Hood safety strap

[moparguy]

My hood has never flown up in the 10,000 or so miles I've put on my 51. However I've read many threads where others have had hoods folded over the cab when meeting big trucks and the results are never good.

The above said, has anyone installed a safety strap or cable that's not a pain in the a-- to release when one wants to raise the hood.

If someone came up with a simple, dependable retention system I could see a little basement business opportunity in the making.

RonR

[MARTINSR]

I drive a 1959 car every day, I look at it as if I was riding a motorcycle. I treat everything on the road, I drive defensibly like I did on a motorcycle and that is all I can do.

If you hit someone hard enough in one of these trucks where the hood comes back, you have OTHER problems big time that is a tiny one.

I don't now, it wouldn't be a bad idea, but I can't see that it would make that big of a difference.

Brian

[_Ogre]

However I've read many threads where others have had hoods folded over the cab

i can't say i've read one thread here where that has happened, i've driven old trucks since the 70s and never had a problem
personally i think if you keep your truck in good condition you will never have a problem
my 58 has the original hood latch

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

i can't say i've read one thread here where that has happened, i've driven old trucks since the 70s and never had a problem
personally i think if you keep your truck in good condition you will never have a problem
my 58 has the original hood latch

Back when I was a kid I taking two years to finish the top chop on my truck I think I took it on 15 minute "test drives" more than I worked on it. LOL One day I took it on one of these test drives down a narrow street near my house. I had forgotten one little thing, that I had removed that panel in front of the radiator that holds the hood latch! Now the hood was on and off the truck often so there were no hinges, I had a little quarter inch bolt on each side of the hood holding it to the cowl.

I was hauling ass down this little street when the hood started bouncing up and down at the front, it hit me that it had no latch! DUH! I stomped on the brakes and the hood flew off straight up, I mean WHAM straight up never even touching the cab. I was going down the street looking out the rear window waiting to see it hit a car on the roof of the many that were lining the street. The hood hits upside down coming down like a plane right in the middle of the street! I have a photo of that hood when I got it home.

Brian

[mr48chev]

As long as the safety catch is on and working right you shouldn't have a problem. The problem including mine when a truck blew my hood open in Wyoming was because the latch was suspect to begin with. One of those little details that I knew wasn't quite right but didn't take the 30 minutes it needed to address it.

One thing that I have found out over the years is that the fender to firewall braces are there for a number of one reasons and a main one is to keep the nose from moving around allowing the hood to pop open. If a guys hood pops open too often you can bet that those braces are missing. They were missing on mine when my hood blew open as I thought I was "cleaning up" the engine compartment.

[moparguy]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

i can't say i've read one thread here where that has happened, i've driven old trucks since the 70s and never had a problem
personally i think if you keep your truck in good condition you will never have a problem
my 58 has the original hood latch

I do agree that if the latch is what it should be, should be NO problem. However I just did a search with this; "hood flew up" and requested the "thread" as opposed to the post and got 198 hits. Now I do know not all are true "hood flew up" threads, but the first few I skimmed were.

RR

[Foot Stomper]

I've seen it happen a lot! Everytime there's bullets flying, bank robbers inside and a high speed chase is the cause... Hollywood LOVES having hoods pop open!

On a more serious and respectful note, I can't say that I've ever seen it happen or the resulting damage after it has. I called on the collision industry for 20 years too. Saw the results of a combine vs half ton once ... but not a hood latch damages issue.

[moparguy]

Well, as I mentioned I've never seen it either. Sounds like I have a solution in search of a problem

[MARTINSR]

My hood when it flew off.

Brian

[jweb]

You may consider using a lock, this would add a security benefit. There were a few threads in the 60-66 section about locks, here's one:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ight=Hood+lock

[mr48chev]

Rather rat roddy now but years ago I saw one with Jeep latches on the hood. Truck was pretty rough and used in the woods and back roads.

[Dan in Pasadena]

A few years ago I saw this clever idea at a car show for keeping the hood locked on a Task Force truck. The locks are garden variety available at Home Depot for desks, cabinets and there were two of them - I only took a picture of one side.

I don’t know AD trucks well enough to know if it might be adaptable to them. Anyway, I plan to do this to my just painted truck

[MARTINSR]

I am thinking if you wanted to add a safety device to these AD hoods (or the TF for that matter) putting a good old "Hood pin" on the bracket under the hood that holds the striker going down that will go through a hole in the latch support.

Maybe something like this?




https://www.wmsracing.com/wmsweb/hoodpins.html


Brian

[Dan in Pasadena]

Brian,
After checking out the link you provided and looking at my truck I don’t see that adapting the system to a TF would be very doable. I kinda wonder though if it would be possible to just drill a hole between adjacent parts on the stock latch and put in a pin or a padlock?

My desk lock photos above will definetl work but since I didn’t pre-install them before paint I wonder if it could be done now without damaging the finish? Drilling through painter’s tape slowly might work.

[BBPanel]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

A few years ago I saw this clever idea at a car show for keeping the hood locked on a Task Force truck. The locks are garden variety available at Home Depot for desks, cabinets and there were two of them - I only took a picture of one side.

Did they retain the stock latching mechanism also?

[MARTINSR]

Dan, depending on the truck, can you fit your hand up through the grille? Maybe just put the pin and you stick your hand up there and insert the clip?

Brian

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by BBPanel

Did they retain the stock latching mechanism also?

Yup, it had the factory stock latch.

These drawer locks were both anti theft items AND safety items. Plus, you cannot see anything when the hood is closed because that sheet metal faces toward the ground. A simple, cheap and good idea to me.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

Dan, depending on the truck, can you fit your hand up through the grille? Maybe just put the pin and you stick your hand up there and insert the clip?

Brian

You can’t with a ‘55 or ‘56 grille. Maybe you can with ‘57 - ‘59’s. Once my hood is reinstalled and properly adjusted I’m gonna see if I can find a method where I DON’T have to drill through my new paint. Maybe a padlock, one of those with a long hasp for bicycles, etc. Probably have to paint it all black so it will be unseen.

[moparguy]

I think, I'm gonna craft up a cable with one end bolted to the frame (somewhere, will explore exactly where asap) the other end will have a Carabiner clip that'll clip to the hood near the latch.

Plan is to have enough to slack raise the hood the small amount made possible by the retention cable, reach in and unclip the carabiner.

If the hood latch ever fails, the cable would prevent the hood from opening up all the way.

RonR

[Dan in Pasadena]

^^^ Good idea but make sure it’s a substantial carabiner meant for actual climbing and not one of the cheap ones they sell at Home Depot. If the hood latch gives out at speed the hood acts as a sail and will generate a LOT of lift!

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by moparguy

If the hood latch ever fails, the cable would prevent the hood from opening up all the way.

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

If the hood latch gives out at speed the hood acts as a sail and will generate a LOT of lift!

like dan says the hood is going to come up violently, even a few inches of slack will tear out any anchor point in the hood
imo you have a non solution for a non issue

[sack54]

I used a simple bungee cord . Works great and its black and you can not see it. easy to use and easy to take off. Cheap and effective. And I know it works for sure .

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by sack54

I used a simple bungee cord . Works great and its black and you can not see it. easy to use and easy to take off. Cheap and effective. And I know it works for sure .

Ehhhh, personally I’d NOT trust a bungee cord to hold down the hood at speed.