Hood scoop on factory 97?

[benjamin247]

sorry for the noob question. I just bought my first 4Runner (1997 Limited) and am pretty new to all this. My limited doesn't come with a hood scoop but I've seen on other threads 1997s with a hood scoop. Did some models come out the factory like this?

 

[AZTOY]

I don't believe so. The one's you have seen are probably aftermarket.

 

[SweetWaterSurprise]

Pretty sure the sport hoods were on 99-02 4Runners. My 97 has one that I picked up from another forum member and I had painted to match.

 

[Millerad1651]

Look at Certi-fit for an aftermarket hood..around $100. Then the scoop guts can only be purchased through Toyota, around $130-150. Then however you decide to paint it...

You can have the sport hood for around $300-350...

 

[JayRolla]

Just remember if you buy the NON OEM hoods (cheap ones) they will be a way lesser quality with thin metal. I have a non oem hood and a hail storm came through and destroyed the hood. All my other body parts where fine because they are Toyota. A little bit more money and you can get all the parts from toyota and it will last forever. Dont want to spend $400 on a hood that can be easily damaged.

 

[xspsi6]

Just remember if you buy the NON OEM hoods (cheap ones) they will be a way lesser quality with thin metal. I have a non oem hood and a hail storm came through and destroyed the hood. All my other body parts where fine because they are Toyota. A little bit more money and you can get all the parts from toyota and it will last forever. Dont want to spend $400 on a hood that can be easily damaged.

I would agree on fenders and such but I got my sport hood off e-bay for 150 shipped and it is actually good quality plus fitment was spot on.

 

[JayRolla]

I would agree on fenders and such but I got my sport hood off e-bay for 150 shipped and it is actually good quality plus fitment was spot on.

The hood is made same way as fenders. They dont spend extra money and time on your hood because its no different than any other part. I have a $150 aftermarket hood. They are pretty much all made by the same company. One hail storm later its completely destroyed. My wifes vehicle has no dents and was sitting right next to it. In the years Ive had it only one storm has been bad enough but it made it where I wont go non OEM ever again on a replacement hood.

 

[xspsi6]

I would have to disagree as we spent a lot of time comparing the 2 side by side and the quality difference was so minor that it is hardly worth mentioning and I should state for the record I am I car certified and educated well in collision repair so I figured for 150 I would chance it on a dare from coworkers and by the time it got painted and blended in there was 0 naysayers left however there may be quality differences between the aftermarket manufactures I would bet.

 

[jmildoc]

I dont see a difference in quality between the stock hood and the aftermarket sport hood. I spent around $200 for the hood and the guts for the scoop and not much for paint but I know someone with a shop. So just keep shopping around and if you want it, get it. I think it makes the 4runner look way better with that hood!

 

[IBallEngineer]

I would have to disagree as we spent a lot of time comparing the 2 side by side and the quality difference was so minor that it is hardly worth mentioning and I should state for the record I am I car certified and educated well in collision repair so I figured for 150 I would chance it on a dare from coworkers and by the time it got painted and blended in there was 0 naysayers left however there may be quality differences between the aftermarket manufactures I would bet.

I spent 33 years in the Auto Body industry, 14 as a shop owner. If anyone believes there is little to no difference in the quality of OE v A/M hoods they are either fooling themselves, not looking closely, or are ignorant of what to look for.

There are different levels of quality in the A/M industry, CAPA certification cost money, so you'll pay a little more but it might be worth it. Still not as good as OEM. Do you think the A/M manufacturers have a multi-million dollar facility if upstate Michigan for cold weather and snow testing? Toyota does.

That being said, the Toyota hood might cost 3 times as much. Is the nuances of fit, the corrosion resistance, and overall quality worth it? Only the person writing the check can decide that. Can you tell the difference from 30 feet? No. Even with all my experience I would not notice immediately, but I CAN tell if I examine it.

Personally I'd buy an A/M hood and deal with it if my budget did not allow OEM.

Just remember, the same people telling you NOT to buy an OEM hood would scream bloody murder if you used an A/M water pump.

:grouphug:

 

[SURF RUNNER]

Also keep in mind that OEM hoods are designed to perform well in crash tests. Most (if not all) aftermarket companies don't design and engineer for collisions. This means that potentially an aftermarket hood could decapitate the driver and passenger in a head-on collision if it wasn't designed with crumple zones.

I bought a C5 Corvette aftermarket supercharger hood that was designed by a company in Michigan. They engineered their hoods with crumple zones just like OEM. This is probably one of the few exceptions. Most manufacturers aren't going to spend the time and money on this safety feature.

 

[xspsi6]

I spent 33 years in the Auto Body industry, 14 as a shop owner. If anyone believes there is little to no difference in the quality of OE v A/M hoods they are either fooling themselves, not looking closely, or are ignorant of what to look for.

There are different levels of quality in the A/M industry, CAPA certification cost money, so you'll pay a little more but it might be worth it. Still not as good as OEM. Do you think the A/M manufacturers have a multi-million dollar facility if upstate Michigan for cold weather and snow testing? Toyota does.

That being said, the Toyota hood might cost 3 times as much. Is the nuances of fit, the corrosion resistance, and overall quality worth it? Only the person writing the check can decide that. Can you tell the difference from 30 feet? No. Even with all my experience I would not notice immediately, but I CAN tell if I examine it.

Personally I'd buy an A/M hood and deal with it if my budget did not allow OEM.

Just remember, the same people telling you NOT to buy an OEM hood would scream bloody murder if you used an A/M water pump.

:grouphug:

I was not speaking in terms of crash testing rather in the visual and fitment differences so I have no data on how it would perform in the event of a crash but the crumple zones all looked to be identical visually also if I lived in the north I would surely think twice about it however this was strictly a visual upgrade nothing else.
All I am trying to say is that fitment was great and the density of the metal was on par with oem fwiw.

 

[IBallEngineer]

I was not speaking in terms of crash testing rather in the visual and fitment differences so I have no data on how it would perform in the event of a crash but the crumple zones all looked to be identical visually also if I lived in the north I would surely think twice about it however this was strictly a visual upgrade nothing else.
All I am trying to say is that fitment was great and the density of the metal was on par with oem fwiw.

I wasn't trying to bust your chops, but I really just disagree with the above statement. And my humble opinion is only that. I would write it like this:

The fitment is OK, and the metal is similar. I've seen a whole lot of them, never seen one with GREAT fitment and I KNOW the metal is NOT on par with OEM.

I'm still not telling anyone not to use one, just saying A is A, B is B.

:cheer2:

 

[JayRolla]

And Im just giving my actual experience. Hail destroyed my A/M hood. All the OEMS around me where fine. Just saying. Do what you want its your money.

 

[xspsi6]

I don't have a way to get my thoughts across properly but for the price I would do it again but maybe it fits so well is because I spent a lot of time doing the swap properly most likely more time than the average body shop would spend on the job but for me it's a labor of love.

 

[T4R2014]

This means that potentially an aftermarket hood could decapitate the driver and passenger in a head-on collision if it wasn't designed with crumple zones.

I'm not big on aftermarket parts either, but that's a bit of a stretch...

Unless you are being sarcastic.

 

[8sm]

It's been a few years since installing our CertFit hood. From out of the box to paint then direct bolt on, the fiament fit perfectly.

We have mostly kept the 4Runner at 5000k ft elevation with the occasional lower desert environment. The weather conditions vary from rain, snow, hail to monsoon blowing dust/heavy rain. The hood has held up great with no adjustments required.

In our application, there's a bit of steel in front of the hood to impact, before I'm worried about my hood crumb zone. Yet, don't discount the concern and importance of those safety features.

I will wholeheartedly agree OEM in most cases is superior in quality, yet we dance around a certain budget and pick/choose when the extra cost warrants the added expense.

We have access to dealer shop pricing on OEM and a good percentage of the time use that option. Yet the parts purpose and price difference made the CertFit hood a better choice for us.

Good luck with your choice

Regards..... 8sm

 

[Jason B]

I spent 33 years in the Auto Body industry, 14 as a shop owner. If anyone believes there is little to no difference in the quality of OE v A/M hoods they are either fooling themselves, not looking closely, or are ignorant of what to look for.

There are different levels of quality in the A/M industry, CAPA certification cost money, so you'll pay a little more but it might be worth it. Still not as good as OEM. Do you think the A/M manufacturers have a multi-million dollar facility if upstate Michigan for cold weather and snow testing? Toyota does.

That being said, the Toyota hood might cost 3 times as much. Is the nuances of fit, the corrosion resistance, and overall quality worth it? Only the person writing the check can decide that. Can you tell the difference from 30 feet? No. Even with all my experience I would not notice immediately, but I CAN tell if I examine it.

Personally I'd buy an A/M hood and deal with it if my budget did not allow OEM.

Just remember, the same people telling you NOT to buy an OEM hood would scream bloody murder if you used an A/M water pump.

:grouphug:

So, let’s say you have a non Capa sport hood vs a capa sport hood. Have you ever seen both? Wonder if the Capa is worth $100 more than certi-fit maybe a bit heavier?

 

[IBallEngineer]

So, let’s say you have a non Capa sport hood vs a capa sport hood. Have you ever seen both? Wonder if the Capa is worth $100 more than certi-fit maybe a bit heavier?

One of the things with aftermarket parts is that they will only build what they can sell a lot of, and I don't see them selling a huge quantity of CAPA sport hoods. But I don't have any direct experience with that exact part. I'm sure it would be better, not sure how much better.