Bulge hood for third gen Chargers

[hotrod98]

That got your attention.
I just bought my first third gen car. A rust free california car, 1974 Charger hardtop. I never realized that there are no decent hoods available for these cars. I just contacted Goodmark to suggest that they repro these hoods. Now remember, they can't start building multiple styles of these hoods. It wouldn't be cost effective. My suggestion is for some of you to contact them to tell them that you would be interested in buying one or two of these hoods. Specify the bulge hood and don't go into the other styles like the air grabber. The simpler the hood, the more likely that you will see it. If they build this hood, then we start asking for the air grabber. With the aftermarket guys starting to build the air grabber components, we might get a design revision later on with the a/g opening and then we can buy the components from existing suppliers.

http://www.goodmarkindustries.com/

These guys have always been reasonable and I've installed a lot of their hoods. They always fit great.

They're starting to reproduce fenders for chals and cudas and full quarters for cudas, chals, and now 68 and 69 b-bodies. They also make charger bumpers and are getting ready to release b-body bumpers. We need to support these guys whenever possible.

Let me know by reply if you would seriously be interested in purchasing one of these hoods. They will probably be in the $500 to $600 range. Possibly closer to $500. I'm not sure, I'm just going by what I've seen with their hood prices before. Obviously, I can't set their prices. We just need to convince them that this would be profitable for them.
We're in it for the passion, they're in it for the profit with a little passion thrown in.

[bohog]

Why stop at hoods? How many 3rd gen. Charger owners, would like a dual exhaust cutout rear valance. How about front fenders without the side markers cutouts that would work on either 71 or 72 Chargers. I could think of a few other parts of interest but I'm sure you get my drift.

Tooling costs alone could be well over $100,000 to make a hood or a fender. You have to sell allot of units to recoup that kind of investment.

Maybe we could state our needs on this post and email a link to Goodmark, they would see a market for these parts, that would be worth the investment in capitol.

[hotrod98]

I think that with the price of second gen chargers getting out of reach for a lot of people, the 3rd gen cars are really starting to come on strong. We should see a lot of these being restored now. I think that the timing is right for the suppliers to look at parts for these car. I've been looking around here for a bulge hood and would be willing to pay a decent price for a nice hood, but there are none to buy...period.

[twilt]

Hotrod,  sounds like a great idea. If people dont request the parts, they simply won`t ever get made. Even though i already have a nice assortment of power bulge hoods, i`d gladly buy an additional one or two at $500-$600  if Goodmark decided to make them. 
You are 100% correct in your "keep it simple" approach. it would seemingly be easiest and thus least costly to do them 74 style, minus any cowl
area vents.
There are very few high quality reproduction items available for the third Gens. a couple of years ago, the lower door panels finally got reproduced
and they are sub-par.... actually, they suck..  Critical items that would not require huge tooling costs  like park light lenses, rear floor pans, and trunk pans are still not available.

[ScottW]

I agree about rear valences with cutouts. I think those would sell like hotcakes. Probably the two hotest 3rd-gen items would be the rear valence and the bulge hood. IMO.

I think your right on about contacting Goodmark though. Good idea guys.

[Nupe]

The R/T stye tail light lenses sure would be nice.   

[KMPX2]

Wich year hood would they make 71/72/73/74 hoods are all diferent.

[Chargerguy74]

they should make 74 hoods so the grilles could easily be grafted

EDIT: ...to clone other year hoods

[TruckDriver]

Wich year hood would they make 71/72/73/74 hoods are all diferent.

I would say a '71 hood because the first three years all have the hood vents. And some '71 hoods were put on some '72 cars too if it had a air grabber set up. Besides, I see a lot more '74 buldge hoods for sale then other years. As far as the rear valance, I agree too that those would sell like crazy. But there again make those for a '71-'72 because those are way more expensve the the '73 & '74 original valences. And it would be much easier to modify the '71-'72 valence to be correct for the '73-'74 cars.

Although, Chargerguy74 has a good idea too. I never thought of that. But I would think of the time you paid to have the vents grafted, you would pay about as much for a original hood anyway.

[Chargerguy74]

Wich year hood would they make 71/72/73/74 hoods are all diferent.

I would say a '71 hood because the first three years all have the hood vents. And some '71 hoods were put on some '72 cars too if it had a air grabber set up. Besides, I see a lot more '74 buldge hoods for sale then other years. As far as the rear valance, I agree too that those would sell like crazy. But there again make those for a '71-'72 because those are way more expensve the the '73 & '74 original valences. And it would be much easier to modify the '71-'72 valence to be correct for the '73-'74 cars.

I've seen actual 72 style N96 hoods on 72s, but never 71 N96 hoods on 72s. Or 72 style flat hoods on late 71s. Are you sure? There were way less 74 rallye cars than 71 r/ts, bees, or 72-73 rallyes. Only 105 US rallye cars I believe. If you build a 71 hood, you leave out most 72, and all 73 and 74.

[TruckDriver]

Wich year hood would they make 71/72/73/74 hoods are all diferent.

I would say a '71 hood because the first three years all have the hood vents. And some '71 hoods were put on some '72 cars too if it had a air grabber set up. Besides, I see a lot more '74 buldge hoods for sale then other years. As far as the rear valance, I agree too that those would sell like crazy. But there again make those for a '71-'72 because those are way more expensve the the '73 & '74 original valences. And it would be much easier to modify the '71-'72 valence to be correct for the '73-'74 cars.

I've seen actual 72 style N96 hoods on 72s, but never 71 N96 hoods on 72s. Or 72 style flat hoods on late 71s. Are you sure? There were way less 74 rallye cars than 71 r/ts, bees, or 72-73 rallyes. Only 105 US rallye cars I believe. If you build a 71 hood, you leave out most 72, and all 73 and 74.

I'm not a 100% sure. I though I read that here or on the old site once about the '71 hood being used on some '72 Chargers. I originally said they should build a '72 hood to compromise between the '71 & '73 hoods, but I erased that before I made my post.

[hotrod98]

I've only owned second gen chargers until now and have never known much about third gens. Exactly what are the differences betweeen each of the year hoods? Some of the differences are obvious and I guess some are not.
My guess is that if Goodmark were to make a hood, they would choose the one that would be the best seller overall.
I think that the 73 and 74 owners would be glad to get a bulge hood...period.

I'm assuming that they all interchange as far as fit is concerned.  Am I correct?

[twilt]

As i posted previously, it would seemingly be least expensive to do the 74 hood, since it lacks any hood vents. This would be a major step in the right direction. I dont think most people are really going to care as the majority of buyers would be buying to replace a stock flat hood. The availability of any repro bulge hood would then hopefully make the year specific used originals a little more available/affordable based on simple supply-demand.   
Hotrod,  the hoods are all interchangable as far as fit and function but there are differences in the cowl vents at the rear of the hood. there is four different styles. the 74 lacks any vents and as a result would be a easier/cheaper reproduction.
The 71 hoods have vents all the way across the base of the hood, 72 has a small interupted area in center of vents, 73 larger interuption, 74 no vents  (some cars may differ from this,  based on build date) its just a generalized rule of thumb.

[andy74]

i agree 100%,and i wrote a letter to them this am, with the prices of original hoods and valances going sky high,its a great chance for goodmark,and for us!

[TruckDriver]

I sent this letter to Goodmark;

"Dear Goodmark,
I am the owner of a 1972 Dodge Charger. I am sure as the producers of many fine reproduction parts, you are aware of the escalating cost of fine original factory parts. Like for instance, I would like to replace my standard flat hood with a nice Power Buldge hood. But for a original steel hood in nice shape, you will pay anywhere from $600. to $1,000. or so which is pretty much more then a lot of us can afford. And the R/T - Super Bee hoods are getting higher priced then that! I recently seen one go for $1,500!!! Another part a lot of us third generation Charger owners need is a reproduction Rear Dual Exhaust Valance. The original '71 & '72 rear valances are going for about $500. to $700. now, and that is with minor suface rust. Prices for original Charger Rallye tail lights for '71 & '72 are going sky high too. I paid $510. for my complete with wiring set which is in pretty good shape yet. BUT, I got lucky for that price! I seen many in worse shape with cracked lenses, no wires, corroded light sockets, warped housings go for the same price I paid or even in some cases higher. Another item that would be greatly appreciated would be truck floors. I personally need one, but no one that I can find makes reproduction trunk floors for a third generation Charger. A lot of places like to stick to making reproduction parts for the second generation Charger and forgot about us '71 to '74 Charger owners. Please Please consiter helping all of us and maybe producing a few of these parts if not all I suggested. The market for the third generation Charger is growing and there simply are not enough parts to go around any more.  I believe I can safely that all of us third generation Charger owners would love to see these parts made so we can actually afford to buy them. Thank you for  your time."

I hope that sounded good                                                                             

[hotrod98]

Sounds great to me. I met and talked with the Goodmark people at SEMA last year and they seem to be a great bunch of guys. The dealership where I work has a Goodmark account and I talk to them over the phone every once in a while, but it was nice meeting these guys in person. They're car guys just like us.

Everyone should attend the SEMA show at some point in their life.

Remember..."the squeaky wheel gets the grease".  If we don't tell them, they won't know.

[andy74]

i also added the fact that the 73 was the most sold units in charger production-and that i would be a player for at least 2 of each-andy

[71charger_fan]

If you're going to send it as a business letter or even a business e-mail, I'd clean it up just a little. Suggest below slightly modified version of your original:

Dear Goodmark,
I am the owner of a 1972 Dodge Charger. I am sure, as the producers of many fine reproduction parts, you are aware of the escalating cost of fine condition original factory parts. For instance, I would like to replace my standard flat hood with a nice power bulge hood but, with current prices, I cannot afford it. An original steel bulge hood in nice shape usually sells in the 600 to 1,000 dollar range. This price point is more then a lot of hobbyists can afford. R/T and Super Bee hoods bring much higher prices. I recently saw one sell for $1,500. Another part many of us third generation Charger owners desire is a reproduction rear dual exhaust valance. The original 1971 and 1972 dual exhaust rear valances are selling in the 500 to 700 dollar range. These prices are for parts with minor flaws such as suface rust. Prices for original Charger R/T and Rallye tail lights for 1971 and 1972 have been escalating rapidly and are already out of reach of most Charger owners. I paid $510 for mine, complete with wiring, which were in good condition. I was lucky to get them for that price. I have seen many in worse shape with cracked lenses, no wires, corroded light sockets, and warped housings go for that price and more. Another item that would be greatly appreciated would be trunk floors. I personally need one, but have not been able to locate reproduction trunk floors for a third generation Charger. A lot of places like to stick to making reproduction parts for the second generation Charger and have forgotten about 1971 to 1974 Charger owners. Please consider helping those of us that own these fine cars and and you'll see there is a market for these parts. The market for the third generation Charger is growing and there simply are not enough parts to go around.  I believe all third generation Charger owners would love to see these parts made and would enthusiastically buy them. Thank you for your time.

I'm assuming your prices were researched and not pulled out of the air as I didn't modify your numbers. I have seen crappy condition 71 SuperBee hoods sell for over $1,000.

[TruckDriver]

I sent the letter the way it is in Blue. The prices I gave them are from what I have seen. And the Bee hood I saw go for $1,500 was pretty much RUST! I should of said that too, but then again, I believe they will get the point. The only regret is I didn't include a link to this site where they could do some research of their own Not that they haven't already.

[rich4406bbl]

IMO when it comes to repro parts for the 3rd gen cars I really don't think that it's going to happen. There isn't enough demand numbers wise to make it feasible. Tooling costs for the parts would make the per part price astronomical. Look at how long it took to get 1/4s for Challengers and that is a very desirable car. More people clone and restore those RT versions than 71 Charger RT and Superbees. They still don't do full 1/4's for 69 Chargers and RR's and GTX's and they made a tremendous amount of those cars. For the time being we're stuck paying through the nose for the parts we need. Gotta keep your eyes peeled when going to the swap meets and e-gouge and hope to get lucky. I nailled a PAIR of complete NOS 71 RT tailights complete with the bezels. lenses and housings for $600.00 over the last year at Carlisle and ebay. Deals are out there just not too often.

[hotrod98]

I started this thread regarding the hood...just the hood. Goodmark specializes in hoods which is their bread and butter. They took a gamble with the challenger hood and sales had been slow. That's why there is no cuda hood for now.
I told them while at SEMA that there were still a few nice challenger hoods at the swap meets and that as soon as they dried up, sales would increase. Here we have a hood that I never see at a swap meet...ever. There were never very many to begin with.
If we concentrate on this one item for now, we will have a better chance of seeing it built. As for taillamps, I would look to other vendors. As for valances...maybe. I have found that if you hit them with too many parts, they will just ignore it.
If we concentrate on hoods, we just might get it.

[twilt]

i wouldn`t think it necessary to use example pricing in any letter to Goodmark. They are a well established business that would obviously do their own market research prior to manufacturing a product requiring such extensive tooling investment. In this case, it might even be detrimental. if i were reading the letter and read statements that used hoods sell from $600 and up, id wonder why the person didnt buy one already at $600.  Instead of complaining about the current pricing of used, it would be better to refer to used ones as "almost impossible to find at any price"
i would also second Hotrods suggestion/request that any letters just address the hoods. His points are valid.
As far as R/T/Rallye/500 tail light lenses, I would suggest emailing Laysons. They have been promising them for quite awhile but it hasnt happened yet. I dont think its realistic to think that anyone would reproduce the tail light housngs or bezels. Supply on those is adequate, finding good lenses is the problem.
I also feel that the outcry for 71-72 rear valances with cut-outs is exaggerated. The 73-74 units can still be found semi-reasonably and easily modified.   

[RD]

i wouldn`t think it necessary to use example pricing in any letter to Goodmark. They are a well established business that would obviously do their own market research prior to manufacturing a product requiring such extensive tooling investment. In this case, it might even be detrimental. if i were reading the letter and read statements that used hoods sell from $600 and up, id wonder why the person didnt buy one already at $600.   Instead of complaining about the current pricing of used, it would be better to refer to used ones as "almost impossible to find at any price"
i would also second Hotrods suggestion/request that any letters just address the hoods. His points are valid.
As far as R/T/Rallye/500 tail light lenses, I would suggest emailing Laysons. They have been promising them for quite awhile but it hasnt happened yet. I dont think its realistic to think that anyone would reproduce the tail light housngs or bezels. Supply on those is adequate, finding good lenses is the problem.
I also feel that the outcry for 71-72 rear valances with cut-outs is exaggerated. The 73-74 units can still be found semi-reasonably and easily modified.     

with both twilts and hotrod's approach to this. I have one question though, what about the hood inserts for R/T's and Superbee's?  Have you talked to goodmark about that, or are you just expecting those who may buy a 74 hood (if they produce it) to put the insert in along with the vents by themselves?

[twilt]

my opinion...........forget about the inserts, forget about A/G, forget about the vents.  getting any bulge hood done would be a miracle in itself.  keep it simple.

[andy74]

  lets start small,then blast them with request for the other stuff!