1974 Eldorado hood heat insulator

[13912]

The 1974 Eldorado convertible I bought last year does not have a hood mounted engine heat insulator. Since the car originally had one I assume they are important and most likely necessary, but I've been told the ones produced today are chinese made & poor quality and tend to sag after a short time. Any guidance from CLC members about a viable solution would be very much appreciated.
Bob Dwyer

[TJ Hopland]

I pulled mine out after a coolant leak several years ago and don't remember noticing a huge difference.  I had planned on replacing it but just have not quite got around to it yet.   Seems like there was a thread in the last 6 months or so here where someone found a decent quality replacement. 

[Jeff Moffo]

I ordered one from rubbertherightway for my 76. Insulation is good so far(only a year old), yet the mounting holes did not exactly line up with the original ones.

["Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364]

Bob,
The 70's Eldorado s put out a lot of heat and one of the purposes of the Hood Pad is to keep that heat away from the paint on the hood to prevent it from discoloring.  The second purpose of course is sound attenuation.  Most replacement hood pads are just cut fiberglass pads, as opposed to the molded one from the factory.  I haven't bought one in a while, but FEN used to have a really good molded pad.  It wasn't cheap, but it sure looked good. 
Greg Surfas

[mistertudball]

My '73s hood insulation was really nasty so I bought a new pad from OPGI for about $43 plus some retainers, which I didn't need because the old ones came out without breaking.  The holes lined up exactly and the job was done in no time.  Still looks great after one season.

[13912]

TJ, Jeff, Greg, David-
Many thanks for your suggestions on the heat pad. I'll contact the 3 vendors in the AM.
Bob