'89 R3500 Crew Cab 2wd to 4wd conversion & beyond

[mrk5]

That is a concern I have. I'm thinking I'll keep the hood on the truck around so if it really concerns me, I'll just swap them for the winter. They say in the instructions that they've had no reports of any issues with rain water and the like. I guess they sell a lot of these to police departments. The lady I spoke to said that specifically the size I bought it pretty much only used by police, specifically K9 units. I think at first she was worried I had order a size that was too big for my vehicle.

I'm really impress with how closely they match the taper of the outside body line. These are not vehicle specific or anything.

 

[mrk5]

The really embarrassing part is the holes I ended up hacking in the hood.

This time I tried to do better.

 

[Kay86K5]

This time I tried to do better.

View attachment 268689

I spy a thornbird

 

[78K30]

I spy a thornturd

fixed that for ya

 

[imiceman44]

I spy a thornbird

I don't know why the hate on thornbirds.
They have their place.
Smooth on the road but some bite when dirt gets softer.
Definitely not for the rockcrawling crowd

 

[mrk5]

I spy a thornbird

That's @B_to_C's old spare. He ran that for a little bit after puncturing a 35" MTR on Slaughterhouse Gulch which prompted the purchase of the 40" MTRs. This happened back in 2005 or 2006 and those are the same 40" MTRs that Nate is running on his red K5.

 

[Kay86K5]

I don't know why the hate on thornbirds.
They have their place.
Smooth on the road but some bite when dirt gets softer.
Definitely not for the rockcrawling crowd

Cause in all reality, they suck everywhere. I did see someone groove the shiznit out of a set and used them kinda like a sand paddle...that was the only cool/functional thing I've ever seen a thornbird used for

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Amazed they still make them.

 

[mrk5]

I did get the hood installed.



My front clip is horrible on the gaps. I gave up trying to get the hood "perfect". Really the fenders need to be pushed forward some but they need replaced first.

I stuck those V8 emblems on to cover up the hood pin holes from the K5. And look a 14yr-old on his phone!

 

[Vombrown]

Just think of it like a weekend warrior drag car.... Stickers make it go faster! Had a guy at the strip tell me he was racing for contingency (money from sponsors). Had the entire back window covered with stickers from every make of speed part known to man. I hurt his feelings a little when I told him he could only collect if he ACTUALLY WON A RACE....HA!

 

[AgDieseler]

Looks good. Looking forward to any observed performance notes for temps.

David

 

[mrk5]

Should be a good test this coming weekend hauling the camper up to Kenosha Pass Campground @10,000ft.

 

[1-ton]

Those hood louvers look cool. I am doing a similar thing with my crew cab. I bought a hood of a 1988 Burb in the junk yard, and I am going to put a functional hood scoop on it to get air flow through the engine compartment during the hot summer months. I am thinking of going with one of these two pictured.

 

[Bent77]

I did get the hood installed.

View attachment 269298

My front clip is horrible on the gaps. I gave up trying to get the hood "perfect". Really the fenders need to be pushed forward some but they need replaced first.

I stuck those V8 emblems on to cover up the hood pin holes from the K5. And look a 14yr-old on his phone!

That’s gonna catch duck poop

 

[kgblazerfive]

Hood scoops don't get air flowing through the engine compartment. They get fresh air to the carb / intake. A scoop that gets air from the front of the hood area would be a better idea.
Holes in the side of the fenders behind the front wheels would be better idea to get air out of the engine compartment.

 

[1-ton]

Hood scoops don't get air flowing through the engine compartment. They get fresh air to the carb / intake. A scoop that gets air from the front of the hood area would be a better idea.
Holes in the side of the fenders behind the front wheels would be better idea to get air out of the engine compartment.

I run the factory stock air duct hose that a Chevy truck comes with to feed cool air to the air filter box.

 

[1-ton]

I laid the louvers on and marked the holes with a sharpie then spring-punched them.

View attachment 268117

After I drilled the holes I hit them with white paint for good measure. Then I decided to try and paint the bracing black just to make sure it would show through the louvers. Note to self, you need to mask the hood with tape and paper, not just try to use a piece of cardboard to shield the overspray. So I have some black specs to cleanup.

After a bunch of rivets - I didn't county - it's all buttoned up.

View attachment 268118

What tool did you use to cut out your hood?

 

[nvrenuf]

One of the worst mods I did on my old truck was a hood scoop. The scoop was always in my line of site while driving, it looked cool but just wasn't worth it.

 

[1-ton]

One of the worst mods I did on my old truck was a hood scoop. The scoop was always in my line of site while driving, it looked cool but just wasn't worth it.

I had an 1970 SS Chevelle that had a tunnel ram on it. It was a bitch to see around, but it was so cool looking. One of the scoops I am looking at is only 5" tall. Now if we can just clutter up MRK5 build thread with more stuff that does not pertain to his build.

 

[skunked]

One of the worst mods I did on my old truck was a hood scoop. The scoop was always in my line of site while driving, it looked cool but just wasn't worth it.

The stock hood is in the way, you're driving by braille half the time on the trail as is.