the rest of my car! it weighs about 40 pounds and somehow manages to be flimsy as hell at the same time. you can flex it all the way in with your pinky finger and on the highway you can see it rippling because of the wind. just wondering if i wasnt the only one...

- tim

[CA19DET]

my hood was in excellent condition, and the new one i gotis about as new as you could get for a S13, the heat insulation and everything is in perfect condition..

tomorrow i will post a couple pics i took with my phone cam, too bad i already folded down the hood... one of the hinges is bent and twisted

hard to explain, but the hood was upside down and turned 90*... so when the corner hit my driver side (RHD) the back of the hood, where the hinge was hit my left wing mirror, i was really gunning it, unfortunately the other hinge bolts didt come off, that way it may have blown straight off and not smashed everything to ****...