Hood brace
 

Are any of yall running hood braces? The hood on my stepside now is pretty kinked up. I just scored and new hood and don't really want the same thing to happen. I know LMC sells the kits here:

http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/cc/0033.asp

Has anyone else used these? If not, are you using something else? Do any of the board vendors have something like this?

Thanks

Re: Hood brace
 

if the hood kinks up the hinges are not good they are too stiff... i had them on one truck and they looked horrendous.. once a hood is kinked they dont really help either.. Check around tho i know they are sold in a few places and LMC is not always the cheapest
JC Whitney sells em too i know for sure

Re: Hood brace
 

AHH the RALPH NADER hood !!! Yes, he's the father of that brilliant piece of engineering and yes stiff hinges or just pushing in a little to hard when you close the hood for the 100th and something time will cause it to fold in half like a worn-out dollar bill. In the mid seventies a company called Earl Owens came out with some good braces, and yes they are necessary !!! After running these things for 35 years it is kind of an automatic thing when I buy another truck to put something on each side of the hood to brace it. I like something a little heavier and longer that the store bought JCWhitney type brace #ZX156129U. I usually weld something in along side the factory brace that has a gap in the center. They put it there so the hood would fold up in an accident instead of coming through the windshield and cutting your head off like those old LTD hoods did, although I've never in all my years in the bodyshop seen one Chevy with that problem. Make yourself some braces that go the length of the hood and put some Marvel Mystery Oil on those hinges and you'll be fine.:rolleyes:

Re: Hood brace
 

I did oil the hinges, but after I creased my current hood. Figures.

I think I might go with the JC Whitney ones. I have a gift certificate for $25 there that I've never used. Looks like I have to wait until Monday to call in my order and use the gift certificate.

Thanks for the help, fellas. As always, yall are great help.

Re: Hood brace
 

:agree:
Ive just keep them well lubed. But I do dred the day that the hood kinks,

Re: Hood brace
 

Keep the hinges lubed and it won't kink. My 37 year old original hood hasn't kinked yet. The hinges were stiff when I got my Blazer a couple years ago, but keeping it lubed up with a little white spray grease keeps it closing easy.


One tip besides lubricating the hinges. To close the hood push the front of the hood back before pulling it down. If you got stiff hinges, you might have to do this on both sides, but it usually takes some of the tension off of the hinges so when you do pull down you don't fold the hood in half.

It's not a problem with just the trucks either. 73-77 Chevelles/Malibu's and Monte Carlos had a similar setup (with a longer hood too). It's common to see those hoods taco'd in the boneyard. I almost bent the hood on my sister's 76 Malibu when my Dad showed me how pushing back on the hood made it close easier.