photos by: the author

Dropping Pounds and Adding Style with a WS6 Hood From Anderson Composites

One of our longest-running project cars is back, and it’s back in a big way! With a freshly-rebuilt LS1 between the flanks, an updated suspension, and some killer rollers at all four corners we’re just getting started.

Now on the face of it, you may think that the 1998-2002 Trans Am WS6 aesthetic is pretty on-point from the factory. With its bulging fenders, aggressive front end, and tall-deck rear spoiler, you can argue that the car was aesthetically “perfect” as-delivered. We mostly agree, but after seeing some of the ways that modern pony cars can be improved upon, we started to look at our Trans Am a little bit differently.

We’ve made some changes in recent years, but having been reminded that there was a carbon fiber WS6 hood released by our friends at Anderson Composites some time back, we had to have one. Originally marketed as part of the Seibon Carbon line, Anderson brought the bird’s hood under its wing recently and applied it to their catalog.

When the opportunity finally presented itself to us to get one installed on our car, we grabbed it. Obviously, we’ve long-known the the OEM WS6 was lightweight fiberglass, and natural, corrosion proof as a result. However, the even lighter weight of the stock hood, and the general aesthetic of bar carbon fiber was something we’ve always been interested in. In addition, we were generally curious as to the fit and finish of the Anderson Composite hood.

We also wanted to look at this for another reason; the general aftermarket. Countless ’93-97 Firebirds have been converted to the later ’98-02 front end, and for those looking for a WS6-style hood for their standard Firebird, Formula, or Trans Am. New Old Stock OEM WS6 hoods are extremely expensive, if you can find one, and used legit WS6 hoods have been sold for no less than $1200 in recent years, some, fetching as much as $2000.

Considering the MSRP for a brand new Anderson Composite carbon fiber hood is $1429.00 as of this writing, it only makes sense to consider this offering a viable option.

Now we’ve seen other aftermarket ram air hoods over the years with questionably accurate quality, and design. Some barely line up with the body lines of the car, and many have poor fitment. And those are the fiberglass examples we’ve seen over the years.

So if this hood lines up hoping as it should, we’re going to have to stick with hit for the foreseeable future. Plus, we might be updating the look of our Trans Am yet again. But that’s another story for another time.

As soon as we took the hood out of the packaging as soon as it arrived at the shop, partly to ensure there wasn’t any damage or defects, but mostly, because we could wait to see how awesome this thing looked on the car. We were also curious as to the weight difference of the Anderson hood, to the fiberglass OEM WS6 hood. It turns out, quite a bit!

We broke out a scale, and weighed the OEM hood first, since it was already off of the car: 32-lbs. Then we set it aside, and weighed the Anderson Composites hood: 13-lbs. No way, we thought. There can’t be that much of a weight difference between fiberglass and the carbon fiber. We reweighed each one from difference sides and angles, and kept coming up with the same thing.

We also wanted to add a unique touch to our hood; a set of “Blackbird” stripes was what we were thinking. In fact, we had these stripes sitting on our shelf for quite some time. We had these intended for the original hood, but looking to add some contrast to the hood, and to the car overall, we applied them.

The quality and the fitment were absolutely on point with the hood. Maybe we got lucky, or maybe, that is the quality that’s to be expected of the Anderson Composites hood. The fit and finish were as if it were from GM, or maybe even a little bit better. The hood utilizing the same hood hinge mounting holes and locations as the OEM hood, and the OEM hood struts seemed to work well without issue (we like to live dangerously).

However, Anderson Composites does recommend eliminating your hood struts, especially if you car had the factory steel (non-Ram Air) hood. Actually, we do as well for the latter — if there’s a 19-pound weight difference from fiberglass to carbon, then there’s certainly going to be a more significant weight difference from steel to carbon You don’t want to damage your new $1500 hood!

Would we recommend the Anderson Composites hood? Absolutely, especially if you’re struggling with the notion of shelling out almost $2000 for a used, OEM WS6 hood that weighs nearly 20-pounds more. We also recommend it if you’re trying to shave off every ounce off of the front end, or the overall curb weight of your car for racing purposes. While some may prefer the body color-matched look of the OEM hood, we’re digging the cleared-over carbon fiber. You can paint yours to match your car, if you feel the need.

Looking ahead, we’ll be addressing our Trans Am’s engine and transmission build, as well as additional aesthetic upgrades in the very near future. Stay tuned!

Features:

• Mesh screen is removable and paintable
• Mounts with OE hardware, hinges and latch 
• Vacuum infused process with 3K, 2×2 twill carbon fiber cloth, gloss finish
• Carbon fiber hood (A side) bonded to fiberglass “skeleton” (B side)
• Hood pins required for safety reasons – AeroCatch or Quic-Latch 
• Heat shield required 
• Always carefully close a composite hood. Slamming or dropping the hood may cause it to crack.
• Anderson Composites does not suggest re-installing gas shocks/dampers/struts
• The use of a hood prop rod is highly recommended
• Shipped via ground truck freight only

Rick Seitz

Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.