What is Hoosier Hoods?  Quite simply, it is George Dillman.  You know George; he’s the ‘Hood Guy.’  Everyone knows George…and everyone knows his product.  If you happen to be one of the very few that don’t know him--you have heard of him.

During the 1970’s, George and his family lived in a modest house on Kinsey Street, and he used his small metal garage to pursue a passion for Street Rodding.  In that garage, he built a 1927 T-Bucket, a 1928 Roadster, and a 1927 Model T.  As he built these cars, George had many friends stop by and ask “Can you help me with this?” or “Can you make this?”  With each ‘trade for work’ and ‘favor,’ George gained in knowledge and honed his skills.  By 1977, he had completely out grown his garage and needed to move.  Finding a rustic house out on Salisbury Road with 10 acres of land, and a large steel structure, he could see the possibilities in his mind; and on May 1, 1977 he and his family moved in.  For the rest of 1977 and the first half of 1978, George (his family and friends) prepared to launch Hoosier Hoods.  He also built his famous Two-Toned Blue 1932 Roadster.  Up until the summer of 1978, nearly every Street Rodder would agree that you could never “pull a hood from a box and set it on a car.”  That was completely unheard of.  Everyone knew that you had to--at the very least--push, bend, trim, bend some more, give up for the night, continue the next day, push out, twist, bend, shape some more, and then--FINALLY--you MIGHT get close to that hood fitting your car.  There was NO WAY a “stock hood” from a box would fit!!  The first time??  Absolutely not!!  That statement was true, however, until Hoosier Hoods proved differently.

At the 1978 NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Columbus, OH, Hoosier Hoods made its debut.  On the first day of the show, all the Rodders that came to the booth were skeptical at best and most of them stated it would not work.  But George was adamant, and to settle a disagreement about how a hood would fit, George went to his roadster, pulled the hood off, took one of his hoods out of the box, and set it in place.  PERFECT FIT.

The Rodders that saw this were completely stunned.  Word quickly spread, and soon there was Rodders continually 3 to 5 deep around the booth.  George talked to everyone that asked a question or wanted more information.  By early Saturday, he had completely sold out of hoods.  Workers were sent for more and Hoosier Hoods was restocked that night.  By early afternoon on Sunday though, they were sold out again, and all they could do was take orders.  Nearly 60 complete or partial hoods were sold, and an addition 50+ orders were taken.  Hoosier Hoods had made a profound mark on the national scene.  Hoods were not the only items Rodders wanted.  Headlight bars, running boards, belly pans, and even louvered license plates were in demand.  Following up on this success, Hoosiers Hoods was featured in the August 1981 issue of Street Rodder magazine.  (The article can be found by clicking on the link to the left.)

For the next 10 years, Hoosier Hoods continued to redefine the Street Rod hood market.  With each new sale and customer, George was edging into the area that had been completely dominated by Rootlieb.  Once thought to be the new kid on the block, Hoosier Hoods was quickly gaining the reputation as having a quality product that--in some customer’s opinion--was the best on the market.  Sales continued to grow, and George Dillman’s name spread throughout the country.  Each year during the 1980’s, George and his business attended both the regional events and the NSRA Nationals.  During this time, Dave left the company and Brian came in.  By the end of the decade, Hoosier Hoods was sending its product across the globe.  George was well established, business was good, but tough times were ahead.

Late in 1989, George was medically retired from the Richmond Fire Department after 20 years, and soon, he had a whole other struggle on his hands.  1990 started a very difficult period for the business.  Due to major health issues, complications, and a battle through the many different medication, Hoosier Hoods went through a period of decline.  Then for a complete two years, George was unable to attend to the business.  Heavy hearted, he had to turn away customers.  But having won his battle, George set his mind on bringing his business back to prominence, and by the end of the decade, Hoosier Hoods had begun its come back.

With the new century came a new avenue for Hoosier Hoods.  As George and his business came back stronger and just as good as ever, many dealers began to come to George and asked him to be their hoods supplier.  Of course, Hoosier Hoods continued to sell their product to the individual Street Rodder, but strong friendship and business-to-business partnerships were formed.  A few of the most prominent were:  Brookville Roaster, in Brookville, OH; Ply-Do in Delbarton, WV; Kilbourne Rod Shop in Kilbourne, IL; and Street Rods by Michael in Shelbyville, TN.  Each of these continue to the present day.

In over 30 years in business, George Dillman has established himself as a master craftsman, an authority figure on hoods and hoods systems, and he has gained the admiration of all his competitors!  And due to this: 

Hoosier Hoods continues to be worldwide name in Street Rodding;

Hoosier Hoods has produce and sold nearly 10,000 hoods or hood systems; and

Hoosier Hoods is the closest you can get to actual Henry Ford parts this side of the original.