I stumbled across this forum a few weeks ago and saw that some members were interested in the Eagle Ventures hood for ’69-’73 Blazers and other GM trucks. Some thought it was made and sold by Hickey, some liked it, some didn’t. I offer this post to set the record straight…
In the late sixties, the four-wheel drive craze was in full bloom, fueled in part by the introduction of the Chevy Blazer in 1968. The concept of modifying a pick-up by replacing the cab with a removable station wagon style top was the idea of Vic Hickey, who worked for GM at the time. The idea of a convertible pick-up truck was radical, if not revolutionary!
In 1970, I purchased a used, but unmodified ’69 Blazer and soon began customizing it with items available from a number of aftermarket sources. By this time Hickey had left GM and had started his own off-road business in Ventura, CA. I lived in the San Fernando Valley, less than an hour’s drive from Hickey’s shop, and became such a regular we eventually became friends. I have a background in technical publications and helped write some of the product literature to earn a discount for my purchases.
When Vic added a “low-profile” fiberglass hood for the ’73 and later Blazer, I couldn’t talk him into offering one for the ’69-‘72 trucks. These earlier hoods had a much higher frontage and would benefit even more from a lower profile. But Vic didn’t think there would be enough of a market to offset the cost of development, and as things turned out, he was right!
I had earlier taken a sabbatical from a major aerospace company and was looking for something to satisfy my creative instincts. The off-road aftermarket was so hot at the time, it seemed all one had to do was develop a proprietary product or two and have a catalog of the usual products and you would be in business. Visiting Pete Brown and watching his booming success building KC HiLites out of his garage was a great motivator. The hood would be my first step and then one thing would lead to another.
Temporary GMC hood used to check fit, and plan design of cutout section. Note masking tape outlining the area.
I borrowed the hood from a friend’s GMC pick-up to ensure it was the same as mine. Everything checked out, and I was off. Analyzing the design of the factory hood, I developed a profile that would clear the radiator cap and air cleaner, but leave the sides intact for strength. A similar style was in use by Land Rover. The two “horns’ thus created would also provide the driver with a pointing reference, sometimes helpful in the outback.
Artists rendering of a ground level view showing how cutout would increase near-truck visibility.
Having no experience in molding or in fiberglass, I spent a few months working with pros to develop first the plug, then the mold. With the first skin pulled, I went to work designing the understructure and then going through the same process to get a part to marry with the skin. Weight was never an issue, strength and durability was the goal. With the understructure perfected, I built an assembly jig for marrying the two parts. My son and I did the final assembly in my garage.
I won’t bore you with the details and many pitfalls experienced, but just let me say it took several attempts at each stage (one wound up in court) to find the right source to get the job done properly. I learned there was an old saying “lose your ass in fiberglass…”
With the prototype finished, I anxiously mounted it on my Blazer and was somewhat amazed at how well it fit! Then began real world tests of added visibility and other parameters. It not only provided a significant improvement in near-truck visibility off-road, but also an unintentional consequence of improved gas mileage on the freeway! Feeling confident, I went to the expense of patenting the design.
Reaction from local dealers was promising; and anxious to get public reaction, I entered the Blazer in an off-road show. It drew large crowds and won first place in the four-wheel drive class, and a pickup truck with an EV hood took another two trophies. The pick-up was owned by the service manager of the local Chevy dealer!
Article in Four Wheeler called the new hood “stunning…”
Trophy winning pickup – note hood finished in gold leaf!
First magazine ad, November 1973
My broker was poised to raise a significant infusion of capital and I placed my first ad in Four Wheeler magazine. Things were going well when a month later the Arab oil embargo hit! Soon long lines at the gas pump forced the government to introduce gas rationing and then a nationwide speed limit of 55 mph.
Needless to say, the impact on the off-road aftermarket was devastating and it rapidly began drying up. Not only were sales depressed, but materials became more and more expensive. I lasted for a couple of years before the shoestring was broken and I had to stop.
Vic made me an offer, which included being his rep in the southeastern US, but I opted instead to return to my old job at the aerospace company; and destroyed the remaining stock, jigs and molds.
Only a couple hundred hoods were made.
Seeing Hickey get credit for the EV hood, is sort of like how Michelangelo must've felt when Leonardo was getting credit for the Pieta…