Mopar Shaker Hood Scoop History

Simple carburetor vents led to the development of the shaker scoop.

The term “shaker hood scoop” refers to an automobile air intake that protrudes out of the hood through a specially created opening. The proper way of referring to the unit is as a shaker scoop, although “shaker hood scoop” and “shaker hood” are also frequent, if incorrect, colloquialisms. Mopar is the trade name of Chrysler’s auto parts division -- the name is a contraction of “motor parts" -- and a production shaker hood first appeared on Chrysler’s Barracuda and Challenger muscle cars.

Nomenclature

Shaker scoops are fastened directly to the uppermost face of the air cleaner, meaning that they stand above the lateral line marking the top of a standard engine. An aperture has to be created in the hood to accommodate this. Projecting thus through the body of the vehicle, which is dampened and sprung by the suspension system, but attached to the engine, which is not, the scoop vibrates in time with the movement of the running engine. The name “shaker” is drawn from this behavior. Using a shaker scoop on its 1970 Barracuda, the Plymouth factory originally branded the option as an IQECAG package, an acronym of “Incredible Quivering Exposed Cold Air Grabber.” The name, perhaps, could have been slightly more grabby itself.

Purpose

In common with all similar scoops, the shaker is intended as a ram air device. This is something of a doomed ambition, given that most engines aspirate several hundred square feet of air per minute; the scoop does little to enhance that volume. It does, however, channel cooler air to the engine than would have been gathered by a traditional under-hood intake, and via a shorter route.

Evolution

Vents on hoods were not new when the shaker scoop appeared. A tradition of creating apertures in hoods and installing scoops had developed in the racing and hot-rodding worlds, but these did nothing more than force air into the engine bay. The shaker scoop was the first production accessory that forced air into the air cleaner itself.

Construction

The main components are a center base plate and support bracket that attaches to the air cleaner, below an outer base plate with seals that accommodate the air filter and the air cleaner lid. Crowning the assembly is an outer “bubble,” which is the visible exterior of the unit.

History

Shaker scoops were originally fitted to the 1970 and 1971 Plymouth Barracudas and Dodge Challengers, but General Motors designed variants for its Pontiac GTO and Firebird models through the next decade. The scoop also appeared as a retrofit on Ford’s Mustang Cobra and Gran Torino models. Through the 1970s, style developments included rounded fronts, a ridged spine -- particularly well-suited to the Firebird -- and low-profile adaptations. The scoop is still seen as bringing valuable operational enhancement -- and an intimidating old-school persona -- to today’s high-performance muscle cars, for instance as an aftermarket part for Dodge’s new Hemi Challenger.

References

• Manitoba Mopar Association: Daryl Klassen's Hemi Cuda and Hemi Dart
• Year One: Shaker Hood Scoop
• AllPar: The Plymouth Barracuda
• Mopar Muscle Magazine: Dodge Charger and Magnum Shaker Hood Scoops
• Firebird Trans Am Parts: Shaker Scoop Page
• 78TransAm.com: Shaker Scoops
• Pontiac Trans Am Shaker Kits
• Year One: Shaker Hood Scoop Diagram