there are different kinds of hood pins. If you mean the typical (cotter pin) style, or the import-style type of hood pin, there are alternatives...
I like the locking hood pins Spectre makes. I've even seen them at autozone, they come with carbon Fiber covered backing plates (or with stainless plates)
They are low-profile, and are lockable with a drum-style key, which is included. With carbon fibre backing plates, they will be amost unnoticable on a carbon fiber hood.
You can also check out the following URL, you may just find a style of hood pin you like better
http://www.powerflowracing.com/prdlist.asp?PGroup=10&PSGroup=48Of course, hood pins are required if you run a fiberglass or carbon hood, since there would be no structural integrity without them; the hood latch alone won't cut it, since the latch will just rip out of the hood in a crash; hood flips up and doesn't shatter to absorb the force of impact, rendering front crumple zones useless, and you die with the dasboard stuck in your skull. not fun.
A single hood pin has a higher shear strength than the four bolts that hold your seats to the floor. Since they go all the way through the hood, and have steel backing plates, and the other end is connected to the radiator suupport brace, they will prevent the hood from flipping up on you in a crash or when driving. locking pins will also keep theives from going under your hood to disconnect alarms or steal engine accessories. All this helps make them essential rather than optional.
Hope this helps!
Last edited by Rave669; Jan 2, 2005 7:00pm.