hood hinges w/o springs ?

[blazer2007]

I caught my hood starting to bend,can I remove the springs so I don,t put much pressure on it for now ,or can i put a weaker spring in.

[russellh575]

I'm interested in this too. What year is your truck?

[Keith Seymore]

I assume your truck is a '73 - '80 -

I'm shootin' from the hip here, but I don't think the hinge functions properly without any spring on there.

At a minimum you could try a replacement spring for a fiberglass hood (like from Harwood), which would be weaker; the trick there is the hood would likely not stay open and you would need to supplement with a prop rod.

The spring on my Chevelle fiberglass hood is soooo close that the hood will stay up when dry, but if it is wet it will not stay open....



Lastly - I believe reinforcements are commercially available; they attach to the side flange of the hood at the point where the hood is supposed to bend during a crash event.

K

[SamsAutoParts73-87]

A friend of mine used to have a 79 with a fiberglass cowl hood. He used springs from an old trampoline, they held open the hood, but did not take a lot of effort to close. On a steel hood I would still use a prop rod, with weaker springs.

Sometimes the problem is the hinges binding, make sure they are clean, and have plenty of lube.

-Sam

[cool68]

some suppliers offer a metal reinforcement piece for inside hood to help control this problem.

[Rnd]

I put these on my '77 worth every penny $25

Easy to install and you never have to worry about folding your hood.

http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/cc/full.aspx?Page=25

Brace kit lower left of page

[cool68]

Sea Foam Deep Creep lubricant might help too

[Aaron_L]

When running fiberglass hoods on cars in the past, I would drill a hole through the hinges where they intersect in the up position. I kept 2 small pins on my keychain, and I put them in the drilled holes to hold the hood open. I don't know how it would work on a steel hood though.

[79Betty]

I have hood pins on mine and they do fine. Haven't got above 55 though. So idk after that. But i still have springs too for ease of support. I need new hood hinges though as mine have way too much side to side slop.

[superwade57]

Two things...
1- those supports are death traps...they stiffen the hood in a place that was meant to be a primitive crumple zone I believe. Used in conjunction with the pins or posts on the cowl and the pockets in the hood. Too stiff amd it'll shear the hood bolt and potentially the roof and your head.
2- has any one taken the springs off and used the lift gate style gas shocks made for newer hoods or like never Tahoe tailgate?

[maxxxy]

I plan on eventually running some gas shocks in place of springs.

[LONGHAIR]

Smooth moving parts a lubrication are the keys to this. Most of the other remedies are band-aids at best, dangerous at worst.
If they are already too rusty, a rust-dissolving dip is probably best. Blasting leaves behind grit that never seems to go away.

[slimneverdies]

My hood just ain't right for some reason. What tell tell signs would you say merits time for new hood hinges? Mine kinda have side to side action and the springs are a little soft but I don't know where to start first. Also I bought the hood supports today from lmc and wanted to know does it correct a really small kink that's starting to appear in the hood????

Slim

[TheBlueBomber]

I usually just go out once a month and shoot a little WD40 on all the moving parts of the hood and it'll be much better.

[bigblock73]

Without springs, the hood won't pop when the latch is used...good luck getting the hood open. The springs actually aid in this operation, the core support spring can't do it by itself.

[69heavychevy]

You can take the springs off, but unless you don't plan on opening your hood anytime soon its not a good idea. I took the springs of mine because the hinges had been left in the open position for a couple of years by the PO, and was impossible to close the hood. Its currently a project, but anytime I need the hood open it takes two people to get it opened...

[andrewmp6]

Lmc truck has a hood brace kit for it for 20 bucks part number 30-3804

[cory d]

. I fould a can of TRI FLOW in a junk yard. Sprayed the crap out of my hinges and worked them allot, repeated a few times. way better

[slimneverdies]

Originally Posted by andrewmp6

Lmc truck has a hood brace kit for it for 20 bucks part number 30-3804

Just bought some today. Just wondering do they straighten the hood or just prevent it from bending???


This is how mine currently looks...

[cory d]

it will keep it from bending. you can play with the hinges to get the hood to lay flat too. the back of the hinges have to drop down. its all slotted holes. if i remember correctly, did it to mine a while ago

[slimneverdies]

Bought a new hood and the LMC brace kit. My hinges have way to much side to side play so I'm looking for some better hinges. Where would you guys suggest. I haven't heard to many good things about repop hood hinges so I'm sort of stuck

[kmfb]

My hood on my 79 started to show signs of tweeking when I first got it. I sprayed the hinges down with Aero-kroil and taught myself not to pull down on the hood to close it. I push into the face of the hood to start the motion and it hasnt bent or bound up on me yet.

[mrolds88]

That's the key. Removing any rust on the pivot points, lubrication in all those areas, and hand positioning. Palms on the front face of the hood and push downward and away from you when you shut the hood. I've had more than one that was really wanting to bend on me. This has helped me. Remember that when rust forms, it expands the parent steel or iron. Another thing is to pull the hood and the springs. Put something that either derusts (if it needs it) or lube on the pivot points and work the siffness out of it. then re install everything.

[blazer2007]

Originally Posted by mrolds88

That's the key. Removing any rust on the pivot points, lubrication in all those areas, and hand positioning. Palms on the front face of the hood and push downward and away from you when you shut the hood. I've had more than one that was really wanting to bend on me. This has helped me. Remember that when rust forms, it expands the parent steel or iron. Another thing is to pull the hood and the springs. Put something that either derusts (if it needs it) or lube on the pivot points and work the siffness out of it. then re install everything.

I tried that last yr. and pulled a muscle in my gut.

[blazer2007]

I was wondering if you could drill out the pressed bolts on the hinges and run a not and bolt with a bushing,I was snooping around the auto store and saw a bunch of different bushings,just an idea.