I've always wanted to put a large firebird hood decal on my black & gold '82 Trans Am w/ turbo bulge hood to replace the small stock nose bird. Maybe it's because I'm old enough to have been conditioned by the old Smokey & the Bandit movies lol. I really like the '81 Turbo style like this one:

http://www.phoenixgraphix.com/transam/1981tb.php

But it's huge! I think it may be too big to fit my '82. Unfortunately I don't have an '81 to measure, so I'm not sure what the dimensions of the '81 hoods are. Seems they may be longer from front to back. I called Phoenix Graphix and was told that the '81 hood bird decals measured 58" left to right and 62" front to back, but I'm not actually 100% sure the guy quoted which dimension was which. Assuming he didn't swap the measurements, it seems the left-right would work fine on my car (I measure about 62" left to right), but I've only got about 57" front to back. Were the '81 hoods really 5" longer than our 3rd gens?? I was thinking that with the hidden headlights our hoods would've had to have been a bit longer at the nose.

Anyway, I may just end up getting the one I like and trimming some of the feathers near the tips of the wings to fit my car if need be, but would really appreciate any input from those of you who have added the larger hood birds to their 3rd gen cars already before forking out nearly $300.

Anyone out there do this mod and have any tips or suggestions you'd like to share? Thanks!

 

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i got a decent TA hood that I wanted to put on the wall at my shop. Thanks for the link as the only reason I never put it up was cause the decal sucked on it. Gonna redo it now

 

I agree all the way, the second gen bird is too big for a 3rd gen. I also love Smokey and the Bandit.

 

Thanks for your thoughts folks.

6SIX6, you're welcome. I've heard good things about the Phoenix Graphix decals, although I can't vouch for them (yet!). Best of luck on your "hood ornament" project.

Luis, I've been following your build thread with interest. Your car looks really amazing!

But, just like you didn't like the lower stripes for the look you want for your car, I've never really liked those smaller bulge decals for my car. In fact, the thing I like the most about the '81 turbo is the way the flame wraps up onto the bulge. Like you though, I like to experiment, and fix, and fabricate, and finish things my way, so the big hood chicken has been a tempting thought of mine for the 13 years I've owned this car. I wonder if there's a way to trim and splice a section of the wing tips out. I'll may end up giving it a try eventually.
That's a ways off though. But call it part of my motivation to get my rebuild further along. I've got to repair accident damage from when a girl ran me off the road this past January. Seeing it done in my head helps keep me going. Looking through other peoples build threads like yours certainly helps too.

Thanks again guys.

 

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Why not just find a photo of the screaming chicken you like the most and have one made in the color and size you want to fit your car at one of those vinyl wrap shops? You can probably wrap your entire hood for the same cost of a decal.

 

How about having it air brushed on like my 1982 bird?