hood up or down?

Dr. Jones · 03-11-03, 10:30

for my show which should I do? My thoughts (based on no expierence) would be that having the hood up is more to show all the money and work you've put into it (ie mods for newer cars, or on an older car the restoration job or something). For my car that is stock down to the last detail, i'm leaning towards putting it down. I think the hood down would make a bigger impact on the looks. I've never detailed an engine before so i'm not sure how mine would come out, but i have waxed my hood and can make it shine like a mirror. What are the rules for this?

Nagchampa · 03-11-03, 10:37

Hood down makes it look like you have something to hide. I think you will miss out on potential points for leaving the hood closed.

Richt · 03-12-03, 01:29

id say hood down? All the convertibles in our club are always displayed hood dowwn?

Brad B. · 03-12-03, 06:32

Install a remote hydraulic button, stand aside and hit the button as people walk by. UP..DOWN..UP..DOWN

Actually, think I am kidding? I have some friends in the Hod Rod circles that do this to their doors and trunk lids.

But seriously, in Jag concours the first part of the show the cars are all buttoned up so you can see the fit and finish of the cars then the last 3/4 of the show they are all opened up so you can see the beauty of the engines and people can show off all the hard work they put in to them.

And as anyone knows, you can put a lot of money and time into an engine so it's worth popping the hood and showing off. Some do it for showing how customized it is. Others can be proud of how perfectly detailed it is even if it is rock stock!

Richt · 03-12-03, 07:07

rock stock..ill remember that one!

Brad B. · 03-12-03, 07:13

Quote:

Originally posted by RichPug306xsi
rock stock..ill remember that one!

Ha! We'll teach you some Yankee slang, eh!

Richt · 03-12-03, 08:13

Jngrbrdman · 03-12-03, 09:31

My engine is pretty much stock too. I'd pop that hood so it shows up the cars that have a couple grand put into them though. If the judges see that my engine bay is spotless clean and someone else has a truckload of money under the hood but its all dirty, then who do you think is going to get the points? They may get points for modification, but I'll get the points for detail. Don't take your car to a show if the engine is dirty. That is just wrong...

Pats300zx · 03-12-03, 05:33

It really depends I think on the show. I know at several concours shows that I have done that the judges want everything closed until they tell you to open things.

I think the hood should be open. I think if you put alot of hard work into making something look good than you should at least be able to show off your efforts.

SuperSport · 03-13-03, 01:42

I'm a hood down kinda guy myself since what have under there is mostly stock and not all that dressy or custom. Plus, one of the signature styling cues of the SS is the hood scoop, which you can't see with the hood up. Now if I had some custom engine dress in there and put the effort into rerouting the wiring and such to un-clutter the bay, I'd pop the hood to show off my handwork, but I haven't so I don't. It is always clean and dressed however. Never know when some will want to look in there.

Lynn · 03-19-03, 12:58

Brad, I love your hydraulic system idea!

This thread gives me the opportunity to share a confession story that I still laugh about.

Bought the '75 Jaguar XJ6C this summer. She was in near-concours condition when we got her: pretty much all the restoration work had been done. (By the way, at that time I didn't even know what "concours" meant.) I was so proud of her and eager to show her off. Learned there was a large All-British Car Show in St. Louis in late August, so off we went.

Got there. Immediately popped the hood, just a-bustin' with pride, dontcha know. Then went strolling about, looking at Triumphs, MGs, Rolls and Bentleys, and other Jags. Of course, they all had their bonnets up. And after seeing about 3 engines, I quietly went back to mine and put the bonnet down. And down it stayed for the remainder of the show.

How come? 'Cause what my dad would have considered a nice clean engine bay was not even on the same planet with these cars!!

The Jaguar Concours was two weeks later. For those two weeks, every day I came straight home for work, stuck my head (and increasingly raw knuckles) into the engine bay, and didn't come up til bedtime. The Jaguar folks were astonished at the change. And -- bless 'em -- they had not even laughed at me at the August show.

Now I tend to alternate between bonnet up and bonnet down. The wonderful sleek lines of the Jaguar are best appreciated with the bonnet down. But folks nowadays are not accustomed to seeing the older engines -- and many certainly don't often see a truly clean engine bay.

So, Dr. Jones, I say: Have your cake and eat it too. Do some of each.

paid4c4 · 03-30-03, 09:08

Almost all the car shows I've been in require the hood and trunk to be open if you want to be judged. I think it's an excellent way to gain points over others who do not detail the engine and compartment.
Bill