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Old 05-11-2013, 10:24 PM   #7
derotoreut
Roto Reuter thats the name...
 
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Darien, NY
Posts: 1,859
Re: My new hood hinge springs bent my genuine GM hinges! Crap!

Quote:
Originally Posted by TBONE1964 View Post
That really sticks. How hard were the springs to install? It sounds like the new springs may have been a little short. You need to measure a factory one against your spring from GMC Pauls and make sure they are the same length. The factory hood hinge spring have very little tension on them when the hood is open. If the springs are too short, I can see how it would bend the hinges.

If the GMC Pauls springs are incorrect, I would be making some calls.
The aftermarket springs were the same length, but I think the spring tension was much stronger than it should have been. It was so strong that it bent the hinge around, so the angled striker would not rest on the stop. It twisted it around it.

The springs need to extend about 1" from the relaxed position to be installed on the hinges. In order to install them, I placed a spring on my floor jack to extend it. I then put wooden shims in between several coils. This extended the springs enough to get them on the hinges. I used wood so I wouldn't scratch the new springs, but the wood was tough to get back out. I then pressed on the hinge to extend the spring in order to remove each piece of wood.
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My 70 K10 SWB build:http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=782232
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1970 SWB Fleet K10 4X4, 5.3L LM7, 4L60E, Dakota Digital RTX, Vintage Air, Ididit tilt
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